At the beginning of June, a questionnaire was sent to 2,683 retailers of hearth, patio, and barbecue products. A total of 173 were returned and usable.

There are 30 different products categories in the column above. Together they represent what just about all the Outdoor Room products that a successful specialty retailer could (should?) carry. But let’s be honest here. It’s only a very few specialty retailers who do a great job at selling Outdoor Rooms.

Perhaps it’s because most specialty retailers simply don’t have the talent and skills to speak about an Outdoor Room design. Or it could be that they’re intimidated by the effort required in assembling a heavy pergola, or a stone island with a granite top.

Maybe they just want to do what they do best – sell products, one by one, and help the customer to their pickup truck with their purchase. Help me here, because I truly cannot understand why so many retailers are willing to leave so much money on the table. My email is wright@villagewest.com.

The chart on the left shows products that gained penetration into the specialty retail channel, or stayed even with the prior year, and it’s about an even split between those products that gained (14), and those that lost penetration (16). Even a hot category such as fire pits dropped five percentage points, while Outdoor Fireplaces – Wood, lost 9 points.

On the service side, the percent of retailers who sell and install outdoor kitchens dropped by eight points; the percent of retailers who provide design services for customers decreased by five points.

The percent of retailers who sell and install pergolas declined by 3%, and the percent that sell and install gazebos dropped by 11%.

Now, do yourself a favor and read the lead article in this issue; it talks about trends regarding Outdoor Rooms. You’ll find that just about every survey, and every professional in the field, points to the Outdoor Room as one of the key trends in the country today. It’s going strong, and it’s not going away anytime soon. Think about it.