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Sylvia Herzog, DIY in Europe, Germany
The days of the traditional DIY store are over. Though it is still possible to sight men in boiler suits in such stores, the operators admit that women are becoming increasingly important to them as a target group: they are the ones who as a rule make the buying decisions when it comes to renovating their homes. They are the ones who want fresh colour in the living room or new tiles in the bathroom, who pick out the new wooden ceiling, wall panelling or flooring. The DIY retailers have reacted to this change by considerably increasing their range of products. First came the addition of lighting to the assortment, followed by bathroom furniture and fittings, occasional furniture, fitted kitchens, housewares and home furnishings. And the inclusion of special offers of hair care products, music CDs or groceries means that many an outlet is now mutating into a general store.
But a broad product offer alone is not sufficient to turn a DIY store into a special shopping experience for women, whose aesthetic aspirations are already very high. Dust drifting over from the wood-cutting station to the rolls of curtain fabric does not exactly inspire would-be shoppers to make a purchase. Nor is it particularly pleasing if browsing through merchandisers full of prints and frames results in fingers that are as dirty as they would be after changing a tyre.
The female shopper desires imaginative product displays, less heavy-duty shelving and attractive goods. Just like the successful models provided by Lowe’s in the US and Knauber in Germany, who are both showing the way here. How the power drills, screws and gutters are displayed is not of such great importance to female customers. The in-
terior design and décor section should be clearly separated from the hard DIY department at the point of sale, it should convey a certain atmosphere through lighting accents and scene-setting displays, and definitely avoid disseminating the charm of a practical cellar workshop. Not only home furnishings, pictures, wallpaper, panelling and flooring need to be seen in the right light – in the truest meaning of the word – but tiles as well, especially if they are not hidden under a layer of dust, along with the tile adhesive stored in the vicinity.
It is essential to be able to recognise a feminine hand in the planning for all the product ranges and presentations involved, so that the DIY store becomes a shopping experience with fun factor for women. Though that is only possible if the relevant positions are not exclusively occupied by men.
The days of the traditional DIY store are over. Though it is still possible to sight men in boiler suits in such stores, the operators admit that women are becoming increasingly important to them as a target group: they are the ones who as a rule make the buying decisions when it comes to renovating their homes. They are the ones who want fresh colour in the living room or new tiles in the bathroom, who pick out the new wooden ceiling, wall panelling or flooring. The DIY retailers have reacted to this change by considerably increasing their range of products. First came the addition of lighting to the assortment, followed by bathroom furniture and fittings, occasional furniture, fitted kitchens, housewares and home furnishings. And the inclusion of special offers of hair care products, music CDs or groceries means that many an outlet is now mutating into a general store.
But a broad product offer alone is not sufficient to turn a DIY store into a special shopping experience for women, whose aesthetic aspirations are already very high. Dust drifting over from the wood-cutting station to the rolls of curtain fabric does not exactly inspire would-be shoppers to make a purchase. Nor is it particularly pleasing if browsing through merchandisers full of prints and frames results in fingers that are as dirty as they would be after changing a tyre.
The female shopper desires imaginative product displays, less heavy-duty shelving and attractive goods. Just like the successful models provided by Lowe’s in the US and Knauber in Germany, who are both showing the way here. How the power drills, screws and gutters are displayed is not of such great importance to female customers. The in-
terior design and décor section should be clearly separated from the hard DIY department at the point of sale, it should convey a certain atmosphere through lighting accents and scene-setting displays, and definitely avoid disseminating the charm of a practical cellar workshop. Not only home furnishings, pictures, wallpaper, panelling and flooring need to be seen in the right light – in the truest meaning of the word – but tiles as well, especially if they are not hidden under a layer of dust, along with the tile adhesive stored in the vicinity.
It is essential to be able to recognise a feminine hand in the planning for all the product ranges and presentations involved, so that the DIY store becomes a shopping experience with fun factor for women. Though that is only possible if the relevant positions are not exclusively occupied by men.
