Research from the USP Marketing Consultancy has shown that the purchase channel most often used by European consumers is the DIY store, and the share of online shops has risen considerably. That is one of the results of the Q3 report from the European Home Improvement Monitor, with the theme 'Love Brands'. The European Home Improvement Monitor is based on 26,400 online interviews with European consumers from eleven countries.

Share of purchases at online shops has almost doubled
In the third quarter of 2017, European consumers bought almost twice as many DIY products from online shops like Amazon, Ebay and Bol.com. Approximately 8% of all DIY purchases by European consumers are now purchased via this channel. Regarding online buying, front runners are Germany and the United Kingdom, with the share of purchases at online shops above 10%.

Less purchases in specialty stores
The share of purchases in specialty stores is just below 10%. Compared with Q3 2016, the number of purchases decreased with 2.6% in the same quarter of 2017. This is of course a European average, large differences can be observed per country. In Belgium, Italy and Spain substantially more purchases are made at specialty stores than in other European countries.

Share buy-it-for-me decreases
The percentage of 'Purchased by professional' has decreased in recent years. The share of DIY vs DIFM has been stable for several years. This means that when consumers hire a professional, they often buy the products themselves.

Conclusion
In recent years there have been shifts when it comes to purchases in the home improvement market by European consumers. The most important purchase channel in Europe, with regard to the number of purchases, remains the DIY store. This share has declined in the past 3 years, but in Q3 2017 this declining trend has been broken. The number of purchases by European consumers at online shops has risen in the past 3 years and continues to rise in 2017.