Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

Sign Up
Already have a Placer.ai account? Log In

Home Improvement Deep Dive

by 
Maytal Cohen
 on 
January 14, 2021
Home Improvement Deep Dive

Where other retail segments struggled to come close to their 2019 visit rate, home improvement leaders surged to impressive year-over-year growth. Yet, some brands were able to leverage the powerful surge in customer demand better than others. 

In our latest Home Improvement 2020 Deep Dive whitepaper, we dove into the major shifts that shaped the industry during the pandemic and investigated which brands succeeded to adapt and profit. Below is a taste of what we found.

The full report can be downloaded here.

More Than Just Mission-Driven

While many retail sectors experienced a pandemic-driven consumer shift toward mission-driven shopping - a decline in visit frequency on one side along with an increase in visit duration on the other - the home improvement sector’s 2020 experience was unique.

Data reveals that shoppers visiting home improvement chains not only spent more time in stores but also that the average visits per visitor metric had increased dramatically. Out of twelve home improvement brands analyzed, ten experienced a 2.2% to 12.5% year-over-year increase in visit duration. Nine of the brands also saw a rise of 1.1% to 22.9% in the average visits per customer on a year-over-year basis. While waiting periods may have influenced visit durations slightly, this trend’s extended nature shows the likelihood of more significant visits with larger basket sizes.

Loyalty Can Be Gained

In times of economic instability and changing consumer habits, loyalty and customer retention become more crucial than ever. Consequently, many leading home improvement chains launched or promoted special loyalty programs to attract and retain regular customers during the pandemic.

These loyalty programs had a significant impact on many brands. Comparing data from June through November of 2020 to the same months in the prior year shows that customer loyalty rates increased across the brands analyzed. Most saw a 1%-2% increase in the percentage of loyal customers who visited the same chain at least twice over that period, an impressive achievement during a global pandemic. 

Home Depot and Ace Hardware even exceeded that average with a 3% increase in the percentage of loyal customers, respectively. In contrast, Bed Bath & Beyond and IKEA underperformed with declines of 1% and 15% in loyal customer rates, respectively. Though the former was likely affected by store closures. 

Going the Extra Mile?

Shoppers’ traveling distance to home improvement stores was another significant pandemic-driven change experienced by the sector in 2020. 

Location data shows that more shoppers prioritized proximity to home when choosing where to go in 2020. As much as 71% of home improvement store visits in 2020 came from within a 10-mile store radius, an increase from 68% in 2019. This pandemic-driven trend reflects shoppers’ increasing preference for familiarity and avoidance of travel-related risk and inconvenience. It also emphasizes the significance of the loss of ‘normal’ commutes that would take visitors to other areas.

Want to learn more about these trends and drill down into the foot traffic performances of specific brands? Check out the full report here to see all of the insights and analysis.

Get 3 brand & industry
breakdowns every week

Subscribe to the newsletter

Great! Prepare your inbox for data-driven insights...
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get a Demo

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please provide a valid email
Please enter your email
Please enter company name

Thanks for reaching out!

