While there will undoubtedly be sector realignment following the Covid-19 crisis, fabricators and installers should stay positive during lockdown thanks to pent up demand for home improvement projects, according to Andrew Scott, founder of Purplex Marketing, Insight Data and the Glazing Summit.
Andrew, who hosted a ‘Marketing in Uncertain Times’ webinar earlier today (Wed, 15 April), said that recent online activity had highlighted a spike in demand from consumers who – forced to work from home – had been enquiring about home improvement projects such as extensions, home offices and conservatories. He added that this presented an opportunity for installers to hit the ground running once the lockdown measures were eased, but only if they remained proactive in their marketing, sales and service.
He also outlined how demand for media, both online and in print, and peaked during the lockdown and how this presented further opportunities for companies to communicate and stay visible.
Presenting data from over 3,000 profiled fabricators and 5,783 installers, Andrew was also realistic in his outlook for the industry going forward, predicting that there would be companies at high risk of failure. According to research from Insight Data, 353 or 12% of fabricators fell into this category, with 685 or 12% of installers.
However, he added that companies who choose this time to maintain or even increase marketing spend during this time, would benefit in the long run, especially those who took a long term view over short term ROI.
“For business, this is not the time to bury your head in the sand, shrink your company, or indeed be helplessly optimistic,” said Andrew. “Those businesses who keep calm, and take a measured, positive outlook for the long term, by investing in marketing and building leads, will emerge ahead of the competition.
“There are some companies that have switched off completely, and are not even answering the phone or replying to emails,” he continued. “There are also those who are taking dozens of leads a day and are taking advantage of online platforms such as Zoom to follow up on those leads. I’ve even spoken to one manufacturer who has taken the time to assess his factory floor and in doing so, managed to collect and sell – via ebay – £10,000 worth of misfit windows that would have otherwise been thrown away. That’s £10,000 of clear profit!”
“Where your competitors may be struggling, now is the time to remain visible and ensure you are prepared for demand once life returns to normal, especially with a 25% increase in enquiries for home improvements such as home offices, and with consumers retaining money that would have been otherwise been spent on big ticket holidays this summer.”
