Introducing The Gap

Why digital investment isn't creating the growth merchants expected

Over the last decade, builders' merchants have invested heavily in digital.

New websites. New platforms. New apps. New customer journeys. New technology.

And yet, across the industry, a question continues to surface in boardrooms and leadership meetings:

“Why aren't we seeing the growth we expected?”

The answer is rarely a lack of investment.

In many cases, merchants have invested significantly.

The challenge is that investment and impact are not always the same thing.

While the industry has focused on platforms, customers have been focused on outcomes.

They want to find products faster.

They want accurate stock information.

They want delivery certainty.

They want trade pricing that makes sense.

They want account information available when they need it.

Most importantly, they want to get their jobs done with as little friction as possible.

The Gap was created to understand where the difference exists between what merchants believe they are delivering and what customers are actually experiencing.

Over the past year, we surveyed more than 1,000 trade professionals, analysed leading merchants across the UK market and explored the behaviours, frustrations and expectations shaping modern trade purchasing.

What we found was both encouraging and challenging.

Trade customers are embracing digital more than ever before.

Online research is now a critical part of the buying journey.

Digital channels are influencing purchasing decisions long before a customer speaks to a branch.

Yet significant friction remains.

Customers still call branches for information they expect to find online.

Orders are still abandoned because delivery expectations are unclear.

Product information is often inconsistent.

Trade pricing is not always easy to access.

And many merchants continue to invest in technology without fully understanding which customer problems they are solving.

The opportunity is substantial.

The merchants that succeed over the next decade are unlikely to be the businesses with the most technology.

They will be the businesses that remove the most friction.

The businesses that create certainty.

The businesses that make it easier for customers to buy, collect, receive and manage what they need.

The Gap is not a technology report.

It is a customer report.

A commercial report.

A view of where merchanting is today and where the next generation of growth will come from.

We hope it challenges assumptions.

We hope it sparks debate.

Most importantly, we hope it helps merchants make better decisions.

Because closing the gap between customer expectation and business capability may be the single biggest growth opportunity facing our industry.

Welcome to The Gap.