As millennials postpone life's major milestones, grabbing their attention has proven a bit elusive for home improvement retailers.

由于千禧一代（注：1984至1995年间出生的人群）推迟了他们人生中重要的里程碑事件——买房的到来，因此对于家装零售商而言，要想吸引这一代人的注意力就变得有些困难了。

But now, as the older members of this generation start reaching the median age for first-time homebuyers, the industry is starting to see how their tastes differ from their predecessors — and likewise, how they'll need to evolve their businesses to suit these shoppers' needs.

但是现在，随着千禧一代逐渐达到首次购房的平均年龄，家装行业开始分析这一代人和上一代人在品味上有何不同，以及他们需要如何发展自身业务来满足这一代购房者的需求。

Near the top of millennials' wish lists are smart, energy-efficient homes with an inspiring outdoor space. Yet most important for this cohort, which is already known for its desire to stand out, is finding a way to use their homes as a means of self-expression.

在千禧一代的愿望清单上，带有能启发灵感的户外空间的智能节能型房屋位居前列。而对于这一代以渴望成为焦点著称的人而言，最重要的是设法让他们的住宅成为表达个性的一种方式。

"[Millennials are] a lot more focused on bringing some personality into the home," Kevin Hofmann, Home Depot's chief marketing officer, told CNBC.

家得宝公司（Home Depot）的市场总监凯文·霍夫曼（Kevin Hofmann）告诉CNBC，“（千禧一代）更多地把注意力放在如何让自己的房子带有个人特点上面。”

On a call with analysts in May, Home Depot CEO Craig Menear said millennials appear to be in a six-year delayed cycle for forming their own households. Indeed, the median age of first-time homebuyers reached 35 between 2010 and 2015, according to PwC. That's an all-time high since the firm started tracking this metric in 1970. And just last week, a report from the U.S. Census Bureau found the country's homeownership rate hit its lowest level since 1965.

在5月份与分析师的一次通话中，家得宝的首席执行官克雷格·米尼尔（Craig Menear）称，千禧一代组建家庭的年龄似乎会以六年为一个周期后延。的确，根据普华永道（PwC）提供的数据，从2010年至2015年，首次购房者的平均年龄达到了35岁。这是该公司自1970年开始追踪这一数据以来得到的最高值。就在上周，美国人口调查局（the U.S. Census Bureau）的一份报告显示，该国的住房拥有率跌至1965年以来的历史最低点。

Yet even as the generation holds onto urban living as long as possible — namely, until they become parents and have to send their kids to school — they are showing an inevitable desire to move back to the suburbs, PwC's Byron Carlock said.

普华永道的拜伦·卡洛克（Byron Carlock）称，即使千禧一代在他们为人父母并且要把孩子送去上学之前，会尽可能长时间居住在城市之中，他们也不可避免地产生返回郊区居住的想法。

"It's really not a question of 'if,' but rather a question of 'when,'" said UBS analyst Michael Lasser, who has a buy rating on Home Depot's stock.

“这真的不是一个‘是否’会发生的问题，而是一个‘何时’发生的问题。”瑞银集团（UBS）分析师迈克尔·拉瑟（Michael Lasser）说，他给予家得宝股票买入评级。

As older millennials — defined by Home Depot as ages 28 to 36 — begin entering their prime homebuying years, the retailer has already identified certain characteristics that set these shoppers apart from their elder counterparts.

随着年长的千禧一代（被家得宝定义为28岁—36岁的人群）开始进入人生中首次购房的阶段，家装零售商已经发现了能将这一代人与上一代人区分的某些特点。

For one, they are more inclined to invest in smart or energy-efficient technologies, Hofmann said.

霍夫曼称，一方面，千禧一代更倾向于在智能和节能技术上投资。

They also expect a broader array of choices. For example, five styles of granite used to be sufficient, but the company may now have to offer 30 types, Hofmann said. That's where building out the company's online assortment comes into play. While Home Depot stocks some 35,000 units in its stores, that number expands beyond 1 million online.

他们还希望有更大的选择范围。例如，霍夫曼说过去5种类型的花岗岩就已经足够供顾客挑选了，而现在他们公司可能需要提供30种不同的类型。这就是公司网站在线分类发挥作用的地方。如果家得宝在其实体店里储备了3.5万个类别的商品，那么其网站在线分类的数量将超过100万个。

It isn't just about assortment, Hofmann said. Millennials also want retailers to "cut through a lot of the noise," and be able to highlight the five most fashion-forward faucets for people living in Miami.

