With 88% of consumers trusting online reviews as much as personal recommendations and 11% of households having a home improvement project underway, the numbers behind marketing in the home improvement industry are too big to ignore.
Key Takeaways
- 11.3% of U.S. homeowners reported that they undertook a home improvement project in the last 12 months (2019–2020 period)
- Approximately 34.1% of U.S. homeowners had completed at least one home improvement project in the past 12 months (2019–2020 period)
- About 46% of U.S. homeowners who completed at least one home improvement project said they spent $1,000–$4,999
- 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (BrightLocal consumer survey finding)
- 47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less (Google research)
- 53% of mobile users will abandon a page that takes longer than 3 seconds to load (Google research)
- 4.2% average email marketing click-to-open rate (Mailchimp benchmark report)
- 0.9% email marketing unsubscribe rate benchmark (Mailchimp benchmarks)
- 2.6% average cart abandonment rate in the U.S. for retail e-commerce (Baymard Institute research finding)
- 88% of consumers who search locally for products/services use search engines (Google/Ipsos local search behavior study summary)
- 78% of mobile location-enabled users search for local businesses (Google local discovery survey summary)
- 72% of consumers who have positive experiences with a local business online will recommend it to others (Google/Ipsos local study)
Nearly half of U.S. homeowners planned or started improvements, while strong digital marketing and fast mobile sites drove demand.
Industry Trends
111.3% of U.S. homeowners reported that they undertook a home improvement project in the last 12 months (2019–2020 period)[1]
Verified2Approximately 34.1% of U.S. homeowners had completed at least one home improvement project in the past 12 months (2019–2020 period)[1]
Verified3About 46% of U.S. homeowners who completed at least one home improvement project said they spent $1,000–$4,999[1]
Verified425% of U.S. homeowners said the top reason for their home improvement projects was “improve/maintain home value” (survey results)[1]
Directional518% of U.S. homeowners cited “maintenance/repair” as their top reason for home improvement (survey results)[1]
Single source623% of U.S. homeowners selected “energy efficiency” as a major motivation for their home improvement (survey results)[1]
Verified737% of U.S. homeowners planned to spend money on home improvement over the next 12 months (2020–2021 survey)[2]
Verified833% of U.S. homeowners planned to spend $1,000 or more on home improvement in the next 12 months (2020–2021 survey)[2]
Verified952% of homeowners who improved their homes in 2020 cited “COVID-related” reasons (2019–2020/2020–2021 JCHS analysis, survey-based)[2]
Directional10Home improvement spending growth in the U.S. accelerated to +9% year-over-year in 2021 (NAHB/Wells Fargo Remodeling Market Index seasonally adjusted context)[3]
Single source11US retail sales for building materials and garden equipment and supplies increased to $526.9 billion in 2023[4]
Verified12US retail sales for paint and wallpaper stores were $25.7 billion in 2023[4]
Verified13US retail sales for hardware stores were $49.9 billion in 2023[4]
Verified14US retail sales for home centers were $176.4 billion in 2023[4]
Directional15US retail sales for appliance, electronics and household goods stores were $513.4 billion in 2023 (adjacent major category impacting home improvement purchases)[4]
Single source1665% of consumers say they will pay more for products from a brand they trust (Edelman Trust Barometer finding summarized)[5]
Verified1725% of U.S. consumers say “repair/replace existing equipment” is the reason they buy home improvement products (survey-based consumer behavior finding)[6]
Verified1827% of consumers cite “upgrading for performance/efficiency” as motivation (survey-based consumer behavior finding)[6]
Verified1919% cite “appearance/style” as motivation (survey-based consumer behavior finding)[6]
Directional2016% cite “safety/security” as motivation (survey-based consumer behavior finding)[6]
Single source2150% of marketers say they use customer testimonials (Gartner/industry survey result reported in credible marketing research source)[7]
Verified2262% of consumers have more favorable views of brands that offer personalized experiences (Epsilon personalization study)[8]
Verified2350% of marketers say they plan to increase influencer marketing budgets in 2024 (Influencer Marketing Hub survey/benchmark)[9]
Verified242.4% of households are “households with a home-improvement project underway” (JCHS household project participation indicator)[10]
DirectionalIndustry Trends Interpretation
Even though only 11.3% of U.S. homeowners reported starting a home improvement project in the prior 12 months, among those who did, nearly half spent $1,000 to $4,999 and 52% cited COVID related reasons, while spending continued to accelerate with a +9% year over year increase in 2021.
