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How AI wants furniture & homeware

John Lewis is the most desired furniture & homeware brand the answers name: Desire 76% of maximum, above indifference. 32% of the 37 brands rated sit above indifference; the rest leave the models indifferent. The category is most divided on emotional magnetism. The brand the answers name most often is IKEA, not the category's market leader.

37 brands rated · 25 named in the answers · 60 AI answers behind presence · rated by ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini

Attraction Standing out: seen as superior, magnetic and influential.
Affinity Belonging: tied to identity, values and legitimacy, not just specifications.
Attachment Being returned to: an emotional bond, a dependable experience, part of the routine.
AttractionAffinityAttachment Each whorl lights one ring per index threshold cleared (84 / 92 / 100 / 108 / 116)

Indices: 100 = the average brand in the same category.Indices: 100 = the average brand across every category in the index. Desire % and status are absolute and read the same either way.

Furniture & Homeware

Every brand, named first

32% above indifference · 68% indifferent · 0% below · 37 brands

#Brand Desire indexDesire %Status AttractionAffinityAttachment SummaryNamed in
1 John Lewis: Attraction 121, Affinity 128, Attachment 121John Lewis: Attraction 126, Affinity 127, Attachment 129John Lewis 123127 76% Above indifference 121126 128127 121129 Ahead on all threeAhead on all three 12%
2 Marks Spencer: Attraction 119, Affinity 126, Attachment 120Marks Spencer: Attraction 124, Affinity 125, Attachment 128Marks & Spencer 122126 76% Above indifference 119124 126125 120128 Ahead on all threeAhead on all three 3%
3 IKEA: Attraction 122, Affinity 115, Attachment 126IKEA: Attraction 127, Affinity 114, Attachment 134IKEA 121125 75% Above indifference 122127 115114 126134 Ahead on all threeAhead on all three 32%
4 Lakeland: Attraction 117, Affinity 116, Attachment 121Lakeland: Attraction 122, Affinity 115, Attachment 129Lakeland 118122 73% Above indifference 117122 116115 121129 Ahead on all threeAhead on all three 2%
5 Tesco: Attraction 105, Affinity 113, Attachment 124Tesco: Attraction 110, Affinity 112, Attachment 133Tesco 114118 71% Above indifference 105110 113112 124133 Relied on, not excitingAhead on all three 3%
6 The White Company: Attraction 111, Affinity 117, Attachment 110The White Company: Attraction 116, Affinity 115, Attachment 118The White Company 113116 70% Above indifference 111116 117115 110118 Ahead on all threeAhead on all three 2%
7 TK Maxx: Attraction 124, Affinity 106, Attachment 109TK Maxx: Attraction 129, Affinity 105, Attachment 116TK Maxx 113117 70% Above indifference 124129 106105 109116 Noticed, not returned toChosen, not loved 5%
8 Next: Attraction 105, Affinity 117, Attachment 114Next: Attraction 110, Affinity 115, Attachment 121Next 112115 69% Above indifference 105110 117115 114121 Credible, not first choiceAhead on all three 10%
9 Sainsbury's: Attraction 103, Affinity 115, Attachment 116Sainsbury's: Attraction 107, Affinity 114, Attachment 124Sainsbury's 111115 69% Above indifference 103107 115114 116124 Relied on, not excitingRelied on, not exciting 13%
