Time spent at home during the recent COVID-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions seems to have stimulated dormant interest in doing home repair among many people. The popularity of DIY (do-it-yourself) home-improvement projects in the U.S. during the pandemic is predicted to be a trend that will continue. According to NPD, a data analytics firm, more than 40% of consumers indicate they have post-pandemic DIY home-improvement plans and approximately one in ten consumers have taken on home projects they would have hired professional services for pre-pandemic, including cleaning, landscaping, maintenance, repairs, and even remodeling.

Through the pandemic, while most brick-and-mortar channels experienced declines in purchases due to COVID-19, the home hardware store channel has benefited from the consumer’s increased focus on their living spaces, and personal interest in taking on some new projects. With 11% more purchases than last year, home hardware stores were the second fastest growing channel in the first seven months of 2020.

Starting in March, with the shelter-at-home mandates, consumers noticed opportunities to make their personal spaces more livable as they not only provided shelter but became office space and schoolrooms for many. Hardware stores remained open and supported the needs of the consumer, both in-store and online.

This increased interest in DIY projects during the pandemic accelerated home-improvement market performance in several ways. Across five key home improvement segments of lawn and garden, tools, paint, kitchen and bath, and hardware, both online and in-store purchase methods exhibited double-digit growth in the seven months ending July 2020. Seasonally, industry sales that typically peak in June peaked a month earlier this year, with 48% more sales in May 2020 than in 2019. The amount spent in the average home improvement shopping trip also increased 10% during the pandemic when compared to 2019.

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