As the building industry evolves, manufacturers and retailers must understand the latest trends among different market segments to meet customer demands and preferences.
Builders, remodelers and general contractors (GCs) are a unique segment, with specific expectations, purchasing behaviors, and needs, especially when it comes to what they’re looking for from manufacturers and suppliers.
Our 2025 Building Products Customer Guide (BPCG) provides an in-depth look at how builders, remodelers, and GCs across the United States use different shopping and purchase channels, as well as the common problems they encounter on projects. It also explores how this group is being affected by external challenges, such as labor shortages and economic uncertainty.
By understanding the trends highlighted in our BPCG report, manufacturers and suppliers will be better equipped and informed to understand the nuances of different pro customers and what additional insights your team should pursue for a successful business strategy and increased building material sales.
A quick note before we dive in: These trends cover the broader building products market and should be used to influence discussions within your organization to build out your plan to get deeper insights specific to your brand, your product, your customer.
7 Trends Influencing Building Products Marketing in 2025
The next couple of years still offer unique growth opportunities for companies in the building materials and home improvement products industry who are customer-focused and ready to adapt their branding, marketing, product and and channel strategies to meet increasing competition and shifting demands.
To help you prepare for what’s ahead and adjust your strategies accordingly, here is a look at a handful of key trends and market variables that are contributing to purchase drivers among Pro customers:
1. Professionals Remain Open to Trying New Brands
During the pandemic, industry professionals faced supply chain disruptions and availability shortages that often forced them to experiment with different brands, products, and suppliers. Although availability is less of a concern, the habit was created, and this trend persists. Over the past 12 months, more than 60% of commercial general contractors and builders have tried a new supplier, along with nearly 30% of residential GCs and remodelers, and commercial specialty trade pros. In general, pro customers have recognized the benefits of expanding their supplier options so they’re not left in a lurch. Similar to suppliers now diversifying their brands to be better positioned logistically. While this presents opportunities for building products manufacturers and suppliers looking for opportunities to capture market share, it also reinforces the importance of product availability. As a building product manufacturer, it is critical to keep essentials consistently available to meet product demand through Pros' preferred channels, especially with the changes in economic dynamics and supply chains. And when products are not available, manufacturers and suppliers must be masters at communicating availability expectations.
2. Omni-Channel Presence is Vital
Digital and physical lines continue to blur, in regards to both shopping behaviors and purchase behaviors, with pro customers using multiple suppliers and multiple buying methods, both online and in-store. For some of the top players—including Home Depot, Lowe’s, and other local and regional stores—about two-thirds of purchases were made at a physical location. Another 15% to 16% of products were ordered online for delivery, and 12% to 13% were ordered online and picked up in stores. However, there is some variety throughout the industry, depending on the specific supplier or type of professional. For example, larger commercial firms are buying more online, whereas residential specialists are more dedicated to in-store shopping. Strive for a strong online presence, but make sure that it reiterates or adds to what is in stores. Additionally, in terms of messaging and marketing, it’s important to ensure that your story and messaging aligns from one supplier to the next to more effectively build brand awareness.
3. Building Brand Loyalty Takes Precision and Dedication
According to our research findings in our 2025 Building Products Guide, loyalty programs can work, but they must address key factors that align with pro needs, like pricing and availability. This is why we see preferred loyalty program features leaning towards discounts, promotions, cash back, and same-day delivery, especially for homebuilders and cost-conscious groups, like residential specialty trades.
The data suggests that residential Pros are especially influenced by more immediate and easy to calculate features within the context of their own business challenges. Findings in partnership with The Home Improvement Research Institute corroborate this, in that Pros do face payment and cash flow challenges when working with homeowners, according to our joint efforts through the 2024 Quarterly Contractor Project Activity Tracker.
Convenient procurement options—like same day delivery and priority access to products—are also relevant purchase drivers to manage against when catering to commercial Pro companies who value convenience and may have specific roles dedicated to purchasing that differ from those who are installing the product.
Approximately 44% of commercial GCs/remodelers cited manufacturer support as a factor that’s important to them when choosing a building product brand and 21% said they are motivated by supplier loyalty programs, demonstrating their inclination toward long-term partnerships and brand loyalty. Collaborating with specialized suppliers also can help reach niche markets, especially for specialty tradespeople, who prefer product-specific dealers.
4. Pros are Serious About Researching Building Products
Commercial generalists conduct the most research, with 58% saying they do “a lot (multiple hours)” or a “good amount (roughly an hour)” of online research before purchasing building products, compared to 31% of residential specialty trades pros, who tend to conduct the least amount of product research before making a purchase.
About 73% of pro customers in general believe manufacturer websites provide the best information on products, followed by supplier websites (57%), so it’s important to provide detailed product info through supplier and manufacturer path to purchase. Additionally, 63% of Pro using social media for building products research use YouTube, with how-to videos being the top method for learning about installation. Partner with your suppliers to help build out the insatiable need for online content. For some segments, your physical presence is more important. Residential specialty tradespeople are less likely to engage online. For these groups, prioritize in-person engagement opportunities.
5. Pros Value Quality, Availability and Product Variety
Building manufacturers should focus on quality, reliability, and supplying product options at a variety of price points to address increasing budget concerns. After all, 80% or more pro customers across the industry list quality (the quality they perceive, not necessarily the quality your product is) as the most important factor to them when selecting building products. For manufacturers, your focus needs to be first about understanding what Pros genuinely value most about your brand and products - how do they define quality for your category, brand, or product. Second, you must then communicate value propositions in compelling ways, highlighting Pros' best options in a tighter, more competitive market, where their own clients may be more budget sensitive. Pros also want easy access to pricing information, accurate availability information, and product information related to specifications, cross-product applications and installation information.
6. Labor Challenges Constrain Industry Growth
Labor constraints continue to constrain the building products industry. More than half of Pro firms are actively looking to hire labor, and most need permanent employees over subcontractors, according to our research.
Additionally, on average, about 34% believe we're experiencing a difficult labor market, although some are also starting to view labor shortages as a new norm in terms of doing business and are implementing labor-saving solutions. According to our 2024 Quarterly Contractor Activity Tracker, labor availability is the main issue, followed by cost and labor quality. They’ve responded by offering higher wages and additional benefits, which increases project costs for end clients. Manufacturers are investing in product innovation that improves installation times and methods, reducing the time that contractors and other pros spend on projects or reducing the need to find skilled trades for installation. Suppliers are working on technology solutions to help pros increase efficiency of purchasing and logistics, which The Home Improvement Research Institute has released key findings on in their Contractor Technology Adoption in Home Improvement report. Be direct with benefits, not just for features, and explain how they can save time or increase efficiency with your products. Manufacturers who excel at positioning products that help reduce labor will likely gain traction in market adoption.
7. Responsive Communication is Key to Strong Relationships
Relationships remain important to industry professionals. Our research shows that the majority of pros reach out to a product manufacturer for a variety of reasons. When asked what most important things for building product manufacturers to provide for contractors and other professionals, the top answer across trades was “to quickly repair or replace faulty products,” especially amongst residential tradespeople, remodelers, and home builders. 68% of Pros prefer to contact manufacturers by phone (68%), email (52%), and through in-person support (41%). Texting and online chatting are less preferred, except by commercial GCs and builders. It’s essential that manufacturers and suppliers build trust with this valuable segment of customers and cultivate long-term relationships through responsiveness and multiple modes of communication, including email, phone, text, and in-person support. Be where your customers are when they want you.
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