The 2026 International Housewares Association Chief Housewares Executive SuperSession (CHESS) continued with Day 2 sessions examining the changing business landscape for home and housewares companies.
Industry experts explored shifts in product discovery and commerce, ongoing global shipping challenges, the growing influence of creators and earned media and the legislative and tariff developments affecting the industry.
CHESS is sponsored by Pattern, Creative Planning, Seel, LaTeam, Monk Tree Partners, Wholescale, ShipSigma and Circana.
Read a recap of the day-one sessions at CHESS:
Abbey Fish and Chandice Probst (pictured above, Fish left, Probst right) of Tastemaker examined how the creator economy is evolving and what brands and leaders need to do now to stay relevant, build trust and capture emerging revenue opportunities.
A key part of the evolution is thinking about creators as influencers, said Fish, founder and CEO of Tastemaker, which connects food creators and consumer brands.
“The word ‘influencer’ implies promotion – a post, a campaign, an impression,” she asserted. “But creators are often functioning very differently. They curate products, demonstrate products, educate consumers….They build communities, offer affiliate storefronts….and increasingly, they complete the transaction.”
Trust is also increasingly important when creating social content. At a time when information seems infinite, trust becomes more elusive, they said.
“Ethical uses of AI are really important to remember,” commented Probst, who serves as Tastemaker COO. Brands need to make sure they – and the creators they work with – don’t violate their customers’ trust.
Fish acknowledged that the ROI of creator partnerships can be difficult to measure, but working with creators with commerce platforms like TikTok Shop – where sales can be directly measured – can help.
“You’re not going to be able to measure every sale with the new (non-linear path to purchase),” said Probst. But she suggested brands use AI to identify creators who might help with their individual goals.
Other tips from the duo:
- When evaluating potential creator partners, look closely at individual posts and their comments and shares, more than follower counts.
- The most underestimated tool in a creator’s toolbox is the newsletter. “If someone is signing up for your newsletter, they love you,” said Probst.
- Think of creators as media companies – any partner you work with should have the same safeguards, rules and legal standards as you might expect in an advertising or traditional media contract.
Craig Akers, Executive Director, International Housewares Shipping Association
Despite significant additions to the global container fleet, home and housewares shippers should not expect freight rates to return to pre-pandemic levels, according to Craig Akers, executive director of the International Housewares Shippers Association (IHSA).
Akers outlined a shipping environment in which new vessel capacity continues to be canceled out by longer routes, geopolitical disruptions and carriers’ management of available capacity.
Among those constraints is the continued rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope, which IHSA expects to persist into 2027. The longer route absorbs an estimated 5% to 10% of global fleet capacity and can extend roundtrip voyages by 10 to 14 days. Geopolitical tensions also can trigger emergency feeds and higher bunker surcharges.
Weather and chokepoints are also adding to the mix. Typhoons can cause port closures, disrupt container repositioning and lead carriers to cancel scheduled sailings to restore schedules. IHSA said carriers were blanking 18.5% of capacity among the key shipping indicators it monitors.
Those factors are helping carriers maintain pricing power even as new ships enter service. IHSA expects spot rates to soften following Golden Week, but carriers are using blank sailings to align capacity and demand. Akers characterized pre-pandemic freight rates as “commercially extinct.”
Akers also outlined strategies for housewares suppliers looking to better manage shipping costs. IHSA recommends committing at least 80% of shipping volume to fixed contracts while limiting spot-market exposure to a maximum of 20%. The association said the approach can help reduce mid-season rate fluctuations while providing flexibility for promotional and project-related volume increases.
IHSA advised shippers to extend lead times by 10 to 14 days, forecast shipments six to eight weeks out and book four weeks in advance. The association also encouraged companies to consolidate shipping volume to counter carrier supply dominance.
Jane Clauss, Media Spokesperson, The Inspired Home Show
The Inspired Home Show media spokesperson Jane Clauss shared how PR efforts around the Show generate widespread media coverage that showcases exhibitors and advances the industry. She also discussed media impact and how brands can use media coverage across all their marketing channels.
Clauss, who is a three-time Emmy-winning lifestyle television host, said that nearly 200 print, broadcast, digital and social media professionals covered the Show in 2026, resulting in over 620 earned or free mentions and 645 million impressions.
Top-tier consumer media outlets included The New York Times/Wirecutter, BuzzFeed, Real Simple, Forbes, Good Housekeeping, HGTV Magazine, Oprah Daily, America’s Test Kitchen, and Wired. The Show’s News Center also became a broadcast studio as part of a new virtual media tour where 21 TV and radio segments were streamed live or live-to-tape.
