• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, September 11, 2020

Building materials, specifically lumber prices, have always been a bellwether when it comes to the economy. Lumber prices reached a record on Thursday, but are likely to fall back to earth this autumn, according to one report.

This is the busiest building year since 2006, which should give marketers who support home décor brands something to think about this holiday season.

Nosto, an AI-powered commerce platform, commissioned market research consultancy Censuswide to conduct an online survey of 1,000 U.S. and 1,000 UK consumers.

The survey — Taking Home & Garden Online, which explores the growing interest in home, garden and DYI during the COVID-19 pandemic —  was conducted between July 17 and July 21. Respondents were presented with a list of statements with some questions and asked whether they “strongly agree,” “somewhat agree,” “neither agree or disagree,” “somewhat disagree,” “strongly disagree.”

The COVID-19 pandemic is inspiring consumers to spend more time and money on home and garden improvements. Some 52% said they have already purchased at least one home or garden product during lockdown, and 51% said they still plan to do so.

As it turns out, Amazon is the top online destination they turn to for product discovery in this area, according to the findings.

Some 52% of the total and 63% in the U.S. say they visit Amazon to research home and garden product ideas and recommendations, with 45% using Google. About 34% turn to YouTube videos for inspiration, while retail store websites came fourth on the list at 30%. 

Pinterest, which likes to tout its search engine as an inspiration for all things, especially those related to DIY, came in at No. 7 with 19%.

The eight sites consumers frequent most for inspiration:

• Amazon (52%)
• Google (45%)
• YouTube (34%)
• Online retail stores (30%)
• Facebook (27%)
• Instagram (21%)
• Pinterest (19%)
• Online magazines/blogs (12%)

Online sales are nearly as likely to come from mobile as desktop. Some 46% of consumers said they used their mobile phones to make online purchases for their home or garden, compared with 52% who used their computers.

Free delivery followed by fast delivery were the factors that most consumers in the poll said lure them into making purchase related to home or garden products. They also consider positive reviews, good quality product images and free returns.

Some 18% said they would be more likely to buy home and garden products from an online store if they see clear messaging about the COVID-19 measures a retailer has implemented to protect employees and customers.

The six factors influencing an online sale:

• Free delivery (51%)
• Fast delivery (41%)
• A large number of positive reviews (36%)
• Plenty of good quality images of the products (34%)
• Returns are free   (34%)
• Clear returns policies  (29%)