Online buying for sealants still limited among EU consumers

The amount of consumers that purchase sealants online is still very limited. However, it has been steadily growing in the past years and there are big differences between countries and generations. The European Home Improvement Monitor measures online buying and decision making for over 100 home improvement products. In this monitor 26,400 European consumers are being interviewed each year in 11 European countries.

By Reinier Zuydgeest
30 Nov 2018
News, Home Improvement,
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Online buying

Sealants are not a typical product that consumers purchase online. Traditionally most consumers buy this at their local DIY store. This because sealants are in most cases part of a larger basket of products that are needed for a home improvement project. Besides that, the product is often needed right away and therefore it’s easier for most consumers to buy this in their regular DIY store. There is some difference between countries though. Polish (7,8%) and German (6,3%) consumers are purchasing sealants online the most often. While consumers in the Netherlands (1,2%) and Belgium (0,9%) hardly ever purchase sealants online.  

Millennials start their orientation online

In general the younger generations have less experience and less knowledge when it comes to home improvement. Their need for information on this is higher when they start a home improvement project. This reflects in the share of consumers in the millennial age group that orientate online before purchasing a home improvement product. The chance that this group buys a sealant online is twice as big as with the 35+ category. 

Conclusions

The group of sealant buyers that purchase the product online is different than the regular consumer. They are younger, have less skills and knowledge on DIY products. When you want to be successful online with this segment, informative “how-to-videos” and social confirmation (recommendations) are key in order to close the sealant sale online.