Enhancing the Project-Based Shopping Experience
Delivering on buyer preferences for one-stop shopping.
Whether it’s a homeowner planning a bathroom remodel or a contractor sourcing materials for a backyard renovation, a simplified purchasing journey and streamlined logistics can significantly enhance project outcomes. That’s why in the DIY and home improvement market, both consumers and contractors increasingly prefer buying from a single vendor (or at the very least, a primary supplier).
For retailers, meeting this preference is more than a nice-to-have— it can drive sales, improve customer loyalty, and reduce returns and cancellations. However, creating a single-vendor experience for complex, project-based shopping presents unique challenges.
The impacts of this customer preference merit exploration, including the obstacles brands face and strategies for creating a streamlined, reliable shopping experience that fulfills customer expectations in both B2C and B2B markets.
The Customer Preference for Single or Primary Vendors
For homeowners, using a single vendor for a home improvement project reduces the burden of coordinating multiple orders, tracking deliveries, and managing compatibility among products. According to a study by the Home Improvement Research Institute, ~60% of consumers prefer a one-stop-shop for all their home improvement needs, especially for larger or more complex projects. This preference is not just about convenience but also about consistency in style, quality, and functionality across all components.
Contractors, on the other hand, rely on primary vendors to maintain efficiency and reduce risk. Relying on a primary vendor can mean fewer delays and disruptions, improving project timelines and client satisfaction. This primary-vendor model also helps contractors maintain quality standards, which is critical for repeat business and reputation.
For retailers, these preferences offer clear opportunities— brands that can provide a cohesive, reliable shopping experience can tap into this demand, increasing sales and brand loyalty. But brands that fail to deliver on this preference not only miss out on new opportunities, they run the risk of losing their current sales to vendors that can meet customer expectations better. There are three primary risks facing retailers in this scenario:
- Lower Average Order Value and Revenue Losses: When brands don’t offer all the necessary products for a project, customers may need to buy from multiple vendors, leading to split purchases and reduced revenue for each brand. Customers who leave to buy a missing item elsewhere may buy additional products there, costing the initial brand in lost potential sales.
- Increased Returns and Cancellations: When customers are forced to piece together items from different suppliers, there’s an increased risk of mismatched products, compatibility issues, and design inconsistencies. These errors can lead to costly returns, cancellations, and logistical complications that impact both profit margins and customer satisfaction.
- Erosion of Customer Loyalty: Customers who experience frustration from having to coordinate multiple orders and deliveries are less likely to return to a brand. In contrast, brands that can provide a reliable, end-to-end shopping experience have an opportunity to cultivate loyalty, encouraging customers to return for future projects.
Failing to deliver on the one-stop-shop expectations of both homeowners and contractors can lead to customer frustration, lost revenue, and higher return rates, impacting both short-term sales and long-term customer loyalty.
Challenges Brands Face in Providing a Single-Vendor or Primary-Vendor Experience
While the benefits of meeting single-vendor demand are clear, providing a seamless, project-based shopping experience comes with its own set of challenges.
Complex inventory and supply chain management is often the biggest challenge facing retailers in this space. Ensuring that all necessary items for a project are consistently in stock and available for delivery can be difficult, especially for brands offering a wide range of products across multiple categories. Managing SKUs for bundled solutions or project-specific needs, such as “Outdoor Decking Kits” or “Complete Bathroom Remodel Bundles,” requires advanced inventory planning and efficient supply chain coordination, especially since customers tend to mix and match products to create a bespoke solution.
Another challenge facing vendors is ensuring product compatibility and quality. For brands serving B2C homeowners, it’s essential to curate products that work well together in terms of style, size, and functionality. Meanwhile, for B2B contractors, brands need to focus on the technical compatibility and regulatory compliance of products. These aspects can be challenging to coordinate, particularly when integrating products across different suppliers or product lines.
Finally, customers expect tailored recommendations and support, especially for larger projects, which makes personalizing the experience at scale a crucial aspect of meeting consumer needs. However, providing a personalized experience at scale—one that effectively serves both DIY homeowners and professional contractors—requires sophisticated technology, such as AI-driven recommendation engines, to automate and personalize guidance while maintaining consistency across touchpoints. Recommending the right faucet for a one-, two-, or three-hole sink installation, or the right thin set mortar for a tiling job, requires precise product relationships.
