Illustrative case study · Private Equity

Big trade accounts would move, if the fixtures are on the shelf.

Contractors buy most kitchen and bath fixtures, and homeowners pick them. A private equity investor weighing a challenger showroom needed to know if both would move enough spend to fund new locations. We interviewed 150 trade buyers and 100 homeowners, 250 in all; the report came back in 10 days.

Illustrative scenario

Samplen = 250

Illustrative report

Home Improvement Showroom Concept Test

Would trade buyers and homeowners move enough fixture spend to a challenger showroom to fund its next locations?

Study architecture

Gauge the switchSwitching consideration and the share of fixture spend that would move

Rank the driversWhy each buyer chooses where to buy fixtures today

Map the serviceDelivery, stock, design help and returns, by buyer

Scope

A showroom that wins homeowners on design can still miss the contractors who buy most of the fixtures.

Sample

250

Remodelers, contractors and designers, plus homeowners planning a kitchen or bath.

Research by

Study typeSwitching study

ScenarioIllustrative

Challenger fixture showroom · Executive reportExecutive summary

Executive summary

The trade accounts with the most to spend are the most ready to move

The 250 trade buyers and homeowners saw one challenger showroom concept and said how much of next year’s fixture budget they would move to it. Trade accounts spending over $100K a year are the most open, and they hold 78% of the spend in play. Most trade buyers put fixtures in stock at the counter or job-site delivery first.

64%n = 64

of big trade accounts would move part of their spend

78%of spend in play

belongs to trade accounts over $100K a year

46%n = 150

of trade buyers rank stock at the counter first

49%n = 100

of homeowners would move part of their budget

Figures rounded. Base n = 250: 150 trade buyers and 100 homeowners unless stated.

Top lines

1The biggest trade accounts are the most open to the conceptSwitching consideration by spend band03

2Big trade accounts hold 78% of the spend in playSpend-weighted switching04

3Stock at the counter decides where trade buysPurchase drivers by buyer05

4Big trade accounts want delivery and early pickup; homeowners want design helpService needs by buyer06

5Sample, screener and quality controlWho we interviewed and how07

AAppendixQuestion flow and data tables09

Sample

250 trade buyers and homeowners

Segments

150 trade, 100 homeowners

Method

AI-moderated interviews, one concept

Trade bands

64 over $100K a year, 86 under

Illustrative report. The company, scenario, and all figures are fictional.

Illustrative report02

Illustrative reportExecutive summary

Illustrative example. The company, scenario, and all figures are fictional. They show UserCue’s method and deliverable format. They do not come from any client study.

The engagement

Delivered in

days, with the report, the data file and a live readout.

Interviews

250

Trade buyers and homeowners who buy kitchen and bath fixtures.

Audiences

150 trade buyers and 100 homeowners with a project planned.

Method

Concept test

One concept shown alone, then the share of next year’s budget each would move.

The brief

Client

A private equity investor

Decision

Whether to fund a challenger showroom’s expansion

Stage

Growth investment, before new locations

How we ran it

Approach

AI-moderated interviews with a single-concept test

Measured

Switching consideration, spend in play, purchase drivers, service needs

Sample

Remodelers, contractors, designers and homeowners

Headline figures

Big accounts64%

of trade buyers spending over $100K a year would move part of that spend to the concept

Spend in play78%

of the spend respondents would move belongs to trade accounts over $100K a year

Driver46%

of trade buyers rank fixtures in stock at the counter first, ahead of every other driver

The question

Would buyers move fixture spend to a new showroom?

The challenger runs showrooms with a trade counter and a design desk under one roof. Its owners planned new locations, and the investor’s case rested on how much fixture spend would move from distributors, big-box stores and independents, among contractors and homeowners alike.

Would trade buyers and homeowners consider switching, and at what spend?

What drives where they buy fixtures today?

What service does each kind of buyer need from a showroom?

What we did

How the study ran, start to finish.

