Consumers put off bathrooms by cost, disruption and unreliable products, says survey

10 December 2008

Nearly a third of consumers are put off buying a new bathroom because they don't think it will work, according to a survey from distributor Ideal Bathrooms.

Perhaps unsurprisingly nearly three-quarters (72%) said the cost would be a major factor in their decision to do the bathroom. However, 30% said it was concerns over whether it would work or not.

While 43% said disruption to the home would put them off, the same amount also said complicated terminology was a factor. Just over a quarter (27%) had concerns about finding a plumber, with only slightly less worried about how it would look at the end.

Women were more concerned than men about most of the issues but worries about the cost reduced the older the respondent.

Ideal Bathrooms commercial director Danielle Lillis said: "Retailers need to be aware of the concerns of their customers in order to give peace of mind. All the answers need to be in store, staff need to be trained so that they know what the disruption will be to their home - how long the water will be off, how long they will be without a loo, where can they find a good plumber, what will it look like etc.

"Computer designs can alleviate the 'what will it look like?' problem, and offering a complete fitting service would ease all the technical concerns."

Over 2,000 consumers took part in the survey that also looked at other issues. Over half (55%) said they would be most likely to buy their bathroom from a retail bathroom showroom, 30% said a DIY superstore. On average, 9% said they would buy from the internet, but tellingly that figure varied widely across age groups - 13% for ages 25-34 and 4% for ages 55+.

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Consumers put off bathrooms by cost, disruption and unreliable products, says survey	Back
10 December 2008 Nearly a third of consumers are put off buying a new bathroom because they don't think it will work, according to a survey from distributor Ideal Bathrooms. Perhaps unsurprisingly nearly three-quarters (72%) said the cost would be a major factor in their decision to do the bathroom. However, 30% said it was concerns over whether it would work or not. While 43% said disruption to the home would put them off, the same amount also said complicated terminology was a factor. Just over a quarter (27%) had concerns about finding a plumber, with only slightly less worried about how it would look at the end. Women were more concerned than men about most of the issues but worries about the cost reduced the older the respondent. Ideal Bathrooms commercial director Danielle Lillis said: "Retailers need to be aware of the concerns of their customers in order to give peace of mind. All the answers need to be in store, staff need to be trained so that they know what the disruption will be to their home - how long the water will be off, how long they will be without a loo, where can they find a good plumber, what will it look like etc. "Computer designs can alleviate the 'what will it look like?' problem, and offering a complete fitting service would ease all the technical concerns." Over 2,000 consumers took part in the survey that also looked at other issues. Over half (55%) said they would be most likely to buy their bathroom from a retail bathroom showroom, 30% said a DIY superstore. On average, 9% said they would buy from the internet, but tellingly that figure varied widely across age groups - 13% for ages 25-34 and 4% for ages 55+.