Working ‘from home’ or ‘on your home’?

Rotterdam, May 27, 2020 – Home improvement is booming. Even though in many European countries DIY stores were forced to close their door due to the pandemic, consumers are spending much more time on improving their homes. Consumers were ordering their products for these jobs online and are currently also more comfortable to visit the DIY stores again. This can be concluded from the May measurement of the European Home Improvement Monitor. A multi-client online survey in 11 countries among 26,400 consumers. Each month interviews are conducted and each quarter a report is published covering a certain trend in the home improvement market (think of online buying, DIY vs DIFM, A-brands vs private labels and so on). Obviously, we took the opportunity to add some corona related questions during the past months.

More time spent on home improvement

Consumers are spending more time conducting home improvement jobs due to the coronavirus. In May, an average of 25% of European consumers mentioned that they were doing more jobs, compared to 14% of consumers indicating that they conducted less jobs. So a plus of 11%.

Obviously, there are big differences between the 11 countries in this study. A key factor seems to be the severity of the lockdown and the fact if DIY stores were open or closed. For example, in the Netherlands, where DIY stores never closed and people were instructed to work from home as much as possible, 32% of the consumers indicated they did more home improvement jobs and only 8% mentioned doing less jobs due to the corona crisis.

On the other end of the spectrum we find Poland, where 18% said more jobs, vs 24% stating less jobs done. Also, there is a difference in age as well. Millennials seem to be doing the most jobs due to the coronavirus compared to other age groups.

About USP Marketing Consultancy

USP Marketing Consultancy is a leading international market research agency that is specialized in the construction, installation and DIY sector for over 25 years. USP Marketing Consultancy works for internationally renowned companies, such as AkzoNobel, Philips, Grohe, Forbo, etc. Our clients often have pan-European questions about their brand awareness, customer journeys, market opportunities, e-commerce trends and other research needs. USP Marketing Consultancy delivers the insights to make decisions and acts as a marketing advisor for its clients.

Note for editors

For more information, please contact the project manager of this research.

USP Marketing Consultancy, Business Unit DIY

Reinier Zuydgeest, Managing consultant

Telephone: 010-2066900

E-mail: Zuydgeest@usp-mc.nl

Internet: www.usp-mc.nl