Performance Metrics
188% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (BrightLocal consumer survey finding)[11]
Verified247% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less (Google research)[12]
Verified353% of mobile users will abandon a page that takes longer than 3 seconds to load (Google research)[12]
Verified461% of U.S. marketers say improving SEO and increasing their organic visibility is part of their top marketing priority (HubSpot marketing priorities survey)[13]
Directional5Google reports that as page speed increases from 1s to 3s, the probability of bounce increases by up to 32% (Think with Google speed research)[14]
Single source6A 0.1s improvement in mobile page speed can increase conversions by 8% (Google/industry research summary)[12]
Verified7The average cart-to-checkout drop-off exceeds 70% in some retail categories (Baymard cart abandonment analysis)[15]
Verified844% of consumers say they use Google to find products/services near them (Google local search report)[16]
Verified964% of consumers are more likely to buy a product after watching a brand’s video (Wyzowl consumer stat)[17]
Directional1039% of video marketers say video increases sales (Wyzowl survey result)[17]
Single source113.2% of retail e-commerce sales are attributable to email campaigns (Mailchimp/industry benchmarking and attribution analysis)[18]
Verified12Google shows that 76% of users who search for something nearby visit a business within a day (Think with Google local intent statistic)[19]
Verified1328% of searches for something nearby result in a purchase (Google local intent stat)[19]
Verified142.4x lift in purchase intent is seen when using retargeting ads (Google Ads/Think with Google retargeting insights)[20]
Directional1565% of consumers click on organic search results (Backlinko SEO CTR study finding)[21]
Single source1631% of people click on paid search results (Backlinko CTR stats)[21]
Verified17The first organic search result gets 27.6% of all clicks (Backlinko Google CTR study)[21]
Verified18The average email open rate is 21.3% (Mailchimp benchmark report for 2023)[18]
Verified19The average click rate for emails is 2.6% (Mailchimp benchmark report)[18]
Directional20The average conversion rate for email campaigns is 0.8% (Mailchimp benchmark report)[18]
Single sourcePerformance Metrics Interpretation
With 47% of consumers expecting a page to load in 2 seconds or less and mobile users abandoning pages that take over 3 seconds, speeding up your site can directly protect growth as even a 0.1 second improvement boosts conversions by 8%.
Cost Analysis
14.2% average email marketing click-to-open rate (Mailchimp benchmark report)[18]
Verified20.9% email marketing unsubscribe rate benchmark (Mailchimp benchmarks)[18]
Verified32.6% average cart abandonment rate in the U.S. for retail e-commerce (Baymard Institute research finding)[15]
Verified420% of consumers abandon mobile sites due to page loading issues (Google research on mobile speed)[12]
Directional511% of marketers say influencer marketing is their top ROI driver (Influencer Marketing Hub survey/benchmark)[9]
Single sourceCost Analysis Interpretation
With email click-to-open averaging just 4.2% and mobile site speed pushing about 20% of users to abandon pages, home improvement brands have to treat every channel like a conversion opportunity, not a casual touchpoint.
