DIY Home Improvement Opportunities in the Do-It-Yourself Landscape March 2012
Overview The National Association of Home Builders Q4 2011 Remodeling Market Index rose by more than five points from its Q3 2011 level marking its highest point in five years. That s good news for a host of marketers who rely on weekend warriors to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty while tackling a do-it-yourself (DIY) home improvement project. To get a better understanding of the DIY consumer, in February 2012 Burst Media surveyed 2,029 U.S. online adults aged 18 or older to learn about their upcoming DIY plans and the reasons for undertaking home improvement projects on their own. Key Findings 2
Insight #1: DIY Plans Increase with Household Income Nearly one-third (31.0%) of all respondents say they definitely or probably will complete a DIY project within the next six months. This includes 38.0% of all respondents who own their home and 15.7% of renters. Interestingly, DIY projects are most popular among higher income segments. Our survey found that the number saying they would undertake a DIY project in the next six months increased from 21.6% among respondents reporting household income (HHI) of $35,000 or less to 35.7% reporting a HHI of $35,000- $74,999, and 39.3% for those reporting a HHI of $100,000 or more. Insight #2: Men and Women Don t See Eye-to-Eye on DIY Men Women Graphic #1: DIY Decision Makers Burst Media, February 2012 n = 513, Margin of Error +/- 4.3% Among respondents who are likely do-it-yourselfers, 43.6% say they are the person in the household to make the decision on whether or not to undertake the work; 41.9% say it is a joint decision. The study clearly shows that the sexes do not see eye to eye on who makes the decision to undertake the household s DIY projects. One-half (52.2%) of male respondents say they are the primary decision maker to undertake a DIY home improvement project, vs. one-third (33.4%) of women who say they are. Of particular interest is the research finding that one-half (51.0%) of women say DIY decisions are a joint one but only one-third (34.1%) of men feel the same way. (See Graphic #1.) 3
Insight #3: Fears Strike a Majority When Starting a DIY Project Graphic #2: DIY Decision Makers Burst Media, February 2012 n = 513, Margin of Error +/- 4.3% The vast majority (69.9%) of do-it-yourselfers has some element of nagging fear when starting a DIY project. One-quarter (24.9%) say they are undaunted as they start a home improvement project, and not surprisingly men express a bit more bravado than women when approaching a DIY project with 27.8% saying they have no fears compared to 21.4% of women. One-fifth (20.8%) of respondents cite costs going beyond the budget as the single biggest fear when starting a DIY project. (See Graphic #2.) This number rises to 26.3% among respondents who are renters. Among men, 17.0% say going over budget is their top fear, followed by unexpected issues that will make the project more complex (15.1%), the time commitment will take away from other activities (7.7%), the inability to finish a project and have to hire a professional (7.7%,) and dissatisfaction with the final results (6.0%). Among women, the fear most cited is going over budget (25.3%). This is followed by unexpected issues (18.1%), leaving a DIY project unfinished (9.8%), dissatisfaction with the final results (6.5%), and the project will take much longer than anticipated (6.0%). Interestingly, seniors (aged 65 or older) are the most confident respondents: 44.2% of men and 39.3% of women in this age segment say they do not have any fears when starting a DIY project. 4
Insight #4: Cosmetic Improvements is the Most Cited Reason for DIY Graphic #3: DIY Decision Makers Burst Media, February 2012 n = 513, Margin of Error +/- 4.3% The top three DIY areas of the home that are either currently in or soon to be in progress are bathroom(s) (34.1%), interior rooms other than kitchen and bath (32.3%) and landscaping (29.9%). These are followed by the kitchen (26.9%), general exterior projects (17.0%), the house exterior including painting, shingles, etc. (16.9%), and the deck and/or patio (16.4%) (See Graphic #3.) At 44.6%, the need to make cosmetic improvements is the reason cited most by do-it-yourself respondents for why a DIY home improvement project is either underway or planned for the next six months. Interestingly, women are far more likely than men (52.3% vs. 38.1%) to cite cosmetic improvements as a reason to undertake a DIY project. Other reasons for do-it-yourself Home Improvement Projects include routine maintenance/upkeep (30.2%), increase the value of the home (20.9%), convenience improvements (19.3%), just time for a change (19.2%), and structural improvements (9.5%). Not surprisingly, increasing the value of the home is far more a DIY reason for respondents who own (24.6%) vs. those who rent (2.9%). 5
