Page 8 - BOSS Today Issue 53

BOSS Today #53

“people have been told
the wellness and ergonomic category,
such as desktop converters so that
people don’t sit all day but can stand up by their employers that
to work.” Cooper agrees: “We’re finding working from home
right now that it is the standard sit/
stand models that are selling in larger could be a permanent
numbers than the more sophisticated Trend 7: Design is king
ones, which probably indicates that they Equipping the home working market or semi-permanent
are being purchased for home use.” for the longer term is also driving change, so we have seen
Other product trends driven by demand for design-led products, as
the need to make the home office Wells explains: “In the past few weeks, more sales of design
comfortable include smaller footprint people have been told by their employers
desks, as well as folding desks, which can that working from home could be a led products coming
be put away at the end of the day. permanent or semi-permanent change, through for home use.”
so we have seen more sales of design led
products coming through for home use.
They’re now buying home office products Elisabete Wells, ACCO UK
that look nice, have lots of features and
benefits, but also fit with the décor and
say something about them.” These may
cost more, but it will move the market
Trend 5: Working on the move away from the ‘race to the bottom’ on
Nice reports that “Mobile working price so that resellers will be able to
products to help people move from one make better margins. It will also most
work location to another are now very benefit branded products.
popular, so we’ve gone from selling
absolutely no business travel cases
during lockdown to selling a fair number,
and people are carrying more things
around with them, not just their laptop.”

Trend 8: The environment
is back (again)
Historically, end-user focus on the
environment tends to take a back seat
during an economic downturn and
the COVID period was no exception.
Trend 6: Storing it all However, Nice reports that “interest
Another continuing trend is the in sustainable and recycled products
increased demand for storage products is coming back now: both corporate
not only at home, where people are customers and home workers are asking
trying to be organised and declutter, for more environmentally friendly
but also for transporting items from alternatives. This is coming through on
the office to home and back again. As items such as desktop items, notebooks
Cooper points out, “The original Fellowes and washroom supplies being made of
business was all about our Bankers Box recycled materials. People are also really Martin Wilde – the author of this
corrugated board storage boxes and we looking for plastics - that whole area of article - is Managing Director of
also now do a range of sturdy plastic punched pockets and lever arch files - to OP market research specialists
storage products called Pro Store. We be made more environmentally friendly Martin Wilde Associates Ltd
can’t make these fast enough!” or sustainable.” (www.martinwildeassociates.com).

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