Millennials Are Home Improvement Retailers’ Best Customers

When it comes to home improvement retail, millennials are taking the lead, PYMNTS Intelligence research reveals.

By the Numbers

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “The Online Features Driving Consumers to Shop With Brands, Retailers or Marketplaces” drew from a study of more than 3,500 U.S. consumers to understand their habits and decisions regarding online shopping.

Additional findings from the survey reveal that millennials lead the pack in home improvement goods purchasing, with 1 in 4 shoppers in this generation having made a purchase of building materials, hardware or tools in the previous 30 days, well above the population-wide 19% of consumers who did so.

The Data in Context

Home improvement retailers are looking to grow adoption with this digitally engaged generation by partnering with on-demand delivery aggregators. For instance, last month, Lowe’s kicked off a partnership with DoorDash.

“[It’s] everything from, ‘I’m in the middle of painting my bedroom, and I realize I’m out of paint tape,’ to ‘I’m mulching my backyard and I realized four bags of mulch short.’ We are excited about leaning into that DIY shop for consumers who want to get time back,” Fuad Hannon, vice president of new verticals at DoorDash, told PYMNTS in an interview.

He added that, based on consumer data, the company has seen “this really strong DIY use case.”

The previous month, Lowe’s teamed with Target-owned delivery aggregator Shipt.

“Home improvement represents a huge vertical not only for DIY and gardening-focused individuals, but for those looking to stock up on cleaning products, outdoor decor, live plants and more,” Katie Stratton, chief growth officer at Shipt, told PYMNTS in an interview at the time.

She added that offering the retailer’s items on Shipt’s marketplace enables the aggregator to drive engagement “outside of a weekly grocery order,” especially given that consumers would explicitly ask for such options on post-order surveys.