Bathroom furniture, online purchases are growing but the shop remains central

While the French prefer 'do-it-yourself' and the Germans increasingly rely on e-commerce platforms for their purchases, the Italians appreciate more than anyone else the possibility of using the skills of architects and experts to furnish their 'bathroom' - a room in the home that has long since ceased to be just a service area, but a central space in the home and for personal well-being.

The Bathroom Design Monitor 2025 - the research conducted by NIQ-GfK Italia for FederlegnoArredo's Assobagno - surveyed 3,000 consumers in Italy, France and Germany, all of whom have recently renovated their bathrooms or intend to do so in the next 18 months. It is no coincidence that these are the three most important markets for the Italian bathroom furnishing industry, which in 2024 generated a production turnover of €4.2 billion (stable compared to 2023), 60% of which was achieved on the Italian market and more than 15% in Germany and France, the main destination countries for Italian-made products in the first seven months of 2025 as well. It was precisely Germany that showed a good recovery between January and July this year (+2.2%), while France recorded a sharp slowdown (-4.5%).

"Exports had slowed down by 1.2% last year," explains the president of Assobagno, Elia Vismara, "while in the first seven months of this year we recorded stability, which is good news for us, especially considering the recovery of important markets such as Germany and the United Kingdom. The United States also grew (by 3.6%) and, in any case, the tariffs issue should not have an excessively serious impact on companies in the sector, given that exports to this country (sixth in the top ten outlet markets) are all in all moderate. "Obviously Trump's protectionist policies are not good for companies, but I would say that the concern of our associates about Chinese products pouring into Europe and Italy is stronger than that about the US slowdown," adds Vismara.

Returning to the research, Vismara emphasises the importance for manufacturers to fully understand the purchasing behaviour of consumers, in order to be able to offer them adequate product and service solutions, precisely so that they can be more competitive in an increasingly uncertain global context. "It is interesting to analyse the dynamics of our market by comparing them with those of others, in order to understand in which direction to orient investments," explains the president of Assobagno. "For example, it is important to know that half of the people interviewed in Germany purchased bathroom furnishing products online, or that in Italy attention to sustainability is growing, but it is not a decisive factor in the purchase decision, which is instead guided by the quality-price ratio.

More than half of those interviewed (54% at European level and 57% in Italy) consider the bathroom to be the fulcrum of domestic well-being: an environment in which people invest, not only economically, to achieve quality, aesthetics and functionality. The purchase path is therefore becoming increasingly informed and articulated: although 90% of purchases still take place in physical points of sale, where the staff's expertise is essential for the final decision, the proportion of consumers integrating physical and digital channels is growing, starting by obtaining information on the Internet (97% of those interviewed) and only later going to the shop. Often, the first purchase takes place offline, while subsequent purchases are made online.