霍夫曼认为，改变的不仅仅是商品的分类。千禧一代还要求家装设计不但可以“隔绝噪音”，而且能够为居住在迈阿密的人突出五个最时髦的水龙头这一特点。

"It's this great challenge of endless assortment but with the right level of know-how and content curation," Hofmann said.

“无穷无尽的分类需要适当层次的技术和内容维护，这是一个巨大的挑战。”霍夫曼说。

And thanks to the prevalence of inspirational Pinterest boards, instructional YouTube videos and aspirational home improvement shows, Home Depot's research has found that millennials are more interested in do-it-yourself projects than previous generations, Hofmann said.

霍夫曼称，借助Pinterest（图片社交平台）公告板的流行，具有指向性的YouTube视频和人们梦寐以求的家装展示，家得宝的研究已经发现千禧一代比他们的上一代人对自己动手的项目更有兴趣。

"The general millennial taste trends toward light, airy and open as opposed to small square rooms," PwC's Carlock said. "That tells me that when they do buy [homes], they are going to spend and remodel."

“与窄小的方形房间相反，千禧一代普遍趋向于选择采光和通风性能好并且开阔的户型，”普华永道的卡洛克说。“这一切告诉我，当这代人买房的时候，他们会花钱改造原来的户型。”

Financials also play a role in this trend, as millennials are often saddled with student debt. That makes it easier for them to purchase an older home for less money up front, and pay for improvements as they go. Not only that, but securing the financing to purchase a home is harder than it was for previous generations, Hofmann said.

由于千禧一代常常背负着学生贷款的债务，理财问题也在这股潮流中扮演着重要的角色。这使得他们更容易用较少的钱买到相对老旧的房子，然后支付装修房屋的费用。不仅如此，霍夫曼说，要他们确保筹齐购房资金变得比上一代人更困难。

And with the median age of a home on the rise — it increased from 31 to 37 in the 10 years ended 2015, UBS' Lasser said — many of the houses millennials purchase will require more TLC.

随着购房的中位年龄持续上升——在2015年之前的10年中，从31岁上升至37岁。UBS的拉瑟说，许多千禧一代购买的房子将需要进行更多的小修小补。

"Homes are getting older, and older homes should require more spending," he said.

他说：“房子变得越来越旧，老房子需要花费更多的钱进行装修。”

Though Home Depot does not disclose what percentage of its sales come from millennials, Lasser predicts the generation will start to play a bigger role in its financials over the next five to 10 years. Still, Hofmann admits millennials' revenue contribution likely won't surpass that of baby boomers and Generation X for another 10-plus years.

尽管家得宝没有透露千禧一代给其带来的销售额，但是拉瑟预测在未来的五至十年内，这一代人将开始对该公司财务管理方面产生越来越大的影响。但是霍夫曼坦承，在下一个10年甚至更长一段时期，千禧一代对公司营业额的贡献都不太可能超过婴儿潮一代和X一代。

Investors don't appear to be concerned. Home Depot's stock briefly hit an all-time high of $139 a share on Tuesday, thanks to strong housing market fundamentals and company-specific initiatives, including a more efficient supply chain. The retailer was likewise initiated with a "buy" rating from Stifel.

投资者们看上去并不担忧。周二，家得宝股价以每股139美元达到历史最高点，这要归功于强健的房地产市场基本面和该公司的具体举措，包括一个更加高效的供应链。同样地，这家零售商被施蒂费尔（Stifel）公司评级为买入。

"We're still in a good part of the [housing] cycle," said Lasser, who has a $150 12-month price target on the stock. "Home Depot could continue to grow at a low- to mid-single-digit clip for a few years."

“我们仍然看到房地产业积极的一面，”拉瑟说，他预估家得宝股票12个月目标价是150美元。“未来几年，家得宝的股票可能会继续以个位数的增长率实现中低速增长。”

编译：梁文曦，广西民族大学外国语学院翻译硕士

编辑：齐磊

英文来源：CNBC

译文来源：中国日报网爱新闻iNews