How COVID-19 Is Reshaping The Home Improvement Market
This Report is Now FREE – see below for how to get your copy
(To see a press release on this research click here)
Not since the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 and the world and the US faced a health crisis that has incredibly broad ranging impact on so many aspects of our lives. Among other effects, COVID-19 has had a powerful negative impact on the economy of the US.
As predicted by this report, the current data all shows the home improvement industry enjoying strong growth during the pandemic. This study will help you understand what is going on.
Consumer Specialists set out to do a research study to examine:
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- How homeowners outlook for home improvement projects have changed from this time last year?
- What are the hottest areas for upcoming projects?
- How are they approaching projects and how has that changed?
- How do they think COVID-19 is impacting their behavior?
What we found is critical to know as you navigate through these unsettled times.
Methodology
This report is based on research conducted online by Consumer Specialists with a nationally representative sample of US homeowners. 603 homeowners completed the study in June 2020.
Many of the questions had been asked in a Consumer Specialists study conducted in May/June 2019 and comparisons are made where appropriate.
Some current industry research on COVID-19 relies on respondents stated perceptions of the impact of the virus. The weakness of this type of research is that it focuses the respondent on COVID-19 which can bias their responses. Here is an example of such a question:
“Did you buy online instead of in a store because of COVID-19 for any reason?”
In this survey, there are only a handful of questions specifically raising COVID-19 to the respondent. Those few questions are also only near the end of the survey to avoid adding this bias to other questions.
This research, by virtue of having year-ago data for comparison, gives us a clean look at trends.
Now available for purchase Free
The 30 page report is free $299 for the benefit of the industry. To get your copy, please send an email to report@consumerspecialists.com with your contact information. You will receive a copy of the report by return email. It’s that simple.
Report Contents
The following are questions with results included in the report. Questions with a * have prior year comparison data. Text within parentheses are informational and not part of the questions.
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- Thinking ahead, when will your next home improvement project be done to your home? By home improvement projects we mean activities to improve, repair or maintain your home or property.*
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- Now thinking of the home improvement project that will most likely be done first, please indicate which area or areas of the home be involved. Check all that apply to this project. (13 project areas listed; asked of those planning a project in the next two years)
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- As you start planning this home improvement project, how important are each of the following? * (11 subject areas listed, one new to 2020 survey; asked of those planning a project in the next two years)
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- What sources would you be likely to use to gather information?* Select all that apply from the following list: (12 sources listed; asked of those planning a project in the next two years)
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- How would you go about finding information online? * (8 types listed to select from; asked of those planning a project in the next two years and would use online sources for their research.)
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- At this time, whom do you anticipate working on the project? Please select all that apply* (options were Myself, Contractor(s), Other family members, Friends; asked of those planning a project in the next two years)
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- How do you plan to find a contractor to work on the project? Please select all that apply: * (10 ways to find a contractor listed; asked of those planning a project in the next two years who would use a contractor)
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- Where will the one source that the majority of products for this project be obtained? * (options were Local Store(s), Contractor will supply them, Online retailers, Already have what is needed; asked of those planning a project in the next two years)
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- Which of the following types of stores are likely to be used? Please select all that apply * (options were five types of stores; asked of those who selected Local Store(s) and planning a project in the next two years)
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- Thinking back over the past 3 months (March, April & May), how many home improvement projects have been done inside or outside of your home?
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- How much do you estimate you spent on this project or projects in total? (last 3 months)
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- Regardless any of your prior answers, please provide your input on the following list of a variety of home improvement projects. These can be projects done by family/friends or ones that involve a contractor. For each project on the list, please select one from the following choices.
- Have done this project in the past
- Plan to do this project in the next 2 years
- Have both done it in the past AND plan to do it again in the next 2 years
- Have not done it in the past and do not plan to do it in the next 2 years *
(13 project types listed, two were new to the list in 2020)
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- If you were in the process of buying house today, how important would each of the following aspects be to you? (list included 12 home attributes to be rated)
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- How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your home improvement activities?
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- Why are you doing fewer projects? Please select all that apply (asked of those who indicated that they were doing fewer projects)
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- Why are you doing more projects? Please select all that apply (asked of those who indicated that they were doing more projects)
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- How concerned are you about COVID-19 as it relates to you and your family?
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- How would you say your level of concern has changed recently?
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- Who do you know personally that have contracted COVID-19. Please select all that apply.
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- Based on your experience, how would you rate the helpfulness of the home improvement information you have received from these sources? (five types of sources of information listed)
Additional Information Collected and Available for Custom Analysis
While not in the standard report, classification information was collected to do additional custom analysis by cross tabulation with the above questions.
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- Age (generation
- State (region)
- Gender
- Income
- Involvement in home improvement (four categories ranging from “Total DIY’er” to “I call on professionals for just about everything”)
- Age of residence
- Number of people in home
- Presence of children under 18
- Marital status
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