Sales are up, thanks to DIY

Resellers report some of their busiest months

DART resellers have reported some of their busiest ever sales, due to an increase in home DIY projects during lockdown. And they are not alone. May in particular saw a recovery in UK retail sales, driven by the opening of DIY stores and garden centres. According to a survey by confused.com, nearly three out of four homeowners were using lockdown to take on home improvements; with people planning to spend an average of between £200 and £500 over the bank holiday.

As well as carrying out external projects such as laying decking and painting fences, 65% of people planned to work on improving their interiors, including painting and decorating. With many tradespeople having to down tools in March, some homeowners even set their sights on bigger tasks, such as plastering and laying floors.

Picking up the pieces

The appetite is there, but for many the skill may be lacking. According to InsightDIY website, nearly one in ten of DIYers say they have never attempted DIY before, and only 11% would consider themselves DIY experts. This mismatch could see some enthusiastic novices actually damaging their homes. In some cases, it already has. According to the BBC, as lockdown has begun to ease this month, tradespeople are being called in to pick up the pieces of DIY projects gone wrong.

A plumber in Coleraine N.I, is one of many who have never been busier. She describes one example, where a customer decided to re-do his bathroom, destroying pipework as he knocked through a wall, and flooding the place. She’s been called in to repair the damage.

Other trades and resellers report calls from customers who are realising that the materials they’ve used aren’t quite right for the environment they’re using them in. So, they’ve got paint running down bathroom walls or gloss covering the lounge — you get the idea.

Increasing customer confidence can increase footfall

With many homeowners lacking the knowledge necessary to carry out the job, it’s not surprising to hear that retailers are spending more time than usual giving customers advice on which products to buy and how to use them. Even then, there’s no one on hand at home to make sure ladders are correctly placed, or the water supply has been shut off before those lovely new taps go on.

With most retailers’ doors now open, it’s in the interest of businesses to focus on creating a positive customer experience, in order to continue increasing footfall. So advice about drilling through a tile without cracking it, or what blade will cut composite decking, are some of the things customers will expect retailers to share. And with queueing a mainstay for the foreseeable future, it’s in the interest of retailers to find ways to share this information with customers quickly and easily. (Or — when your ‘Dangerous DIYer’ radar goes off — to steer them towards the best local tradesperson for their needs.)

Have you been called in to fix a disastrous DIY project? Or is your store finding new ways of meeting customers’ How-To needs? Get in touch on social media and share your stories.