1Kickoff
The deal team names the decision.
Will trade buyers and homeowners move enough fixture spend to the challenger to fund new showrooms? The kickoff turned it into three questions: whether they would switch and at what spend, what drives where they buy, and what service each needs.
2Design
Trade buyers and homeowners, one concept.
The screener admitted trade buyers who order fixtures for remodeling jobs and homeowners planning a kitchen or bath: 150 trade, 100 homeowners. Each saw the concept alone, no rival named, then said how much of next year’s fixture budget they would move to it.
3Fielding
250 buyers, stalled jobs and all.
Interviews ran a median 30 minutes by voice or text, quant and qual in one conversation; trade buyers with a stalled job named what the delay cost. The researcher read all 291 and removed 41 for rushed responses, contradictions or no remodeling work, leaving 250.
4Analysis
The biggest accounts are the most open.
The researcher split consideration by yearly fixture spend; the largest trade accounts were the most open, and 72% of them had a job held up by a missing fixture. Buyers spending over $100K a year were almost twice as open as smaller accounts, at 64%.
5Readout
Big trade holds 78% of the spend in play.
The researcher took the investor’s deal team through a 28-page report at a live readout, spend-band cuts and verbatims included, plus the full data file. Every new showroom in the expansion case now opens with a stock guarantee and job-site delivery for big trade accounts.

What we found

Four findings from the report.

Summary

The biggest trade accounts are the most open to the concept, and 72% of them had a job held up by a missing fixture. They hold 78% of the spend in play, far more than homeowners, who come for design help. Most trade buyers put stock at the counter or delivery to the job site first.

Challenger fixture showroom · Executive reportTop line 1

Top line 1 of 4

The biggest trade accounts are the most open to the concept

¹ Q6. How likely would you be to move some of your fixture purchasing to this showroom? Five-point scale, n = 250.

² Results by crew count are directional; see the appendix tables.

Switching consideration rises with account size. 64% of trade buyers spending over $100K a year would move part of their fixture spend to the concept, against 35% of smaller trade accounts¹. Homeowners fall between, at 49%. Big accounts say stock-outs idle crews: 72% had a job held up by a missing fixture in the past year. Of all 64 big accounts, 31% would move up to a quarter of their spend and 14% more than half.

64%n = 64

of trade buyers over $100K a year would move spend

35%n = 86

of smaller trade accounts would move spend

49%n = 100

of homeowners would move part of their budget

72%n = 64

of big accounts had a job held up by a missing fixture

Would move part of their fixture spend to the concept

Would move part of their fixture spend, top-two box

Share of next year’s fixture spend they would move (n = 64)

NoneUp to a quarterA quarter to halfOver half

Had a job held up by a missing fixture, past year

Five-point consideration scale, top two boxes. Spend bands come from each trade buyer’s fixture spend last year. Quality checks removed 41 of 291 interviews.

Supporting evidence

Remodelers who run more than one crew drive the big-account result; single-crew shops in the same band respond more like smaller accounts. § 3.2²
Smaller accounts mostly buy job by job and rarely have a crew waiting on parts. § 3.3

Illustrative report03

Challenger fixture showroom · Executive reportTop line 2

Top line 2 of 4

Big trade accounts hold 78% of the spend in play

¹ Q7. What share of next year’s fixture budget would you move to this showroom? n = 250.

² Homeowner budgets cover one planned project and are self-reported.

Weighting each response by the budget it would move shows where the money is. Trade accounts over $100K a year hold 78% of the spend respondents would move¹, from a quarter of the sample. Smaller trade accounts hold 14% and homeowners 8%: a homeowner’s kitchen is one project, and a big remodeler buys for dozens of jobs a year.

78%of spend in play

held by trade accounts over $100K a year

14%of spend in play

held by smaller trade accounts

8%of spend in play

held by homeowners

64of 250

big trade accounts in the sample

Who holds the spend in play

Share of the fixture spend respondents would move (n = 250)

Where big trade accounts buy fixtures today (n = 64)

DistributorBig-box storeIndependent showroom

Would move over half their fixture spend

Spend in play is each respondent’s stated budget times the share they would move, summed by group. Trade budgets are last year’s fixture spend; homeowner budgets are the planned project’s fixtures.

