So you thought the DIY shopping was a man’s job. Think again. A new report, How Britain Shops 2008: DIY, finds that heading to the nearest DIY store, picking bookcases you can dismantle, guttering or rawlplugs are no longer unsuitable jobs for a woman. Forget the old stereotype of shopping for clothes, shoes or jewellery, the report finds that more women are shopping for DIY than ever, heading home with armfuls of new kitchen or bathroom fittings.

The study shows that while men at 59%, are still the dominant gender when it comes to buying DIY kit, a larger proportion of women than ever before are queuing up at the nearest DIY warehouse.
The report, which draws on data from 6,000 British shoppers, finds that better service and advice from in –store personnel as well as websites have been instrumental in drawing women DIY-wards. Also the fact that major players in the sector combine selling both hardcore DIY material with homeware has helped turn the fairer sex into the Ms Fix-it sex.
Another trend that the report identifies is that as the average age for buying a house gets older, so too does the age of the average DIY shopper. The report also warns that as credit becomes harder to obtain, at least in the short term, the DIY market is more dependent on existing property owners rather than new buyers.
How Britain Shops 2008: DIY, which also profiles leading retailers B&Q, Focus, Homebase, Wickes, Wilkinson, finds that loyalty to a particular retailer has fallen to its lowest in five years. Authors of the report attribute this to a general atmosphere where money for purchases is tight and consumers are willing to spend time finding the best deal. Since competition is hotting up in the sector as well, consumers are much less willing to commit themselves to one retailer, instead opting to seek out the best offer on at the time.
How Britain Shops 2008: DIY includes visitor and main user share data, conversion rates, customer loyalty rates and reasons for loyalty / disloyalty. Data is segmented regionally and by demographic and socio-economic group.