One of our experts will be in touch soon

Try Placer.ai Free
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Why Are Specialty Grocers Thriving in 2023?
The CAVA Craze: A Location Intelligence Perspective on the Mediterranean Marvel
How Will Primark’s US Expansion Impact Target?
All Eyes on Eyewear
Northwestern U.S. Grocery Dive
Return of the Lunch: Salad Chains Are Thriving
Retail Media Networks – Off the Beaten Track
Bet Your Bottom Dollar: Discount and Dollar Stores Drive Foot Traffic
Ulta & Lululemon: Discretionary Spending On The Up
The Score After Q1: Sporting Goods Chains
Who Uses NYC Airports: Biting Into The Big Apple’s Main Transport Hubs
Off Price: Strength in The Face of Retail Challenges
Visits Improve for Home Improvement
Walmart, Target & Wholesalers in Q1 2023 – The Return of Mission-Driven Shopping?
Department Store Roundup: Q1 2023
Placer.ai Office Index: April 2023 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index, April 2023 – A Rebound on the Horizon?
How Will Bed Bath & Beyond’s Bankruptcy Impact the Retail Space?
Buffet Restaurants: Filling Up on Foot Traffic
Thrift Stores: Vintage Visits Drive New Age in Apparel
The Windy City: A Hub of Post-Pandemic Opportunity
Diving into Dining Traffic - Q1 2023
Bring On The Joe
A Dollar (or more) For Your Thoughts: Five Below and pOpshelf
Dining Out With The Cheesecake Factory
Retail Foot Traffic Recap – March 2023
Digging Into 2023: McDonald’s and Chipotle Update
Placer.ai Office Index: March 2023 Recap
How Did Key Retail Categories Perform in Q1 2023?
Northeastern USA Grocery Dive
Movie Theaters Storylines for 2023
Ollie's Bargain Outlet: Discounters are Evolving
Leveraging Brick-and-Mortar Retail in 2023
America’s Evolving Work Patterns: A Deep-Dive into New York and Chicago
Placer.ai Mall Index March 2023
Tuning Into Record Stores
Five Franchises To Watch in 2023
What’s Next For Domestic Tourism?
It’s Showtime! Movie Theaters in the Spotlight
5 Limited Time Offers (LTOs) Driving Restaurant Traffic
Department Store Deep-Dive: Belk
Regional Grocery Chains Staying Ahead of the Competition
Five Chains that Rightsized for Success
Unlocking the Potential of Offline Retail Media Networks
Dining Out With Darden
What’s in Store for Self-Storage?
Nike & lululemon Update: Strong Performance Amid Expansion Plans
Many Ways to Win: Midwest Grocery Deep Dive
Retail, Reinvented: The Rise of the Pop-Up Shop
Navigating a New Normal in Business Travel & Commutes
Placer.ai Office Index: February 2023 Recap
Retail Categories Staying Strong in Volatile Environment
Ulta Beauty: Poised for Success into 2023
Placer.ai Mall Index February 2023: Reasons for Continued Optimism
Catching Up With DICK’s & Hibbett
The Miami-Dade Arena: An Advertising Slam Dunk
Car Washes Revving Up Visits
Tuesday Morning and Sunrises in Home Furnishing
Dining & Valentine’s Day Recap
2023: The Year of the Discount Store
Aldi’s Success Highlights Growing Demand for Value Groceries
5 Retail & Service Categories Holding onto Pandemic Gains in 2023
Visitor Insights from Super Bowl 2023
2023 First Look: Home Improvement Update
How Are Target, Walmart, and Wholesale Clubs Faring in 2023?
Department Store Deep-Dive: Nordstrom
Off-Price: Taking Off in Uncertain Times
Checking in On Middle-Class Hubs
Who Attends the Super Bowl?
Placer.ai Office Index: January 2023 Recap
Focusing On Fitness: Q4 and January Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: January 2023 – Returning Mall Normalcy?
Location Intelligence Insights Into Concert Attendance
Winning Dining Strategies for 2023
In-N-Out Burger: What to Expect as the Brand Moves East
Location Intelligence Breakdown: Coffee Caps-Off 2022
Digitally Native Brands Lean Into Brick & Mortar
Washington, D.C. Population Changes & Migration Trends
A Location Intelligence Perspective on Macy’s Rightsizing
Amazon-Powered Shopping: The Future of Brick-and-Mortar Grocery?
Cold Weather, Hot Visits: Diving into Winter Resorts
Wawa and 7-Eleven: Leaning Into the “Slurpee Effect”
2022 and Beyond: Catching Up With McDonald’s & Chipotle
Let’s Have Some Fun! Going Out Is In
Placer.ai’s Q4 2022 Quarterly Index
Placer.ai Adds Industry Executives to Leadership Team To Drive Company's Next Phase of Growth
5 Emerging Retail Formats: 2023’s Brick-and-Mortar Evolution
Grocery Update: Zooming in on the Lone Star State
2022 Office Recap: The Year of the TGIF Work Week
What Lies Ahead for Brick-and-Mortar Luxury in 2023
Placer.ai Mall Indexes: December 2022 Recap
Looking Back on 2022’s Holiday Shopping Season
Post-Pandemic Migration Trends in New York
Top Retailers for 2023
The Live Sports Advertising Opportunity
Domestic Migration to the Mountain States: Small Shifts with Big Implications
New Year, New Food: 5 Dining Trends For 2023
Announcing Placer.ai’s COVID RECOVERY DASHBOARD
This is Why Shop-in-Shops Are Everywhere
Super Saturday 2022 Recap