Supporting evidence

Two in three big accounts would keep some spend with their distributor for its rebates. § 4.2
Homeowners would move more of a smaller budget: 21% would move over half. § 4.3²

Illustrative report04

Challenger fixture showroom · Executive reportTop line 3

Top line 3 of 4

Stock at the counter decides where trade buys

¹ Q4. Which one of these most decides where you buy fixtures? Single select, n = 250.

² Showroom visits are self-reported; see the appendix tables.

Asked for the one thing that decides where they buy, trade buyers point to the shelf. 46% rank fixtures in stock at the counter first, and 24% put job-site delivery first¹. Pricing, credit terms and product range trail. Homeowners choose differently: design help leads for 41% of them, and stock barely registers.

46%n = 150

of trade buyers rank stock at the counter first

24%n = 150

of trade buyers put job-site delivery first

41%n = 100

of homeowners rank design help first

6%n = 100

of homeowners rank stock first

Top purchase driver, trade buyers

Top purchase driver, single select (n = 150)

Top purchase driver, homeowners (n = 100)

Top three drivers, big trade accounts (n = 64)

1Fixtures in stock at the counter
2Job-site delivery
3Trade pricing and credit terms

Single-select question; shares are rounded and sum to 100 within each group. Trade base n = 150; homeowner base n = 100.

Supporting evidence

Big accounts rank delivery higher than smaller ones: every trip to a counter takes a person off the job. § 5.2
Homeowners who visited a showroom in the past year rank displays second. § 5.3²

Illustrative report05

Challenger fixture showroom · Executive reportTop line 4

Top line 4 of 4

Big trade accounts want delivery and early pickup; homeowners want design help

¹ Q9. Which of these services would you need from a fixture showroom? Multi-select, n = 250.

The service each buyer needs follows from how they buy. 73% of big trade accounts want job-site delivery, and 66% want will-call pickup before crews start¹. Homeowners ask for design help (63%) and installer referrals (43%). The two lists do not overlap: nothing homeowners ask for appears in the big accounts’ top five.

73%n = 64

of big accounts want job-site delivery

66%n = 64

want will-call pickup before crews start

63%n = 100

of homeowners want design help

43%n = 100

of homeowners want installer referrals

Service needs, big trade accounts

Service needs, multi-select, trade over $100K a year (n = 64)

Service needs, homeowners (n = 100)

Top three, smaller trade accounts (n = 86)

1Returns handled at the counter
2Job-site delivery
3Will-call pickup before crews start

Multi-select questions; shares do not sum to 100. Big trade accounts n = 64; homeowners n = 100; smaller trade accounts n = 86.

Supporting evidence

Early pickup matters most to remodelers whose crews start before most counters open. § 6.2
Homeowners who want design help also want samples to take home. § 6.3

Illustrative report06

Top line 1 of 4 · page 03Illustrative report · top line 1 of 4 · swipeIllustrative report

Question 1 · The switch

The biggest trade accounts are the most open.

64% of trade buyers spending over $100K a year would move part of their fixture spend to the concept, against 35% of smaller trade accounts and 49% of homeowners. 72% of the big accounts had a job held up by a missing fixture in the past year.

Big trade accounts64%

Homeowners49%

Smaller trade accounts35%

Would move part of their spend, top-two box · n = 64, 100 and 86

Question 1 · Spend in play

Big trade accounts hold 78% of the spend in play.

Weighting each response by the budget it would move puts 78% of the spend in play with trade accounts over $100K a year, from a quarter of the sample. Smaller trade accounts hold 14% and homeowners 8%.

78%trade accounts over $100K a year

14%smaller accounts

Share of the fixture spend respondents would move · n = 250

Question 2 · Drivers

Stock at the counter decides where trade buys.

