Dwindling workloads and the cost-of-living crisis mean that builders merchants’ customers are shopping around for almost every item, according to a new survey from Growtivation.
In this environment, feedback to the landscaping and building materials supplier showed branch staff reporting that “good stock levels and prompt deliveries become even more important in securing sales.”
Indeed, when asked to comment on the biggest change in customer behaviour observed over recent months, 64% of respondents cited price as the driving factor, with 22% referencing the growing influence of online shopping.
“Everything is now price orientated, whereas it used to be relationship based,” said one respondent, with other comments indicating how customers are now willing to buy each item individually, combining online shopping with visits to different merchants to keep the cost of projects down.
Growtivation conducted the survey during the second half of April 2026 to gauge the issues currently facing its customers, with 45 builders’ merchant employees from 19 different companies responding. Of these, 96% were branch staff with the remainder working in head offices.
“The pricing of products becomes less important when it comes to relationships between builders’ merchants and suppliers, according to the survey. Here, reliable stock availability was deemed most important, receiving 91% of votes for the top three factors that define a strong supplier relationship.”
Customers are most likely not to proceed with a purchase because they have found a cheaper alternative, according to the survey, with 84% of respondents citing this as one of the top two reasons for a lost sale. Meanwhile 60% said sales were lost due to a product not being in stock and 38% blamed delivery or lead times being too long.
When asked what three factors most help sell products more easily in branch, competitive pricing was the number one answer, receiving 82% of votes followed by clear, informative packaging, 71%, and point-of-sale (POS) displays, 67%.
However, the pricing of products becomes less important when it comes to relationships between builders’ merchants and suppliers, according to the survey. Here, reliable stock availability was deemed most important, receiving 91% of votes for the top three factors that define a strong supplier relationship.
Competitive pricing came in second, selected by 67% of respondents, while consistent communication and support for merchandising and POS were selected by 56%.
Inconsistent stock and poor communication were identified as one of the two most common areas where suppliers could do better, with 62% of respondents identifying these factors. Meanwhile 47% of respondents felt that suppliers were getting pricing wrong, limited product awareness in branch received 40% of the votes and a lack of follow-up after onboarding was identified by 24% as an area for improvement.
Commenting on the findings, Growtivation Director Vernon Elsey said: “These results demonstrate the pressures that our customers are facing right now, exacerbated by broader industry forecasts of falling workloads across construction, housebuilding and repair and maintenance in 2026. For us, as a supplier, the findings underline the importance of Growtivation’s focus on customer service, stock availability and prompt deliveries.”
Growtivation supplies its products to 3,000 stockists via its trusted Merchant Network and reports it has a 5-star customer service rating and a 99% Accurate, On-Time, In-Full (AOTIF) score for its deliveries, as measured by the company on an ongoing basis.
For more information, visit www.growtivation.com