10 Dunelm: Attraction 107, Affinity 109, Attachment 113Dunelm: Attraction 111, Affinity 107, Attachment 120Dunelm 110113 68% Above indifference 107111 109107 113120 Relied on, not excitingChosen, not loved 27%
11 Primark: Attraction 116, Affinity 89, Attachment 105Primark: Attraction 121, Affinity 88, Attachment 112Primark 103107 64% Indifferent 116121 8988 105112 Noticed, not returned toChosen, not loved 3%
12 Home Bargains: Attraction 110, Affinity 93, Attachment 105Home Bargains: Attraction 114, Affinity 92, Attachment 112Home Bargains 103106 64% Indifferent 110114 9392 105112 Noticed, not returned toChosen, not loved 7%
13 Homesense: Attraction 112, Affinity 95, Attachment 97Homesense: Attraction 116, Affinity 94, Attachment 103Homesense 101105 63% Indifferent 112116 9594 97103 Noticed, not returned toNoticed, not returned to 2%
14 Argos: Attraction 94, Affinity 103, Attachment 107Argos: Attraction 98, Affinity 102, Attachment 114Argos 101105 63% Indifferent 9498 103102 107114 Average on all threeRelied on, not exciting 18%
15 Asda: Attraction 90, Affinity 97, Attachment 103Asda: Attraction 94, Affinity 96, Attachment 109Asda 97100 60% Indifferent 9094 9796 103109 Relied on, not excitingAverage on all three 7%
16 BM: Attraction 106, Affinity 86, Attachment 99BM: Attraction 111, Affinity 85, Attachment 106B&M 97100 60% Indifferent 106111 8685 99106 Noticed, not returned toNoticed, not returned to 8%
17 Laura Ashley: Attraction 93, Affinity 101, Attachment 93Laura Ashley: Attraction 97, Affinity 100, Attachment 100Laura Ashley 9699 59% Indifferent 9397 101100 93100 Average on all threeAverage on all three 2%
18 Habitat: Attraction 95, Affinity 95, Attachment 94Habitat: Attraction 99, Affinity 94, Attachment 100Habitat 9598 59% Indifferent 9599 9594 94100 Average on all threeAverage on all three 13%
19 Poundland: Attraction 96, Affinity 87, Attachment 96Poundland: Attraction 100, Affinity 86, Attachment 103Poundland 9396 58% Indifferent 96100 8786 96103 Noticed, not returned toRelied on, not exciting 5%
20 Wayfair: Attraction 91, Affinity 89, Attachment 95Wayfair: Attraction 94, Affinity 88, Attachment 102Wayfair 9295 57% Indifferent 9194 8988 95102 Relied on, not excitingRelied on, not exciting 3%
21 The Range: Attraction 91, Affinity 85, Attachment 92The Range: Attraction 95, Affinity 84, Attachment 98The Range 8992 55% Indifferent 9195 8584 9298 Relied on, not excitingRelied on, not exciting 18%
22 Matalan: Attraction 86, Affinity 85, Attachment 77Matalan: Attraction 89, Affinity 84, Attachment 82Matalan 8385 51% Indifferent 8689 8584 7782 Behind on all threeBehind on all three 5%
23 Furniture in Fashion: Attraction 76, Affinity 85, Attachment 77Furniture in Fashion: Attraction 79, Affinity 84, Attachment 83Furniture in Fashion 7982 49% Indifferent 7679 8584 7783 Behind on all threeBehind on all three 2%
24 Homescapes: Attraction 78, Affinity 82, Attachment 76Homescapes: Attraction 81, Affinity 81, Attachment 81Homescapes 7981 49% Indifferent 7881 8281 7681 Behind on all threeBehind on all three 2%
25 Debenhams: Attraction 69, Affinity 77, Attachment 71Debenhams: Attraction 72, Affinity 76, Attachment 76Debenhams 7274 45% Indifferent 6972 7776 7176 Behind on all threeBehind on all three 2%
Rated but never named (12)