46% of trade buyers rank fixtures in stock at the counter first among purchase drivers, and 24% put job-site delivery first. Homeowners choose differently: design help leads for 41% of them.

Stock at the counter46%

Job-site delivery24%

Pricing and credit terms19%

Product range11%

Top purchase driver, single select · trade buyers · n = 150

Question 3 · Service

Big trade accounts want delivery and early pickup; homeowners want design help.

73% of big trade accounts want job-site delivery and 66% want will-call pickup before crews start. Homeowners ask for design help (63%) and installer referrals (43%).

Job-site delivery73%

Early will-call pickup66%

Returns at the counter45%

A dedicated trade rep34%

Service needs, multi-select · trade over $100K · n = 64

“When a vanity is back-ordered, my crew stands in a gutted bathroom with nothing to set. I would drive past three stores to the one that has it.”

Remodeling contractor · Illustrative quote

Illustrative quotes

Three themes behind the numbers.

Stock-outs

“A missing shower valve stopped a bathroom for most of a month. The crew moved to another job and the homeowner called me every day.”

Kitchen and bath remodeler

Delivery

“If they drop it at the site before my guys get there, I will move a lot of my volume. Picking up at a counter costs me a person every morning.”

Purchasing manager

Design help

“I need someone to tell me which tile goes with which vanity. The big stores hand you a catalog and walk away.”

Homeowner

What the investor did

Three moves made with the report.

1The model · from finding 2

Sized new locations by big trade accounts.

The expansion model now sizes each new location by the trade accounts over $100K a year within reach, the group that holds 78% of the spend in play.

2The showroom · from finding 3

Built a stock guarantee into every new location.

Core fixtures carry an in-stock guarantee at the trade counter. Stock comes first for 46% of trade buyers, nearly double job-site delivery at 24%.

3The service · from finding 4

Added job-site delivery and early will-call.

Each new showroom delivers to the job site and opens its counter before crews start, beside a design desk for homeowners.

Illustrative example. The company, scenario, and all figures are fictional. They show UserCue’s method and deliverable format. They do not come from any client study.

Bring us your next diligence question.

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More private equity studies

Pricing study

Big trade accounts would move, if the fixtures are on the shelf.

How the study ran, start to finish.

1Kickoff

The deal team names the decision.

Will trade buyers and homeowners move enough fixture spend to the challenger to fund new showrooms? The kickoff turned it into three questions: whether they would switch and at what spend, what drives where they buy, and what service each needs.

2Design

Trade buyers and homeowners, one concept.

The screener admitted trade buyers who order fixtures for remodeling jobs and homeowners planning a kitchen or bath: 150 trade, 100 homeowners. Each saw the concept alone, no rival named, then said how much of next year’s fixture budget they would move to it.

3Fielding

250 buyers, stalled jobs and all.

Interviews ran a median 30 minutes by voice or text, quant and qual in one conversation; trade buyers with a stalled job named what the delay cost. The researcher read all 291 and removed 41 for rushed responses, contradictions or no remodeling work, leaving 250.

4Analysis

The biggest accounts are the most open.

The researcher split consideration by yearly fixture spend; the largest trade accounts were the most open, and 72% of them had a job held up by a missing fixture. Buyers spending over $100K a year were almost twice as open as smaller accounts, at 64%.

5Readout

Big trade holds 78% of the spend in play.

The researcher took the investor’s deal team through a 28-page report at a live readout, spend-band cuts and verbatims included, plus the full data file. Every new showroom in the expansion case now opens with a stock guarantee and job-site delivery for big trade accounts.

Four findings from the report.

Summary

Challenger fixture showroom · Executive reportTop line 1

Top line 1 of 4

The biggest trade accounts are the most open to the concept

¹ Q6. How likely would you be to move some of your fixture purchasing to this showroom? Five-point scale, n = 250.

² Results by crew count are directional; see the appendix tables.

