Digital Commerce 360 and Bizrate Insights surveyed 1,113 online shoppers in April to learn about their home goods shopping behavior this year compared with last year.

Year-over-year online shoppers buy less of their home goods online

This year, a quarter of surveyed online shoppers said they made more than half of their home goods purchases online. That’s down from last year, when 41% said they bought more than half of their home goods online.

Despite continued inflation and supply chain disruptions, 42% of shoppers said they anticipated their online spending on their homes would be the same as in 2021. 17% said they expected to spend more than last year on home goods in the first half of 2022.

Do-it-yourself projects remained popular in 2021 after 2020’s quarantine-inspired DIY project phase. 47% of survey respondents cited DIY projects as their biggest home needs and activities last year, dropping to just 42% this year. However, 37% cited home upgrades as priorities last year.  That jumped to 44% this year. That could suggest that those who completed DIY projects last year learned how they could improve upon them this year.

And among those who completed DIY projects, 38% said they had to wait longer to get the items they needed because of supply chain constraints. Additionally, 19% said they had to switch retailers because the initial retailer didn’t have the right products in stock. 

Category-wide purchasing remains intact

Home-goods shoppers prioritized buying items for their outdoor spaces this year and last year. Those who switched to at least partial remote work seem eager to enjoy the weather on their breaks and weekends. 

Moving indoors, 27% of respondents said this year that they intend to get new furniture. That’s down slightly from 30% who said the same last year. More respondents cited appliance replacement, though, as a priority this year (24%) versus last year (21%). And much fewer respondents cited work-from-home office needs as a priority this year (14%) compared with last year (21%).

Add-on services when home goods shopping

Nearly half of this year’s respondents said they’d take advantage of add-on services retailers offer. 48% this year said they were likely to accept assembly and design services. Meanwhile, 26% said they were neither likely nor unlikely to accept the services, and the remaining 26% said they were unlikely to accept them.

Home goods shoppers want to make informed purchases

More than half of this year’s home goods survey respondents want access to pricing (68%) and customer ratings and reviews (62%), as well as the ability to compare products (55%). 

Nearly half, 47%, of shoppers also want to be able to zoom into images and 40% want accurate delivery windows. Lower on the list: photos other shoppers uploaded to a website (a quarter of respondents cited this) and videos (23%).

Online shoppers are also embracing smartphones and utilizing an array of content and support tools. In the six months leading up to the survey, 46% of respondents used their mobile phones to research and purchase home goods. Additionally, 37% watched videos and nearly a quarter perused Pinterest or other social media or watched home and garden television shows to get ideas about their next home-goods purchases.

About one in 10 survey respondents also used digital tools that help them see how their purchases would look in their homes. These include customized furniture, augmented reality and 3D room planners.

Online shoppers focus on availability and omnichannel options

More than four in 10 surveyed online shoppers (43%) went to the web to check for product availability at local stores. More than three in 10 (32%) bought their items online and picked them up in store (BOPIS). A quarter of surveyed shoppers used curbside pickup to grab their orders.

Meanwhile, more than four in 10 (41%) encountered out-of-stock items. A quarter experienced late deliveries. Almost a fifth (18%) had same-day deliveries make it to them, but 16% had orders canceled.

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