Home Improvement Product Online Purchases: Kitchen Cabinets and Countertops

  • Categories:

    Industry Trends, Marketing Insights

  • Date:

    October 14, 2014

Home Improvement Product Online Purchases: Kitchen Cabinets and Countertops



Industry Trends Marketing Insights

We recently shared insights about a new study from one of our research partners, The Farnsworth Group. The study, which examined online purchasing behaviors among more than 1,000 homeowners across a variety of categories, indicates that more than 70 percent of homeowners are purchasing home improvement products online.

This week, we’re highlighting results on kitchen cabinets and countertops.

The number of styles, colors and material options available for kitchen cabinets and countertops is vast, and deciding which type of cabinets or countertops to buy can be daunting. In fact, only seven percent of homeowners in the study purchased kitchen cabinets and countertops in the past year. The majority of those did choose to make their purchases in-store only, whereas one in four chose to purchase in-store and online and 15 percent purchased online exclusively.

Where do homeowners buy kitchen cabinets and countertops online?

Just one-third of shoppers purchased kitchens and/or countertops through a home improvement store’s website, such as Lowe’s or Home Depot. More than half of online shoppers made their purchases through a manufacturer’s website; this represents the largest percentage of shoppers that purchased directly from a manufacturer’s website out of all the categories examined in the study. Three out of four of those shoppers were provided with a local store that carried the product and more than 80 percent were given a link to an online retailer selling the product.

The top three reasons why homeowners purchased kitchen cabinets and countertops online:

  1. Better prices
  2. More convenient
  3. More product options and choices, including style and color

The main reason that homeowners chose not to purchase online was because they wanted to experience the product tactilely.

WrayWard Infographic-18

This data provides companies and brands valuable insight into online home improvement product purchasing and homeowners’ purchasing motivations, helping them make more strategic and calculated marketing decisions.

Feel free to contact me at kpanther@wrayward.com for more information on any aspect of this study and be sure to check out our previous entries on kitchen and laundry major appliances, fashion lighting and ceiling fans,  fashion plumbing and tools and tool accessories.

Explore more articles from Wray Ward.