Consumer Confidence Surges. What It Means for Furniture Sales

Originally published May 28, 2025. This version was rebuilt from the Conference Board, NAR, Wayfair and the President's posts as archived by the American Presidency Project for the FIN archive, and the facts are as of that date.

Late May 2025 brought the best consumer confidence reading in months, a housing market still stuck near its lows, and a big online seller betting on physical stores.

The short version

• The Conference Board's index rose 12.3 points to 98.0 in May.
• NAR said April existing-home sales fell 0.5% to 4.00 million.
• Wayfair said its third large-format store will open in Yonkers, New York.
• The EU tariff deadline was moved to July 9.

Confidence rebounds

The Conference Board said its index rose 12.3 points to 98.0 in May from 85.7 in April, and the expectations index rose to 72.8. About half the responses came after the May 12 announcement of a pause on some China tariffs.

Housing stays slow

NAR said existing-home sales fell 0.5% in April to an annual rate of 4.00 million, down 2.0% from a year earlier. The median price rose 1.8% to $414,000, a record for April, and inventory kept growing.

Wayfair builds stores

Wayfair said its third large-format store will open at Ridge Hill in Yonkers, New York, in early 2027. The company said its first large store in Wilmette, Illinois, drew more than 720,000 visitors in its first year, and over half of buyers there were new to Wayfair.

EU deadline moves

On May 23 the President said he was recommending a 50% tariff on the European Union from June 1. Two days later, after a call with the European Commission president, he agreed to extend the deadline to July 9.

Better mood, same headwinds

Consumers felt better, but housing was still near its lows and trade deadlines kept moving. Stores that could turn better moods into visits had the edge.

Related on FIN

• Furniture Shoppers Are Holding Back
• Every Door in Town

Sources

• The Conference Board, Consumer confidence, May 2025
• National Association of Realtors, Existing-home sales, April 2025
• Wayfair, Retail expansion with New York metro location (May 15, 2025)
• The American Presidency Project, Truth Social posts of May 23, 2025
• The American Presidency Project, Truth Social posts of May 25, 2025