64%n = 64

of trade buyers over $100K a year would move spend

35%n = 86

of smaller trade accounts would move spend

49%n = 100

of homeowners would move part of their budget

72%n = 64

of big accounts had a job held up by a missing fixture

Would move part of their fixture spend to the concept

Would move part of their fixture spend, top-two box

Share of next year’s fixture spend they would move (n = 64)

NoneUp to a quarterA quarter to halfOver half

Had a job held up by a missing fixture, past year

Five-point consideration scale, top two boxes. Spend bands come from each trade buyer’s fixture spend last year. Quality checks removed 41 of 291 interviews.

Supporting evidence

Remodelers who run more than one crew drive the big-account result; single-crew shops in the same band respond more like smaller accounts. § 3.2²
Smaller accounts mostly buy job by job and rarely have a crew waiting on parts. § 3.3

Illustrative report03

Challenger fixture showroom · Executive reportTop line 2

Top line 2 of 4

Big trade accounts hold 78% of the spend in play

¹ Q7. What share of next year’s fixture budget would you move to this showroom? n = 250.

² Homeowner budgets cover one planned project and are self-reported.

78%of spend in play

held by trade accounts over $100K a year

14%of spend in play

held by smaller trade accounts

8%of spend in play

held by homeowners

64of 250

big trade accounts in the sample

Who holds the spend in play

Share of the fixture spend respondents would move (n = 250)

Where big trade accounts buy fixtures today (n = 64)

DistributorBig-box storeIndependent showroom

Would move over half their fixture spend

Supporting evidence

Two in three big accounts would keep some spend with their distributor for its rebates. § 4.2
Homeowners would move more of a smaller budget: 21% would move over half. § 4.3²

Illustrative report04

Challenger fixture showroom · Executive reportTop line 3

Top line 3 of 4

Stock at the counter decides where trade buys

¹ Q4. Which one of these most decides where you buy fixtures? Single select, n = 250.

² Showroom visits are self-reported; see the appendix tables.

46%n = 150

of trade buyers rank stock at the counter first

24%n = 150

of trade buyers put job-site delivery first

41%n = 100

of homeowners rank design help first

6%n = 100

of homeowners rank stock first

Top purchase driver, trade buyers

Top purchase driver, single select (n = 150)

Top purchase driver, homeowners (n = 100)

Top three drivers, big trade accounts (n = 64)

1Fixtures in stock at the counter
2Job-site delivery
3Trade pricing and credit terms

Single-select question; shares are rounded and sum to 100 within each group. Trade base n = 150; homeowner base n = 100.

Supporting evidence

Big accounts rank delivery higher than smaller ones: every trip to a counter takes a person off the job. § 5.2
Homeowners who visited a showroom in the past year rank displays second. § 5.3²

Illustrative report05

Challenger fixture showroom · Executive reportTop line 4

Top line 4 of 4

Big trade accounts want delivery and early pickup; homeowners want design help

¹ Q9. Which of these services would you need from a fixture showroom? Multi-select, n = 250.

73%n = 64

of big accounts want job-site delivery

66%n = 64

want will-call pickup before crews start

63%n = 100

of homeowners want design help

43%n = 100

of homeowners want installer referrals

Service needs, big trade accounts

Service needs, multi-select, trade over $100K a year (n = 64)

Service needs, homeowners (n = 100)

Top three, smaller trade accounts (n = 86)

1Returns handled at the counter
2Job-site delivery
3Will-call pickup before crews start

Multi-select questions; shares do not sum to 100. Big trade accounts n = 64; homeowners n = 100; smaller trade accounts n = 86.

Supporting evidence

Early pickup matters most to remodelers whose crews start before most counters open. § 6.2
Homeowners who want design help also want samples to take home. § 6.3

Illustrative report06

Top line 1 of 4 · page 03Illustrative report · top line 1 of 4 · swipeIllustrative report

Question 1 · The switch

The biggest trade accounts are the most open.

