Information about market situations and their changes was gathered by means of a market research. The most important uses for it are to get a more reliable decision making process, to minimize risk taking, to get current information and to identify new market opportunities.

K.S. Pihakaluste Ky is a family company from Ilomantsi which has been operating since 1987. The company manufactures garden furniture from pressure impregnated AB-graded pine and garden sheds from prefabricated components. The purpose of the thesis was to study consumer behavior and wishes about garden furniture development. In addition, the intention of the study was to gain public awareness and raise more interest in the client. Opinions about garden furniture markets were found out from retailers. The study was conducted in the Joensuu region, because it is an important market area for K.S. Pihakaluste Ky.

The study was divided into two parts. One part of the survey was carried out as a theme interview to local garden furniture retailers. The sample included 10 retailers and eight of them responded. The second part of the survey was carried out by a combined postal and Internet questionnaire, and the sample size included 300 households in the Joensuu region. The response rate was about 18 percent.

The results indicate that there is no need for sudden changes in production, because pressure impregnated garden furniture is still desired. However, it is challenging for the company to get products in major retailers’ selection, because they use a concentrated purchasing system. The biggest challenge, according to the results, is to get more public awareness among consumers and retailers.