Sometimes singled out for lagging behind in the digital revolution, the construction industry must now contend with new digital tools regarded as genuine opportunities for its players. The debate is raging in the corridors of marketing departments: are professionals in the building and construction world " connected "? And if so, how are they making the most of these new habits? Let's take a closer look.
We treat digital as an integral part of an omnichannel customer approach.
Laying the groundwork
When the agency deploys brand activations with manufacturer or distributor partners, one strategic subject now systematically comes up in briefs. You saw it coming: digital! After a thoughtful silence, the debate gets under way between the various stakeholders. "I think that…", "I saw this on a site": while sharp observation of the field is absolutely essential to rolling out a marketing operation properly, the debate around "B2B digital" stirs up passions.
It nevertheless seems worthwhile to take a step back and bring, if possible, a little objectivity to this fundamental subject. To do away with preconceived ideas, we offer you a report dedicated to the changing behaviour of professionals in the building and construction world, particularly through the lens of digital transformation. Far from an academic thesis, this is an overview of the major trends observed in recent years.
Tradespeople: blended customer journeys, mixing remote channels and the point of sale
Is the paper catalogue lying around in the site van a thing of the past? Not so fast! According to the survey carried out in June 2017 by Zepros, tradespeople are more connected than ever, with nearly 70% using a smartphone daily for work. That said, the professional has not yet reached the (famous) era of "all-digital". While they still clearly lag behind B2C consumers in terms of online purchasing, the growing presence of new digital tools in their toolbox is partly closing the gap that existed before. "Multi-connected", our tradespeople are seizing the digital channel to simplify their daily lives and save time.
Make no mistake, e-commerce has become a must in building materials distribution: 84% of respondents (Zepros barometer) bought online in the last 3 months (+30% in 2 years, +25% forecast over the next 6 months). The main purchase drivers revolve around the "service" dimension, aimed at simplifying the professional's daily life. One of the success factors of online purchasing may thus be linked to the permanent availability of products (24/7) and the associated time savings.
However, while the internet has become a natural stage in the tradesperson's buying journey, builders' merchants still hold the number one place in their heart (56% of tradespeople prefer buying in branch), largely due to the relationship of trust and proximity.
The proof is a genuine shift in the distributor's DNA, particularly in its customer relationships. Digital transformation is prompting builders' merchants to question themselves, notably by developing increasingly sharp and specialised points of sale. They are thus playing up key differentiating factors in the face of the rise of DIY superstores and marketplaces: showrooms, services, market expertise, advice and the specification of technical solutions. Even so, the essence lies in complementarity: finding the right balance between the physical network and digital. E-commerce can then be seen as one more lever in a customer journey that is now omnichannel. Why not even treat it as an "additional service" alongside the traditional point of sale?
12 May 2022
Manon T.
12minSpecifiers: keen consumers of digital content
Taking an interest in specifiers (architects, engineering consultancies, contractors, quantity surveyors…) also means paying close attention to a target profile too often left out of marketing campaigns.
According to the latest Archiliste survey from 2016, the manufacturer's website has been specifiers' number one source of information since 2006, peaking at nearly 90% of usage. It is followed by visits from sales representatives at 62%, trade shows at 60%, documentation sent by post at 48%, the trade press at 43%, and unsolicited emails from manufacturers at 31%. Interest in documentation sent by post has stabilised at around 50% of responses after several years of decline.
B2B e-commerce can be seen as a service that complements the point of sale.
This "digital trend" is explained by the fact that the same content can now be found on online platforms, in an interactive format and continually updated. Email campaigns are also considered important by more than a third of specifiers, reflecting a certain stabilisation after several years of decline. The need to target your message precisely according to the recipient's profile is more important than ever, in a format where it is hard to stand out amid the abundance of communication.
While the first reflex when researching a product or service is to consult the manufacturer's website directly, this is followed by the use of a search engine for two thirds of respondents, then by consulting a product portal via its associated newsletters, for nearly half of specifiers.
Social media: the pros hit "like"
According to the Zepros barometer, tradespeople's smartphone searches are mostly about gathering information. Indeed, 55% of them say they are active on social media, predominantly Facebook (69%). Likewise, specifiers also emerge as keen consumers of social content, depending on their profile: Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest, Twitter…
In this respect, the social media approach can be seen as one of the major challenges facing brands in the coming years, linked in particular to the famous "big data". A lever worth investing in to acquire and convert targeted leads, but also to build communities of engaged professionals — true brand ambassadors.
Brands: what challenges lie ahead?
We now know that our audiences, however diverse, are actively connected. Manufacturers' brands must not be forgotten in this digital transition, for they are on the front line: the challenge is to defend their brand territory and the leadership that goes with it.
On this subject, digital was long confined to the notion of a "communication medium" and therefore to a singular expertise belonging (almost exclusively) to "computer language". As a result, brands placed complete trust in their partners to produce, sometimes with no particular rationale, a multitude of digital tools: websites, blogs, social media, configurators… While the temptation to invest heavily in this communication channel to do "like everyone else" was strong, the question of ROI then arose…
« In fact, our role as an agency specialising in the B2B world is to lead brands to treat digital not as a specific communication lever, but as an integral part of a deeper approach. We bring an omnichannel vision: the objective is to activate the right content across multiple touchpoints, in step with the different types of customer journeys » stresses Geoffrey Saugeon, Account Director. In every case, the essential prerequisite remains the crafting of an impactful, differentiating marketing positioning to offer each target profile a singular, original brand experience. Shall we carry on the conversation over a coffee?
Sources: e-commerce barometer June 2017 (Zepros) – 2016 survey on building specifiers' information sources (Archiliste)