Tracking DIY Home Improvement Activity in 2021

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 DIYers, new data reveals exactly how home improvement customers are shopping, how COVID-19 has impacted their upcoming DIY projects and the projects they plan to begin in the coming weeks.

DIY activity holds steady.

Even during winter, DIY activity has remained comparable to 2020 levels, according to The Farnsworth Group and HIRI’s data. In January and February, 62 percent of respondents said they started a new DIY project in the past month. The figure peaked in late May, when 74 percent of respondents said they had started a new DIY project recently.

More than 71 percent of respondents say one of the main motivators for starting these projects now is being at home more often. Nine percent of respondents say no contractors are currently available, which has pushed them to attempt the project themselves.

In-store sales remain frequent.

More than 80 percent of DIY home improvement shoppers purchased products inside a brick-and-mortar location in February, according to the organizations’ data. More than 40 percent also purchased products online and delivered to their homes. Just seven percent of respondents said they had not purchased home improvement products in the past month.

Notably, 59 percent of respondents said they had purchased products online instead of in a store in the last month due to COVID-19. That figure is at its lowest point since The Farnsworth Group and HIRI began tracking DIY behavior during COVID-19 in March 2020.

Shoppers are planning future projects.

Data indicates nearly 75 percent of DIYers plan to start a home improvement project tin the next month. Only three percent of respondents have no immediate plans to start a DIY project.

The Farnsworth Group and HIRI’s data also reveals which projects are popular with DIYers. In February, 21 percent of respondents planned to start interior or exterior lighting projects within the next few weeks. Flooring projects were on the minds of 18 percent of DIY shoppers and 13 percent of respondents planned to begin electrical projects.