STEEP: Interior Design Case Study

Below is an authentic example of how the STEEP analysis works.

This exercise will provide you with a general awareness of the industry or service area you operate in.

STEEP Analysis, April 2008
Socio-cultural	Age range	Young high-fliers; 40+
	Income brackets	£30k +
	Gender?	Covers all, but could be specific
	Ethnicity?	Covers all, but could be specific
	Life-style	Money-rich and time-poor
	Leisure	Limited time, big spenders; big companies
	Social trends	Colour and style fads; TV programmes have big influence; personal image matters
	Shopping trends	Leisure shopping; Internet; designer brochures
	Other
Technological	Hardware	Integrated computer systems
	Software	Bespoke; Internet advertising; imaging
	IT for management	For all processes
	ICT for communication	Internal and external; source suppliers; research themes
	Equipment
	Materials	Samples and sample books
	New developments	Advanced software readily available
	Other	Home PCs & software might dissuade clients buying from professional services
	Other
Economic	General trends	Interior design is a luxury
	Interest rates	Can affect consumer spending quickly
	Tax
	Insurances	Needed if doing conversions
	Funding sources	Business’ own profits; banks and financial services
	Funding req’s
	Other	Import duties on specific goods
	Other
Environmental	Sustainability	External materials long-wearing
	Recycling	Paper products; soft furnishing; old publicity materials
	Waste disposal
	Energy-efficiency
	Fuel	If transporting specific goods
	Other
Political	EU law	ISO standards
	National law
	Local by-laws	Local preservation orders
	Trade unions	If employing staff
	Health & Safety	If doing conversions; handling materials; safe materials
	Equality	If employing staff; client contact
	Vulnerable people
	Party politics
	Other