To tackle each of these challenges and deliver the unified shopping experiences consumers rely on, vendors need to be deliberate in how they manage the buying journey— and that starts with a thought-through strategy for how to ensure a seamless experience for the end customer.
Strategies to Meet B2C and B2B Buyer Expectations
To capitalize on the preference for single or primary vendors, brands can implement targeted strategies to streamline the shopping experience, build customer loyalty, and maximize revenue. All that’s needed is to behave like a CEO: Curate, Enhance, and Optimize.
Curate Project-Specific Product Bundles
Offering product bundles curated for specific project types helps simplify purchasing and ensures customers get everything they need in one go.
- For B2C Homeowners: Project kits (e.g., “Bathroom Remodel Kit” or “Living Room Refresh Bundle”) can provide DIY customers with a one-click solution that includes all the essentials, from major fixtures to decorative accessories. This approach minimizes the guesswork, increases convenience, and reduces the likelihood of ordering incompatible items.
- For B2B Contractors: Create bulk purchase options and job-specific bundles (e.g., “Landscaping Essentials” or “Deck Building Kit”) that streamline ordering, save time, and ensure consistency across large projects. Providing options for bulk pricing or customized quantities can also help contractors better manage project costs.
Enhance Personalization and Project Guidance with Intelligent Recommendations
DIY home repair and contracting may not be the first places your mind goes when you think of AI, but it can have a significant impact on your business objectives when implemented correctly. AI-driven recommendation engines can provide project guidance, helping both consumers and contractors find relevant products for their specific needs.
- For B2C Homeowners: Provide design guidance and personalized recommendations for cohesive project purchases, suggesting matching products and accessories to complement the customer’s chosen items. For example, a customer buying a sofa might receive suggestions for coordinating coffee tables, area rugs, and lighting fixtures to complete the living room setup.
- For B2B Contractors: Tailor recommendations based on project type, budget, and requirements, focusing on technical specifications, regulatory compliance, and compatibility information. This can help contractors make informed choices and ensure they are selecting the right products for each project stage.
Optimize Supply Chain and Fulfillment for Reliable Project Delivery
No one wants to wait on a purchase, but in renovation, construction, and remodeling, a delay on one supply can set the entire project back indefinitely. Efficient, transparent fulfillment is essential for project-based shopping. Brands that can streamline the logistics behind multi-item, project-based orders will stand out to customers— homeowners and contractors alike.
- Real-Time Inventory Visibility: Offer real-time inventory tracking to ensure that customers know which items are available and when they can expect them. By proactively communicating stock levels and offering substitutes where appropriate, brands can keep projects on track and reduce customer frustration.
- Project-Based Delivery Scheduling: Allow customers to schedule phased delivery. This is especially useful for contractors who need materials in specific sequences (e.g., foundational materials first, finishing materials later), but it’s also beneficial for homeowners working on DIY projects who want certain items upfront and accessories later.
- Centralized Order Tracking: Provide a unified tracking system that lets customers monitor all items in their project order. This transparency helps customers stay updated on their project’s progress and builds trust in the brand.
Single Source Success
For DIY and home improvement brands, meeting the demand for single or primary vendor solutions isn’t just a way to simplify purchasing— it’s a powerful driver of customer satisfaction, loyalty, and revenue. By offering curated project bundles, enhancing personalized recommendations, and optimizing the fulfillment process, brands can better meet the needs of both B2C and B2B customers. These strategies enable brands to become trusted partners in their customers’ home improvement journeys, leading to repeat business, higher average order values, and fewer returns.
By taking a customer-centric approach to project-based shopping, brands can not only differentiate themselves in a competitive market but also build lasting relationships that drive long-term growth and profitability.
Everett Zufelt
VP, Strategic Partnerships & Emerging Technology, Orium
As VP Strategic Partnerships & Emerging Technology at Orium, Everett leverages his extensive technical background and over a decade of experience in headless and composable commerce to lead the development of Orium’s offerings. He guides the go-to-market strategy and supports his teams in crafting solutions that enhance the digital capabilities and operational efficiency of scaling commerce brands.