GlobalData: DIY and Gardening Consumers Prioritise Convenience Over Brand

Research from GlobalData has shown that UK consumers are more likely to buy DIY and gardening goods from stores rather than online.

Some 64% of consumers said that rather if their usual home improvement store closed, they would change to a different retailer's store rather than order online of travel further to another branch of the same retailer.

GlobalData believes that this suggests a preference for bricks and mortar retailing and shows that convenience is considered more important than retailer loyalty.  lt may also have implications for retailers such as Homebase, which is undergoing a significant store closure programme as part of its turnaround plan.

Amy Higginbotham, a retail analyst at GlobalData, said: “Though closing stores is undoubtedly a sensible move for Homebase, the DIY specialist will struggle to encourage customers to switch to its website or to travel to the next closest Homebase store,”

“Shoppers will instead be more tempted to switch to more convenient bricks and mortar competitors such as Screwfix, who leads the way for convenience in the DIY and gardening market and continues to outperform, while B&Q – which returned to growth in its Q1 to 30 April this year – has recently introduced its smaller, more accessible GoodHome format.”

GlobalData estimates the value of the UK DIY market at £7.04 bn in 2019 and is forecast to reach £7.17 billion in 2020, representing a growth rate of 1.8%.  It also predicts that UK gardening expenditure will reach £4.43 billion in 2020, an increase of 1.6%.

Source : Insight DIY Team and GlobalData

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