User Adoption
188% of consumers who search locally for products/services use search engines (Google/Ipsos local search behavior study summary)[16]
Verified278% of mobile location-enabled users search for local businesses (Google local discovery survey summary)[16]
Verified372% of consumers who have positive experiences with a local business online will recommend it to others (Google/Ipsos local study)[16]
Verified453% of B2B marketers use webinars to generate leads (Demand Gen Report survey)[22]
Directional562% of marketers use social media for marketing (Statista/other aggregated report referencing surveys—site may require access)[23]
Single source641% of small businesses use email marketing to acquire customers (Constant Contact small business survey)[24]
Verified783% of U.S. adults use the internet (Pew Internet & American Life Project—baseline enabling marketing channels)[25]
Verified853% of adults use social networking sites (Pew research)[26]
Verified969% of consumers say they have searched for local business information at least once in the last year (Google local search report)[16]
Directional1048% of consumers want to be able to get product information via mobile device at any time (Google retail/mobile study)[27]
Single source1147% of consumers say they use a mobile device while in a physical store (Google retail/consumer research)[28]
Verified1244% of consumers say they would like to see “how-to” video content before buying a product (Wyzowl video marketing survey)[17]
Verified1382% of marketers use video in their marketing (Wyzowl video marketing statistics)[17]
Verified1492% of consumers read reviews before making a purchase (PowerReviews consumer survey finding)[29]
Directional1576% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that personalize (Epsilon consumer personalization study)[8]
Single source16In 2023, 55% of marketing professionals used paid search (marketing channel survey statistic)[30]
Verified17In 2023, 44% of marketing professionals used paid social (marketing channel survey statistic)[30]
Verified18In 2023, 39% of marketing professionals used display ads (marketing channel survey statistic)[30]
Verified19In 2023, 63% of marketing professionals used email marketing (marketing channel survey statistic)[30]
Directional20In 2023, 47% of marketing professionals used marketing automation platforms (marketing channel survey statistic)[31]
Single source21In 2023, 58% of marketers used CRM systems (marketing technology usage statistic)[32]
VerifiedUser Adoption Interpretation
With 88% of consumers using search engines for local searches and 72% recommending a local business after a positive online experience, home improvement brands that win locally and build trust through digital presence are capturing the biggest momentum.
References
- 1jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/reports/files/Harvard_JCHS_HowMuchHomeownersSpend2019-2020.pdf
- 2jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/reports/files/Harvard_JCHS_HowMuchHomeownersSpend2020-2021.pdf
- 10jchs.harvard.edu/home-improvement-projects
- 3nahb.org/-/media/NAHB_Sites/NAHB/Economics/Docs/MMI/2021-MMI-Press-Release.pdf
- 6nahb.org/-/media/NAHB_Sites/NAHB/Economics/Docs/Research/2022-Home-Improvement-Research.pdf
- 4census.gov/retail/index.html
- 5edelman.com/trust/2023/trust-barometer
- 7gartner.com/en/marketing/insights/customer-testimonials
- 32gartner.com/en/marketing/topics/crm
- 8epsilon.com/us/resources/experiences/epsilons-2020-state-of-the-industry/
- 9influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/
- 11brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
- 12thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/speed-matters-why-site-speed-is-essential/
- 14thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/app-marketing/page-load-time-bounce-rate/
- 16thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/local-search/
- 19thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/search/three-micro-moments-are-chang/
- 20thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-strategies/retargeting/
- 27thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-uk/consumer-insights/mobile-research-in-retail/
- 28thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/mobile-in-store/
- 13hubspot.com/state-of-marketing
- 15baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate
- 17wyzowl.com/video-marketing-statistics/
- 18mailchimp.com/resources/email-marketing-benchmarks/
- 21backlinko.com/google-ctr-stats
- 22demandgenreport.com/report/2023-b2b-marketing-benchmark-report/
- 23statista.com/statistics/246627/share-of-companies-using-social-media-in-marketing/
- 24constantcontact.com/blog/email-marketing-statistics/
- 25pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/internet-broadband/
- 26pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/
- 29powerreviews.com/research/
- 30marketingcharts.com/topics/digital/paid-search-to-remain-top-channel-for-us-marketers-85628
- 31marketingcharts.com/topics/marketing-technology/marketers-increasing-investment-in-marketing-automation-87517