DIY and home improvement retailing: How sales have soared during the coronavirus pandemic
The UK saw a surge in DIY activities like never before during the coronavirus outbreak. If you’ve seen the queues outside B&Q since lockdown restrictions were lifted, you won’t be surprised to find out that DIY activities grew by almost 50%, compared to the same period a year before.
Home improvement and gardening projects were all the rage in 2020 and early 2021, as Brits spent more time at home than ever before. From redecorating and updating interiors, to deep cleaning and gardening, our shopping behaviours have changed and retailers continue to benefit from the increased spend on our homes. Keep reading to find out how the nation’s craving for DIY has impacted the retail industry and whether this trend is here to stay.
DIY and home improvement retailing has boomed during the pandemic
The ONS reports that sales of household goods thrived during the pandemic, with sales in household goods stores almost 10% above pre-pandemic levels. Retailers have said that that spending on DIY and gardening products primarily drove sales as consumers undertook home improvements during multiple national lockdowns.
A large monthly increase of 16.1% was seen in February 2021, as feedback from retailers suggested that consumers started shopping early for outdoor products in preparation for the easing of lockdown restrictions in April. This shows that Brits wanted to spruce up their gardens in time for friends and family reuniting in groups of six outdoors.
Hardware, paints and glass were particularly popular with shoppers, and volume of sales was 20.3% higher in February 2021 than in the previous year, says the ONS.
DIY activities and gardening can have a positive impact on our physical and mental health, according to findings in a recent UK study by Draper Tools. But will DIY retailers continue to thrive as we further ease lockdown restrictions?
Steve Collinge from Insight DIY predicts that this trend in home improvements is here to stay. He offered several reasons for this, including a growing enthusiasm within younger generations to perform DIY projects, who perhaps realised their enjoyment of it due to spending more time at home.
Steve said: “Home improvement is now becoming more of an ongoing process, where we are continuously searching and investing in new ways to improve and update our homes and gardens.” Collinge believes that growth in this channel will play a key role in the retail industry in the decade ahead.
What DIY projects have the nation been undertaking during the pandemic?
Rated People’s Home Improvement Trends Report: 2021, listed the most popular DIY home improvements. These included:
- Home maintenance and repair
- Garden maintenance
- Plumbing repair and maintenance
- Internal painting and decorating
- Electrical installation and testing
- Bathroom, kitchen and WC plumbing
- Landscaping
- Home improvements
- Wooden, metal or wire fences
- Garden clearance
How can brands harness the DIY trend to maximise sales in-store?
Additionally, Rated People discovered that more than half of UK people are set to improve their homes in 2021, whether that involves DIY projects or hiring a tradesperson.
With a surplus of shoppers going in-store to purchase DIY products, it’s important that retail stores selling your brand make the most of this shopping spike. This requires some forethought and awareness of consumer behaviour to avoid lost sales.
That’s where Logobrand come in.
We work with brands to help drive sales in-store, delivering industry-leading, award-winning field sales strategies and campaigns. We take ownership, ensuring executional excellence at the point of purchase, providing robust and actionable information and delivering unprecedented insight and ROI, taking the weight off your shoulders.
How we can support you to maximise DIY growth in-store:
- Effective merchandising
- On-shelf availability. We’ll deploy an agile field representative into stores to tackle those retailer compliance or stock replenishment issues
- Retailer compliance. On-site visits will ensure that all bases are covered in-store to avoid lost sales
- Rectifying store and SKU level problems where retailer EPOS data is available
- Ensuring stock inventory is maximised to allow regular replenishment
- Increase visibility. With additional sites and visual merchandising, your product sales will soar – there are lots of opportunities, especially in the discounters to create numerous points of interruption throughout the whole store
- Ensure SELs are present and correct to maximise sales at point of purchase
- Regaining share of shelf. We’ll ensure the correct number of facings are present to keep shoppers engaged and the shelves fully stocked
- Identifying stores that really need your support and pinpointing products experiencing availability issues, out of stocks and therefore lost sales
At Logobrand, our dedicated team of field marketing experts will help evaluate your current trading position in-store and design a tailor-made support package. We help you to exploit opportunities and maximise sales of your brands in-store, while delivering a positive return on your investment. We’re really proud of the clients we’ve worked with, including some of Britain’s best-loved brands, and we even have some shiny new awards that are proof of our dedication and expertise in field marketing.
If you’d like to find out how to maximise sales in-store, get in touch with a member of our friendly team today.