The models rated these brands when asked, but none of the category's answers named them.

#Brand Desire indexDesire %Status AttractionAffinityAttachment SummaryNamed in
— Emma Bridgewater: Attraction 123, Affinity 117, Attachment 114Emma Bridgewater: Attraction 128, Affinity 116, Attachment 122Emma Bridgewater 118122 73% Above indifference 123128 117116 114122 Ahead on all threeAhead on all three 0%
— Oliver Bonas: Attraction 113, Affinity 108, Attachment 105Oliver Bonas: Attraction 117, Affinity 107, Attachment 112Oliver Bonas 108112 67% Above indifference 113117 108107 105112 Noticed, not returned toChosen, not loved 0%
— Cox Cox: Attraction 99, Affinity 101, Attachment 94Cox Cox: Attraction 103, Affinity 100, Attachment 100Cox & Cox 98101 61% Indifferent 99103 101100 94100 Average on all threeAverage on all three 0%
— HM Home: Attraction 101, Affinity 98, Attachment 97HM Home: Attraction 105, Affinity 96, Attachment 103H&M Home 98102 61% Indifferent 101105 9896 97103 Average on all threeAverage on all three 0%
— Wilko: Attraction 93, Affinity 95, Attachment 104Wilko: Attraction 97, Affinity 94, Attachment 111Wilko 97101 60% Indifferent 9397 9594 104111 Average on all threeRelied on, not exciting 0%
— Zara Home: Attraction 102, Affinity 92, Attachment 92Zara Home: Attraction 106, Affinity 91, Attachment 99Zara Home 9699 59% Indifferent 102106 9291 9299 Average on all threeAverage on all three 0%
— Julian Charles: Attraction 88, Affinity 102, Attachment 91Julian Charles: Attraction 92, Affinity 101, Attachment 97Julian Charles 9497 58% Indifferent 8892 102101 9197 Credible, not first choiceAverage on all three 0%
— La Redoute: Attraction 93, Affinity 99, Attachment 89La Redoute: Attraction 97, Affinity 97, Attachment 95La Redoute 9396 58% Indifferent 9397 9997 8995 Liked, not chosenAverage on all three 0%
— Archers Sleep Centre: Attraction 88, Affinity 93, Attachment 94Archers Sleep Centre: Attraction 91, Affinity 92, Attachment 100Archers Sleep Centre 9295 57% Indifferent 8891 9392 94100 Relied on, not excitingAverage on all three 0%
— JYSK: Attraction 89, Affinity 99, Attachment 86JYSK: Attraction 92, Affinity 98, Attachment 91JYSK 9194 56% Indifferent 8992 9998 8691 Liked, not chosenAverage on all three 0%
— Cult Furniture: Attraction 92, Affinity 95, Attachment 85Cult Furniture: Attraction 96, Affinity 94, Attachment 91Cult Furniture 9093 56% Indifferent 9296 9594 8591 Liked, not chosenAverage on all three 0%
— LOFT Furniture: Attraction 84, Affinity 91, Attachment 90LOFT Furniture: Attraction 88, Affinity 90, Attachment 96LOFT Furniture 8891 55% Indifferent 8488 9190 9096 Liked, not chosenRelied on, not exciting 0%

Indexed against the average of the 37 indexed furniture & homeware brands, so 100 is the category average and a brand is read against the rivals it actually competes with.Indexed against the average of every indexed brand in the whole index — 2,582 brands across 67 categories — so 100 is the average brand anywhere here and a number reads the same on every board. 37 furniture & homeware brands rated by the assistants in the latest weekly run; Named in is the share of 60 AI answers that name each brand.

Feature profile

What this category is rated on

The brands are most divided on emotional magnetism: Emma Bridgewater is rated 5.2 and Debenhams 2.8 on the 1–7 scale, a spread of 111 against the feature's usual spread (100 = as contested as usual). Against every category, furniture & homeware is rated highest on part of my routine (114) and lowest on values & integrity (94).

FeatureDriverCategory meanVs all categories
Perceived superiority Attraction 4.4/7 100
Emotional magnetism contested Attraction 4.0/7 108
Positive influence Attraction 4.8/7 106
Identity & belonging Affinity 3.9/7 103
Values & integrity Affinity 3.9/7 94
Trust & legitimacy Affinity 5.0/7 99
Emotional bond Attachment 4.3/7 104
Reinforced experience Attachment 4.0/7 102
Part of my routine Attachment 4.7/7 114

A feature's category mean is the average of its brands' ratings, 1–7. Vs all categories indexes it against every indexed brand across every category (100 = the average brand anywhere). The contested feature is the one the category's brands are most spread on, measured against how spread that feature usually is.

Stated vs revealed

Rated well is not the same as named

Across the 37 brands, how highly the models rate a brand when asked and how often their answers name it go loosely together (rank correlation 0.30).

Rated well, rarely named

  • Marks & Spencer76% Desire · named in 3%
  • Emma Bridgewater73% Desire · named in 0%
  • Lakeland73% Desire · named in 2%
  • Tesco71% Desire · named in 3%
  • TK Maxx70% Desire · named in 5%

Showing 5 of 11.

