With home improvement programmes like Dermot Bannon’s “Room to Improve” back in vogue again and more people drawing down finance for a home-makeover or extension, this has become an important target market for many brands operating in the home-furnishing, DIY and construction-related sectors.
Indeed, latest data from Kantar Media’s TGI study of consumer behaviour and characteristics in the Republic of Ireland reveals that 9% of adults (335,000 people) expect to undertake major home improvements in the next 12 months, implying significant spend and making this a group of interest to a range of marketers.
Making major home improvements shows a strong correlation with a number of other life events that could act as a prompt for such activity. TGI data shows that this group are over five times more likely than the average adult to expect to be buying/selling a property in the next 12 months and almost four times more likely to be expecting the arrival of a second or subsequent child to the family.
A look at TGI lifestage groups gives us a clearer idea of where these home improvers are particularly likely to be in their lives. This reveals that they are 74% more likely than the average adult to be ‘Primary School Parents’ (live with son/daughter and youngest child aged 5-9), but also 69% more likely to be ‘Unconstrained Couples’ (aged 15-54, married/living as a couple, do not live with son/daughter). Clearly these are two very different groups, but sharing the same ambition for their home.
Making major home improvements implies that you own the property in which you live and that you have the funds to undertake the work. Neither of which comes cheap. So, it is perhaps little surprise to find that these home improvers are 46% more likely than the average adult to be in the top, AB, social grades and are also 88% more likely to have a family income of at least €75,000.
As for the attitudes that make this audience stand out, they are particularly likely to be busy perfectionists. For example, they are 39% more likely to agree that because of their busy lifestyle they don’t take care of themselves as well as they should. They are also 25% more likely to worry a lot about themselves, 23% more likely to say they like to have control over people and resources and 23% more likely to say they are a perfectionist. This anxiety and desire for perfection and control may be a key driving force behind their determination to transform their home.
The media-related attitudes of these home improvers reveal a number of potentially efficient means through which to target this audience. They are 59% more likely to admit they read the financial pages of their newspaper, 55% more likely to tend to buy products from companies who sponsor TV programmes and 34% more likely to believe that addressed mail can positively influence their opinion of a company or brand. Word of mouth can also be a powerful device for this group. TGI data reveals that they are 36% more likely to feel that other people’s online opinions help them to make decisions about major purchases.
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