Header: Tile Merchant Ireland
Designers have reached a point where online sourcing is no longer a convenience but the main starting place for almost every project. In “How Designers Source, Shop & Specify Products Online 2025”, Unframed Digital surveyed 783 designers, architects, and builders from the US and found that over 98% now shop for products online, making it very clear that digital research is now the norm, not an extra.
What this means for the wider design industry is that while designers have reorganised their workflows around search engines, digital catalogues, and product information, much of the sector still functions as though discovery begins in the exhibition hall. Budgets and energy continue to be heavily spent on trade shows and events, creating a gap between industry actors that is detrimental to both business and creativity. After all, if a product never grabs the attention of its target audience, what will happen to it and its owner?
Where discovery happens
If we look at where product discovery actually starts now, the results are very clear. In Unframed Digital’s survey, 54% of designers say search engines are their main channel for finding new products, while only 12% point to trade shows as their top source. Alongside search, designers also lean on design publication websites and blogs (51%), online marketplaces (50%), and social media (38%), which means that the first encounter with a brand or product is far more likely to happen somewhere in the digital world than in a hall full of stands.
On top of that, 11% of participants say they do not go to trade shows at all, which means a big share of the market is never entering those spaces in the first place. This means that designers are doing the early work (shortlisting, comparing, gathering specifications) online, long before any in-person encounter. By the time they walk into a fair, many already know what they are there to see.
Why this happens
For designers, online channels come first because they make the basic steps of product evaluation easier. According to the report, 64% of respondents say that having product specifications and descriptions readily available is one of the main things that shapes their choices, while 56% look for transparent pricing, and 45% value being able to shop at any time, from anywhere. These are simple, practical needs: understanding what a product is, what it costs, and whether it fits the project, without having to email or call someone just to get started (and then wait for a reply).
Events like trade shows still have their role, especially for seeing materials and finishes in person, but they cannot reliably offer the same level of on-demand detail, and certainly not 24/7. The new process is clear: the first encounter happens on a screen, where designers can access and dwell on information that is always there when needed, and only then (if a product makes it through the filter) does an in-person encounter happen.
Different categories, same behaviours
Something that stands out in the data is that designers are turning to the internet no matter the product categories and how specialised or technical the products might be. Lighting is the most commonly shopped-for category online at 39%, followed closely by hardware at 35% and flooring at 34%.
The pattern continues in categories where one might expect hesitation: 32% shop online for faucets and plumbing and another 32% for tile and stone. Wall coverings and furniture sit at 31%, proving that even larger items aren’t safe from this process.
Trade shows today
Trade shows are still important, but not for the same reasons as before. The report indicates that NeoCon is the most attended event by designers (at 32%), but the previous numbers tell us that networking and narrowing options are the main goals of attendees at the moment.
When asked how many products they evaluate before making a final choice, 68% of designers say they look at fewer than ten. Furthermore, 70% say appearing on the first page of search results is extremely or very important, and 71% rarely look past the first three pages, which means that if a product is not visible early, it is unlikely to enter their trade show shortlist at all.
Designers therefore arrive with a clear sense of what they want to see, using the event to check the materials, scales, or finishes of the items on their notes app rather than to start from scratch. A natural direction for these events may be to lean more into networking rather than product discovery, as that is still the only feature that can’t be completely substituted online.
The misalignment
The survey makes it hard to ignore how far practice and investment have drifted apart. On one side, you have designers saying that only 12% of their top product discovery happens through trade shows. On the other, you still have brands pouring money into stand design, travel, and hospitality as if those events were the main way to be found.
At the same time, the basic things designers need from brands are still missing in many digital platforms. When asked about their biggest challenges online, 51% say pricing isn’t transparent, 43% say they can’t see stock or lead times, and 42% say many websites don’t allow them to shop at all. Add to that the 59% who find it hard to trust quality without seeing a product in person, and you get a picture of an online experience that is clearly important but still underdeveloped.
The point here is not that trade shows should disappear, it’s just that, based on the numbers, they are now in a supporting role. The real work of getting onto a designer’s radar happens elsewhere, and many brands still haven’t fully caught up to that.
The report makes it clear that the real opportunities lie in meeting designers where they already start their search. Those who can adapt will get to participate in the moments when decisions are made, rather than wish they made the cut.