Big trade accounts64%

Homeowners49%

Smaller trade accounts35%

Would move part of their spend, top-two box · n = 64, 100 and 86

Question 1 · Spend in play

Big trade accounts hold 78% of the spend in play.

78%trade accounts over $100K a year

14%smaller accounts

Share of the fixture spend respondents would move · n = 250

Question 2 · Drivers

Stock at the counter decides where trade buys.

46% of trade buyers rank fixtures in stock at the counter first among purchase drivers, and 24% put job-site delivery first. Homeowners choose differently: design help leads for 41% of them.

Stock at the counter46%

Job-site delivery24%

Pricing and credit terms19%

Product range11%

Top purchase driver, single select · trade buyers · n = 150

Question 3 · Service

Big trade accounts want delivery and early pickup; homeowners want design help.

73% of big trade accounts want job-site delivery and 66% want will-call pickup before crews start. Homeowners ask for design help (63%) and installer referrals (43%).

Job-site delivery73%

Early will-call pickup66%

Returns at the counter45%

A dedicated trade rep34%

Service needs, multi-select · trade over $100K · n = 64

Three themes behind the numbers.

Stock-outs

“A missing shower valve stopped a bathroom for most of a month. The crew moved to another job and the homeowner called me every day.”

Kitchen and bath remodeler

Delivery

“If they drop it at the site before my guys get there, I will move a lot of my volume. Picking up at a counter costs me a person every morning.”

Purchasing manager

Design help

“I need someone to tell me which tile goes with which vanity. The big stores hand you a catalog and walk away.”

Homeowner

Three moves made with the report.

1The model · from finding 2

Sized new locations by big trade accounts.

The expansion model now sizes each new location by the trade accounts over $100K a year within reach, the group that holds 78% of the spend in play.

2The showroom · from finding 3

Built a stock guarantee into every new location.

Core fixtures carry an in-stock guarantee at the trade counter. Stock comes first for 46% of trade buyers, nearly double job-site delivery at 24%.

3The service · from finding 4

Added job-site delivery and early will-call.

Each new showroom delivers to the job site and opens its counter before crews start, beside a design desk for homeowners.

Illustrative example. The company, scenario, and all figures are fictional. They show UserCue’s method and deliverable format. They do not come from any client study.

Would buyers move fixture spend to a new showroom?

Would trade buyers and homeowners consider switching, and at what spend?

What drives where they buy fixtures today?

What service does each kind of buyer need from a showroom?

How the study ran, start to finish.

The deal team names the decision.

Trade buyers and homeowners, one concept.

250 buyers, stalled jobs and all.

The biggest accounts are the most open.

Big trade holds 78% of the spend in play.

Four findings from the report.

The biggest trade accounts are the most open.

Big trade accounts hold 78% of the spend in play.

Stock at the counter decides where trade buys.

Big trade accounts want delivery and early pickup; homeowners want design help.

Three themes behind the numbers.

Three moves made with the report.

Sized new locations by big trade accounts.

Built a stock guarantee into every new location.

Added job-site delivery and early will-call.

Bring us your next diligence question.

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Would buyers move fixture spend to a new showroom?

Would trade buyers and homeowners consider switching, and at what spend?

What drives where they buy fixtures today?

What service does each kind of buyer need from a showroom?

How the study ran, start to finish.

The deal team names the decision.

Trade buyers and homeowners, one concept.

250 buyers, stalled jobs and all.

The biggest accounts are the most open.

Big trade holds 78% of the spend in play.

Four findings from the report.

The biggest trade accounts are the most open.

Big trade accounts hold 78% of the spend in play.

Stock at the counter decides where trade buys.

Big trade accounts want delivery and early pickup; homeowners want design help.

Three themes behind the numbers.

Three moves made with the report.

Sized new locations by big trade accounts.

Built a stock guarantee into every new location.

Added job-site delivery and early will-call.

Bring us your next diligence question.

Commercial Bakery Ingredient Volume Outlook

Industrial Gas Distribution Buyer Study

Tax Compliance Software VoC