The appetite for home improvements among U.S. homeowners has increased significantly the longer stay-at-home orders related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have been in place. According to the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction Study, friendly and knowledgeable service has the greatest influence on a positive retail experience. The study found that while guidance is important, consumers are also looking to receive help quickly, to allow them to get in and out of stores quickly.
Following are some key findings of the 2020 study:
- Staff and service is key differentiator: No single home improvement retailer outperforms the others across all measures of satisfaction, but those that are strongest in staff and service—the most heavily weighted driver of overall satisfaction—usually perform notably better in the study.
- Help in two minutes or less: Customer satisfaction with home improvement retailers is highest when they receive help from staff within two minutes or less. Just one-fourth of customers received help within this threshold. Waiting more than five minutes for help decreases satisfaction with staff and service by more than 70 points (on a 1,000-point scale).
- Online shoppers visit more brick-and-mortar retailers and spend more: Customers who shop and/or research online before making a purchase spend, on average, approximately $500 more per year on home improvement than those who do not research online. These shoppers are often more price-sensitive and are more likely to buy during a promotion or sale.
- COVID-19 as possible catalyst to home improvement projects: Based on additional J.D. Power research conducted April 2-3 of this year, 49% of U.S. consumers say they are considering a home improvement project within the next three months. Of those, 61% say they plan to do the project themselves. The top projects on the wish list include painting (15%), lawn and landscape projects (14%) and starting a garden (12%).
