Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Market research firms The Farnsworth Group and the Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) are tracking pro and DIY project activity as COVID-19 continues to impact the home improvement market.
In the latest update focused on pros, the organizations explore how project delays, COVID-19 health concerns and homeowner comfort are all shaping the home improvement landscape for pro contractors.
For information on how DIYers tackled home improvement activity in February, check out the latest statistics.
Project delays are becoming less frequent.
Data from The Farnsworth Group and HIRI show the frequency of project delays declined in February. About two-thirds of professional contractors say they have experienced project delays due to the impacts of COVID-19, down from a peak of 85 percent of contractors in June.
More than half of pro contractors say the main reason behind these delays is homeowners not wanting contractors in their homes, closely followed by homeowners becoming concerned about finances.
Professional contractors rely on brick and mortar.
This month’s pro COVID-19 tracker confirms brick-and-mortar retail locations are still critical for professional contractors to purchase products and supplies. When asked where they had purchased their supplies over the past month, 85 percent of pros say they had made those purchases in store. Roughly 4 out of 10 pros purchased products online and had them delivered to their job sites. 31 percent purchased online and picked up those products in stores.
For those who purchased products online, 80 percent say they did so because of health and safety concerns about going into a store.
COVID-19 remains a top concern.
For professional contractors, the health and safety of their staff was the biggest concern coming from recent COVID-19 infection rates. The health and safety of homeowners was also a concern, followed by homeowners’ ability to pay bills. More than a quarter of professional contractors worried about their ability to get leads and project requests.