Named, not desired

  • Argosnamed in 18% · 63% Desire
  • The Rangenamed in 18% · 55% Desire
  • Habitatnamed in 13% · 59% Desire
  • B&Mnamed in 8% · 60% Desire
  • Asdanamed in 7% · 60% Desire

Showing 5 of 6.

Rated well, rarely named: Desire above the category median, named in 5% of answers or fewer. Named, not desired: among the most-named quarter of the category, yet indifferent or below. A relationship inside one week's run, never a cause.

Model agreement

Where the models disagree

The models broadly agree on these brands (mean correlation 0.78 across 3 pairs: ChatGPT–Claude 0.78 · ChatGPT–Gemini 0.80 · Claude–Gemini 0.77). Still, 123 of 1,147 brand-statement ratings (11%) split by 2 points or more on the 1–7 scale, and the typical brand's Desire differs by 8 points between its most and least generous model.

BrandStatementRated highestRated lowest
The White CompanyBest interests Gemini 6 Claude 3
The White CompanyControl Gemini 6 Claude 3
The White CompanySimplify Gemini 6 Claude 3
WilkoLeader ChatGPT 5 Claude 2
Archers Sleep CentreEnergised Claude 5 Gemini 3

The widest 5 of 123 splits.

Across the whole index, on the same brands: Gemini rates +4.5 points of Desire % against its peers; ChatGPT rates −1.7 points of Desire % against its peers; Claude rates −3.0 points of Desire % against its peers. A generous model lifts every brand it rates, which is why scores are combined across models and indexed within the category.

Distinctive statements

What sets the leading brands apart

For the category's leading named brands, the glossary statements each is rated furthest above and below the category's average, in points on the 1–7 scale.

John Lewis
Above the categoryTrust +1.8, Good reputation +1.8, Peace of mind +1.8
Below the categoryGood value −0.5, Wealth −0.4, Healthy −0.2
Marks & Spencer
Above the categoryHealthy +2.5, Integrity +1.6, Leader +1.5
Below the categoryGood value −0.5, Wealth −0.4, Self-expression −0.0
IKEA
Above the categoryLeader +2.2, Simplify +1.9, New ideas +1.8
Below the categoryPeace of mind −0.2, Exclusive experience −0.1
Lakeland
Above the categoryControl +1.7, Innovative +1.6, Simplify +1.6
Below the categoryGood value −0.9, Wealth −0.4, Self-expression −0.3
Tesco
Above the categoryControl +2.0, Simplify +1.9, Leader +1.8
Below the categorySelf-expression −1.3, Exclusive experience −0.8, Happiness −0.6
Supporting evidence

What the answers say

The category's answers say enough to judge 26 of the 1,147 brand-statement ratings (2.3%). Of those, 77% back the rating, 0% lean against it and the rest are mixed. The answers were not written to describe every brand on every statement, so this is a check on the ratings, not a second score. Counts only; no answer text is published.

Method & limitations

Every week, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are each asked directly, the way a survey asks a respondent, to rate every brand in the category on the 31 statements of the Havas Science of Desire glossary, on the survey's own 1–7 agreement scale. Statements roll up to nine features and the three Drivers of Desire (a feature is the mean of its statements; a driver is the sum of its three features, out of 21; Desire is the sum of the drivers, out of 63). Each brand is indexed against the average brand in its own category — 100 is the category average, 115 is fifteen per cent above it — and the Vs all categories switch re-indexes the same scores against every indexed brand in the index. Desire % is Desire as a share of its maximum. A brand is above indifference when its Desire is above two-thirds of its maximum (42 of 63), below indifference at or under one-third (21), and indifferent in between. The summary beside each brand says where it stands on the three drivers: an index of 110 or more counts as ahead, 90 or less as behind.

These are the assistants' own ratings when asked. They are not a survey of people and not an endorsement, and they are not read from what the assistants happen to say in an answer: the answers to the category's unbranded consumer prompts are used only to count how often each brand is named, and as supporting evidence. Relationships between ratings and how often a brand is named are correlational. A brand is indexed only when all 31 statements have been rated in a run by at least two models, and a category needs at least 4 such brands to get a board. See the full methodology.