“During an earned media segment, we’re not just capturing the attention of the millions of people watching or reading,” she added. “We’re also capturing the modern AI trust factor. We’re helping to build a digital footprint and the independent, third-party validation that large language models look for.”
Clauss also suggested several ways brands can maximize an earned media placement across all their marketing channels, especially social media, using print, digital, and video. “With one media moment, you can create a 360-degree collection of consumer touchpoints,” she said.
Part of Clauss’s role as spokesperson is watching not only what consumers are buying, but how their thought process is changing from year to year and how those new emotions may influence their choices.
Some of the trends – recently cited in WGSN’s Future Consumer 2027 Report – she’s watching include:
- Strategic Joy – Where consumers look for products and experiences that create joy, encourage play and help people connect in real life to combat the stress and negativity of daily life.
- Witherwill – Where overwhelmed and overstimulated consumers long to be free from responsibility and seek ways to reduce digital noise, simplify decisions and remove unnecessary steps from daily routines.
- Suspicious Optimism. – Where consumers remain interested in technology and AI, but they become more thoughtful and cautious about how those tools enter their lives.
John LeBaron, Chief Revenue Officer, Pattern
The way consumers discover products is changing rapidly as social commerce and generative AI add new routes to purchase alongside established e-commerce marketplaces, according to John LeBaron, chief revenue officer at Pattern.
LeBaron examined how housewares companies can use data and artificial intelligence to identify growth opportunities across Amazon, TikTok Shop and emerging agentic commerce platforms.
On Amazon, Home and Kitchen unit volume on Amazon increased 15% year over year during the trailing 12 months, according to Pattern data. Several individual categories posted stronger gains, including manual juicers up 33.3% and electric pressure cookers up 31.3%.
LeBaron discussed how companies can use marketplace data to refine advertising and product content, including identifying the messages, features and benefits most likely to convert shoppers. Pattern reported an average total advertising cost of sale, or TACoS, of 11% for Amazon Home + Kitchen during the first half of 2026.
TikTok Shop is also emerging as an important commerce channel. LeBaron said social media companies have spent years trying to connect content and commerce, but TikTok has emerged as a particularly important player. Pattern reported that TikTok Shop’s kitchenware category generated about $206 million in revenue during the trailing 180 days across roughly 24,000 shops, with 76% of revenue attributed to affiliates.
AI-powered product discovery is further changing the path to purchase. LeBaron contrasted traditional search, where consumers might scroll through dozens of results and compare products before buying, with agentic discovery. In the newer model, a consumer can ask an AI agent for a recommendation and receive a much narrower set of options — potentially a single product.
“In the old world, you competed for clicks,” LeBaron said. “In the new world, you compete for a single recommendation slot.”
Rafe Morrissey, CEO, Morrissey Strategic Partners
Rafe Morrissey of IHA’s Washington, D.C., office updated CHESS attendees on key legislative issues impacting the home and housewares business, while trade attorney David Forgue discussed the latest tariff developments.
“The gridlock in Congress is intense, and it’s likely to intensify before the end of the year,” said Morrissey, who is CEO of Morrissey Strategic Partners.
But there’s been some positive momentum on a number of fronts, he said, including the 21st Century Renewed Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act, which became law on July 11.
He also covered the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act – which is expected to pass by the end of the year – and The More Homes on the Market Act – which has bipartisan support but less certain prospects of passing this year.
At the state level, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation has been enacted in seven states, though some face legal challenges. PFAS legislation “remains a huge challenge,” but there have been some positive developments in both New Mexico and California, where Governor Newsom opted to veto legislation.
On tariffs, Morissey said it’s “likely that tariffs are going to remain a fixture,” despite some recent favorable developments.
Forgue, who is a partner at Barnes, Richardson & Colburn, LLP, encouraged attendees to notice and comment on any tariff-related legislation. He also acknowledged that it’s difficult to predict and plan for new tariffs or changes to existing ones, but recommended that importers stay on top of their systems.
“Whatever the timing is, make sure you are very, very clear on what is happening in your import process,” Forgue said. “Your broker is not running your business, so it’s important that you ask questions and give clear direction for exactly what you want them to do.”
Forgue added that importers should have received IEEPA refunds plus interest by now. If not, or if it’s not 100% of what is due, he encouraged anyone to file a court case. It’s not really about initiating litigation as much as it’s “essentially like putting in a claim ticket,” he said.
