The association’s Research Department provides invaluable insights to its members…and the K&B industry.
By Elisa Fernández-Arias
Throughout its 60 year history, NKBA’s research has been a leading trends, business and economic indicator of the kitchen and bath industry, helping members to make informed decisions. Whether monitoring the industry’s economic health through its quarterly KBMI surveys or exploring current and future trends in its annual Design Trends report, NKBA research has evolved to drive and support many of the association’s events, programs and content.
As we continue to celebrate 60 years of NKBA, we highlight the milestones in the association’s history – like the evolution and expansion of the Research Department – that contribute to its enduring success.
NKBA Reintroduces its Research Department
In 2017, NKBA took a significant step forward when it reinstated its internal Research Department. “It was Bill Darcy who recognized the need for NKBA to be a thought leader and the go-to source for information about the kitchen and bath industry, “ said Tricia Zach, Head of Research at NKBA. “After relying on external sources for research for many years, Bill was committed to building an internal team that would conduct its own custom research studies and continually monitor the economic conditions that impact the new construction and remodeling sectors of the K&B industry.”
The Evolution of NKBA Research
The NKBA Research department has evolved significantly since 2017 under the leadership of Zach, who has created valuable partnerships and expanded her team. “Over the past six years, NKBA’s research team has been influential in increasing awareness of the Association and significantly enhancing its reputation and credibility within the industry,” noted Zach, adding that key partners such as John Burns Research and Consulting and Zonda have also helped the association gain traction outside of its membership. Research is free for all members, but non-members pay an average $1995 for each study they want to download.
Below we take a look at the reports the NKBA Research Department has conducted throughout the years, delving into their history, publication timelines and how the findings have played a significant role in providing timely, essential and actionable information to the industry.
Design Trends Report
NKBA’s Design Trends report is the association’s flagship study. The association has released design trends every year since 1963, but it wasn’t until 2017 that more formal research was conducted and an official report was published to the membership that identified future and emerging trends, including the big shift from traditional to contemporary. This highly respected and widely sought-after research will be released as two reports this year, instead of one to generate results that are more detailed for each segment. “Design Trends: Baths” will be published this summer, and “Design Trends: Kitchens”, will be released this fall.
Kitchen & Bath Market Outlook
The first date of release for the Kitchen & Bath Market Outlook report is unclear, however, NKBA archives include one dating back to 2008. The report, which estimates market size and forecasts growth/decline for the coming year, went from being published annually to biannually in 2020, with a baseline report in January and a midyear update in June/July. .
NKBA/ John Burns Kitchen & Bath Market Index
Another cornerstone study, the NKBA/ John Burns Kitchen & Bath Market Index (KBMI) features a proprietary index, created in 2018, that gauges the economic health of the kitchen and bath industry. The study examines current and future market conditions, monitoring industry professionals’ ever-changing issues and challenges. Since first publishing the report in Q4 2018, the survey’s results have been released on a quarterly basis.
Specialty Reports and Upcoming Releases
In addition to these three primary reports, the NKBA research team conducts a variety of custom studies, including the Benchmark Sentiment Survey: Special COVID-19 Edition (released in 2020), the Luxury Kitchen Study (released in 2021), the Millennial Kitchen Technology Report (released 2022) and the NKBA Luxury Bath Study(released 2022).
Additionally, the department is set to publish two new studies in May: the first-ever Luxury Outdoor Kitchen Report, released on May 18 in conjunction with NKBA’s Summit: Designing the Outdoor Kitchen (to register for the Summit, go here); and The Showroom Report, released in June and showcased in an NKBALive event on June 21.