Home Hardware Organizations Should Adopt A Unified Solution To Drive Growth

There are three key trends that have dramatically impacted the home improvement industry over the last five years. From Q4 2019 to Q4 2022, lumber prices skyrocketed by 162%. This dramatic increase is directly correlated with increased home improvement, home building, and home refurnishing attempts that began tapering out in 2022, but the impacts are still being felt worldwide. 

In 2024, the trends specifically impacting home improvement are technology, availability, and normalcy. 

As technology continues to defy expectations of what’s possible in the home, smart homes and smart integrations continue to dominate the nearly $300 billion industry in the United States. Availability, which played a major factor between 2020-2023, continues to drive prices as supply chains stabilize from the COVID-19 shutdowns. And normalcy, something often forgotten, plays a large role in the continuing decline of DIY projects across the country with now nearly 40% of consumers saying they would rather “someone else” improve their home—A sharp increase from the 20% in 2021. 

So, how do you operate within these trends? Well… We think it’s pretty simple. 

The Home Improvement Challenge

Conquering trends in Home Improvement boils down to satisfying three unique consumer groups: DIYers, Professionals, and Standard Consumers. Each group has distinct preferences, expectations, and buying behaviors, which require a thoughtful strategy to effectively engage and meet their needs.

The DIYers

DIYers are hands-on individuals who take pride in tackling home improvement projects themselves. After the COVID-19 isolation, many new consumers have new tools, skills, and expectations that will never go away. This group will continue to grow as technology and trends dictate new and exciting ways they can put their skills to the test. 

This group is defined by the ability to seek out detailed guides, tutorials, and a wide range of product options to ensure they can complete their projects efficiently. 

Because social media dictates trends and expectations, the DIY group requires access to more timely and “trendy” products. Retailers and brands must rapidly onboard and provide access to a wider assortment of trending products than ever before. 

To highlight the power of the DIY consumer, we like to showcase our client’s MRCOOL & Ingram’s Water and Air. These sister companies revolutionized the HVAC market by providing Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) HVAC equipment designed specifically for the DIY enthusiast. These units give you everything you need to know to build and maintain your own HVAC equipment while giving you a professional hotline to help along the process. 

This approach not only provides consumers with a unique DIY feel but also with a sense of security as they make a large capital investment into their home’s future. 

The Home Professionals

Professionals include contractors, builders, and tradespeople who require high-quality, durable products in bulk. For this group, time is money, and they expect streamlined purchasing processes, reliable customer service, and tailored solutions like trade discounts or bulk purchasing options. Their purchasing decisions are driven by the need for efficiency, product reliability, and supplier relationships. 

The professional group’s increasing need for rapid B2B bulk purchases requires a comprehensive network of suppliers that cannot be out of stock. To maintain business with those always looking for bulk purchases, having a steady network of suppliers to step in for those out of stock will ensure happy, repeat purchases. 

As one of the most recognizable names in Home Improvement, Home Depot tackles this consumer group with their subsidiary HD Supply. As one of the largest industrial distributors in North America, HD Supply has worked closely with Logicbroker to build out a supplier network of over 600 suppliers dedicated to providing professional goods and services. This network is one of the most extensive in the country and works in tandem with Home Depot’s three-pronged consumer approach to satisfying all segments of home improvement consumers. 

The Standard Consumer

Standard Consumers are homeowners or renters who occasionally take on small, simple home improvement tasks, like painting or replacing fixtures. They generally seek affordable, easy-to-use products that require minimal effort. Interestingly enough, standard consumer trends indicate that this group of consumers is moving away from improvement and into sustainability of the home. Instead of razing the garden and installing a pool, they are buying furniture and accompanying improvement products to better enjoy the spaces they live in.

Providing accompanying products to complete the shopping experience isn’t easy, but it’s a necessity. Retailers and brands looking to stay competitive over the “standard” consumer need to have the ability to orchestrate owned inventory and dropship fulfillment strategies at the drop of a hat to best ensure products are where they need to be.

Organizations that develop tailored strategies for all three consumer groups—or focus specifically on the needs of their chosen clientele—gain a competitive advantage. With consumers facing tighter wallets due to economic pressures and a constrained housing market, the ability to offer personalized experiences that cater to each group’s unique needs is critical. Retailers who successfully address these challenges are more likely to build lasting relationships and foster brand loyalty, keeping their sales steady even in fluctuating markets.

A champion of accompanying products, BBQGuys has conquered its niche in the industry by doing just that—filling its consumer’s shopping carts. BBQGuys over the years has built an extensive network of dropshipping suppliers to go above and beyond their BBQ offerings. This “complete” shopping experience helps standard consumers find every accompanying product they need to build the perfect backyard experience. 

Finding A Solution

In eCommerce, we have a standard saying: “Everyone shares the same problems.” Retailers across all verticals struggle with customer retention & acquisition and product expansion. However, in the Home Improvement industry, retailers and brands really have the most unique situation where each set of consumers requires a very specific strategy. 

Building the Right DIY Solution

As mentioned, DIYers are a distinct group, often driven by trends they see on social media and inspired by dream home projects or the home-flipping market. They’re heavily influenced by platforms like TikTok & Instagram, where viral projects, product recommendations, and step-by-step guides create waves of interest that lead to purchase decisions. 

For home improvement retailers and brands, tapping into this social selling ecosystem is essential for reaching DIYers effectively. This strategy is defined by engaging DIYers through affiliate marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart. 