Insight #5: Websites are Most Popular with Likely DIY Respondents Men Women Graphic #4: DIY Decision Makers Burst Media, February 2012 n = 513, Margin of Error +/- 4.3% Among DIY respondents, the top outlets and resources to get home improvement ideas and inspiration are websites (38.9%), general home improvement stores (34.5%), magazines/newspapers (28.4%), friends and family (28.3%) and specialty television shows (18.5%), but there are notable differences between men and women. Websites are respectively the most popular outlets for DIY home improvement information for both men (34.4%) and women (44.0%) alike. (See graphic #4.) In addition to websites, top DIY outlets and resources for men include general home improvement stores such as Home Depot (30.2%), friends and family (28.7%), magazines and/or newspapers (21.0%), books (16.1%) and specialty home improvement stores (15.1%). Women also turn to general home improvement stores (39.4%) and friends and family (27.9%), but more than one-third (37.0%) turn to magazines/newspapers representing a difference of 16% when compared to men. Another popular category for women specifically is specialty television shows such as HGTV s Dear Genevieve are cited by one-quarter (24.2%) of female respondents, a full 10 percentage points higher than men. Online Video Content: Something to Build Upon for DIY Home Improvement Sites Among DIYers who cite websites as an outlet for home improvement information, one-in-ten (9.9%) say all or most of their time is spent watching video on the sites they visit. Another one-quarter (25.1%) say their time is split equally between watching online video and reading content. 6
How You Can Use This Information Between a stabilizing economy and an uptick in the housing and real estate markets (however slight), doit-yourselfers appear to be awakening from their slumber and getting ready to tackle new projects. For Advertisers and Brands Overall, two-in-five (38.9%) likely do-it-yourselfers say they turn to websites to get home improvement ideas and inspiration. Home improvement marketers whether name-brand products, retail outlets or service providers have a unique opportunity to use their web advertising to deliver rich amounts of knowledge and product information and steer consumers towards action. Using ad units that incorporate video, such as Burst TV and the Burst Fixed Footer, allow brands to fully engage with consumers and actively push messaging with sight, sound and motion. For Web Publishers Web publishers have an opportunity to increase time spent on site by leveraging relevant home improvement video content. Our survey found that 25.1% of respondents who visit DIY websites say they spend an equal amount of time watching online video as they do reading content. Given that 63% of advertisers will buy pre-rolls in 2012 and 53% of marketers will buy in-banner video ads (according to emarketer), publishers also have an opportunity to attract premium DIY brands and command higher CPMs with video advertising. Product Showcase: Burst TV Burst TV offers TV-style programming on the Internet with carefully curated, premium video channels, covering a variety of content including DIY. Drive Brand Interaction with Online Video With Burst TV, advertisers enjoy a variety of innovative online video products and ad formats as well as custom channel opportunities. Burst TV includes: Premium TV-style online video programming from 750+ professional content providers spanning all popular categories Targeted to engaged, relevant audiences across our independent communities at immense scale and with complete transparency A platform that delivers emotive, highly targeted and contextually relevant video ads Contact your Burst Media Account Executive or visit burstmedia.com to learn more about Burst TV and our other online solutions that deliver high visibility, impact and consumer interaction. 7
About Burst Media Founded in 1995, Burst Media represents thousands of independent web publishers. Through a select group of vertical channels, built around areas of specific interest, Burst connects advertisers with audiences across the web s most dynamic communities in a social, engaging way. A wholly owned subsidiary of blinkx PLC (LSE AIM: BLNX), Burst is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, with sales offices throughout the United States and in the UK. Visit us at www.burstmedia.com or call +1 (781) 852 5200 for more information. @BurstMedia www.facebook.com/burstmedia www.linkedin.com/company/burst-media About Online Insights Trends in Internet use and consumers online purchasing behaviors are constantly evolving, so it can be very difficult to stay up to speed. That s why Burst Media publishes Online Insights our research series that highlights emerging trends in online media and ecommerce. Findings reported in Online Insights are based on an online survey fielded across our collection of sites. 8