These platforms are where DIYers often start their shopping journey, with product reviews, price comparisons, and ease of purchase driving their choices. Unifying your eCommerce experience to sell on these marketplaces doesn’t reduce your direct revenue potential; instead, it diversifies your brand’s reach and increases awareness. By making your products easily available on these platforms, you tap into the massive traffic DIYers generate while maintaining a presence in the places they’ve come to trust.

For name brands, it’s crucial to give DIYers access not only to primary products on these marketplaces but also to accompanying items that help complete their projects. Whether it’s complementary tools, materials, or decor, offering a unified shopping experience that meets their project needs ensures your brand remains top-of-mind. This integration of social influence, marketplace presence, and product availability can be the key to capturing the attention of trend-driven DIYers and ensuring long-term brand loyalty.

For example: Let’s say a famed drilling hardware company is looking to better market their products. Selling on Amazon, TikTok Shop, and Walmart is a good way to make sure their products are seen. However, that’s just the beginning. Once brand recognition drives consumers to your site, Home Improvement brands can use their website as a hub for dropshipped accompanying products like furniture, rugs, garden supplies, and more to ensure DIYers looking to recreate the latest viral trend can easily complete the shopping journey on their site. 

A Professional Job

Professional consumers, such as contractors and tradespeople, require tailored solutions to meet the unique demands of their jobs. Their priority is efficiency & B2B. These consumers need to buy products in bulk for multiple projects at once, oftentimes directly through a Home Improvements supplier. 

Whether it’s direct delivery to job sites or the ability to buy online and pick up in-store, professionals value seamless and flexible purchasing options that help them save time and reduce logistical hassles.

A critical aspect of serving professional consumers is offering a wide assortment of products. Professionals need access to a broad range of materials, tools, and supplies for various types of projects, and dropshipping offers an effective solution. Instead of physically stocking every product, retailers can leverage dropshipping to ensure they can provide everything professionals might need without the overhead of maintaining large inventories.

Furthermore, professionals prefer to make one large purchase from a single distributor rather than coordinating numerous small transactions. This is why providing bulk purchasing options and a unified eCommerce experience is vital for retailers serving this audience. By simplifying the procurement process and offering comprehensive product assortments, brands can position themselves as reliable, go-to sources for professional consumers, increasing both satisfaction and loyalty.

Standardizing Assortment

Standard consumers, on the other hand, are actually moving away from large-scale home improvement projects and are now focused more on home repairs and smaller enhancements. For home improvement retailers, this shift means they need to adapt their product offerings to meet these changing needs within their owned inventory strategy.

While renovations still happen, more consumers are looking for items like caulk, drywall repair kits, and furnishings instead of the bulk lumber and extensive renovation materials that were popular during the pandemic.

To cater to these consumers, home improvement retailers must offer a mix of home repair essentials—plumbing, electrical, plaster repair products—and outdoor and indoor lifestyle items like furniture, grills, and garden supplies. This rare combination of products gives Home Improvement retailers an opportunity, however, rather than a risk. 

Adopting to your consumer is paramount and the advantage is simply margins. A modern approach is to shift renovation-specific products to a dropshipping model while reserving warehouse space for more in-demand home repair supplies. 

This adaptability ensures that retailers can respond quickly to consumer needs, maximizing product availability for standard consumers while minimizing overhead. A flexible and dynamic inventory strategy will help businesses stay ahead in this evolving market, keeping their customers engaged and satisfied with the products they need for everyday home maintenance and upgrades.

Unify Your Commerce Experience

Selling to DIYers, professionals, and standard consumers is not about creating separate solutions for each group, but rather implementing one unified, master solution that can meet the varied needs of all your customers. A robust eCommerce strategy must be flexible and scalable enough to support the unique purchasing behaviors of each consumer set while maintaining a seamless shopping experience across channels.

This is where Logicbroker’s Multi-Vendor Commerce platform comes into play. Its ability to orchestrate and control fulfillment solutions from a single pane of glass allows retailers to efficiently manage inventory, dropshipping, marketplace fulfillment, bulk orders, and personalized product offerings for each consumer type. 

Whether you’re handling bulk orders for professionals, connecting with DIYers through affiliate marketplaces, or adjusting stock to cater to standard consumers focused on home repairs, Logicbroker provides the visibility and control to ensure your entire eCommerce ecosystem runs smoothly.

By leveraging this kind of platform, home improvement retailers and brands like Ace Hardware, BBQGuys, Mayne Inc, and more have already centralized their operations, reduced logistical complexity, and can now deliver a consistent, high-quality shopping experience. 

About Logicbroker

Logicbroker is a premier multi-vendor commerce platform that seamlessly connects trading partners regardless of integration types. Our modern solutions empower retailers and brands to take control of their customer experience by harnessing and analyzing vital first-party data, reducing inventory risk, and curating their expanded assortment. By improving the visibility into our client’s commerce programs, Logicbroker can better position retailers and brands for transformative growth.

As business needs and demand shift, Logicbroker provides the ability to quickly switch suppliers and product fulfillment between 3P to 1P and responsibly find new sources of inventory that uphold your brand integrity and meet your delivery promise. ​We work with mid-market and Enterprise manufacturers and retailers across a number of verticals including Health & Wellness, Home Improvement, Consumer Electronics, Toys & Babies, and Consumer Packaged Goods and service brands such as Samsung, Victoria’s Secret, The Vitamin Shoppe, Walgreens, Ace Hardware, and BBQGuys.