Essay Example on DIY Home Improvement Market: Eco-Friendly Projects for Homeowners

Introduction

Advocates of diversity management claim that home improvement projects provide a chance to homeowners who now put their brand on their homes. Such plans are eco-friendly, thus makes homes safer. According to Levine and Heimerl (2008), Do-it-Yourself or Do-it-Yourself (DIY) is a type of creative experience in which consumers create handmade and customized objects for private and commercial consumption. DIY home improvement market provides products used in plumbing, building maintenance, and other home improvement purposes. These products are considered target products of the market. DIY allows homeowners to use DIY home improvement tools, equipment, and appliances to execute tasks by themselves. A background analysis of the DIY market include; the assessment of the economy, market overview, contribution of sectors in the marketplace, market insights, and emerging trends in the market segments. These factors affect how consumers process their DIY experience. Businesses in the DIY home improvement field have to cope with great competition, season cycles, as well as existing home innovations (Chen & Chandler, 2010).

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How Consumers Process their DIY Experience

DIY is increasingly popular consumer behavior. However, little is known about this large consumer segment. Consumer involvement in the co-creation of value is very important when recognizing the marketing theory (Vargo & Lusch, 2004). Usually, the consumer is known as the passive buyer of goods and services produced by others rather than active producers. DIY consumer products are unfinished and designed for use in different ways (e.g., pieces of lumber). This industry resides with home improvement, building materials, and garden products. DIY is a consumer activity that offers consumers the make-or-buy decision, enables the redistribution of the household budget, and broadens notions of material values as it suggests new benefits derived through creating material goods. Furthermore, it also allows individuals to build and enhance identities.

Co-Creation, Prosumption, and Co-production

Marketers once had the assumption that once the value-adding process of a product was competing, it marked the full readiness of the consumption of the product. However, there has been a shift from a goods-centered logic to a more reciprocal service-centered logic view in which producers collaborate with consumers to co-create and co-produce (Vargo and Lusch, 2004). Co-creation is associated to usage, consumption, the value in use, and the basis that only customers are obliged to determine the cost. In order for a product to be useful, consumers must learn, apply skills and knowledge that create the value of the product in use. Such value-creating activities are like; charging and answering a cellphone or driving an automobile (Humphreys and Grayson, 2008).

On the other hand, Co-production involves customers in participating in creating core offering "through shared inventiveness and co-design" (Lusch et al., 2007). Customers actively participate in the firm's work to deliver a better core product to consumers. Examples of co-production are; fast-food restaurants and self-serve gas. The organization's ability to compete can be enhanced by integrating customers in their production of goods and services, thus meeting the customers' desires.

Prosumption, similar to co-creation and co-production, emphasizes the uniqueness of people concurrently playing roles of consumer and producer. It can be defined as "a value creation activity undertaken by the consumer that results in the production of products they eventually consume and that becomes their consumption experience" (Xie et al., 2008). Prosumption process integrates socio-physical activities, physical activities, and mental effort; thus, consumers turn out to be participants in the production and creation of goods and services.

Co-creation assumes the involvement of consumers is limited to; using the product and learning how it operates. Whereas, co-production assumes that consumers gain control of functions earlier performed by the organization. Prosumption assumes consumers' consumption is mainly from their products. These assumptions define the DIY behaviors-activities in which consumers employ raw and semi-raw materials or parts to produce, transform or renovate material possessions.

Developing a Conceptual Model of DIY Consumer Behavior

A grounded theory approach is used to create a conceptual model that is composed of motivators and outcomes of DIY consumer behavior. DIY consumer experience is developed using core consumer processes. The theoretical model is used to improve the understanding of the large and essential consumer market. Additional motivation forces such as economic savings influence consumer's income thus affects the DIY behavior. The DIY practice is inspired by factors such as; marketplace evaluation of goods and services and identity enhancement.

Moreover, consumers' discretionary time and DIY experience render such motivations. When these motivations are evoked, they result in the purchase of DIY related materials or products, thus influencing the consumer's behavior. However, the retail environment regulates this relationship since it enhances the sharing of ideas and visualization of projects among the consumers. Such consumers revise their plans and purchase decisions. When engaging in and completing DIY projects, results such as feelings of enjoyment, enjoyment, and control are experienced by the consumers. These results affect the motivation to commence future DIY projects (Wolf & McQuitty, 2011).

Motivations to DIY

There are two categories; identity enhancement and market evaluation, which motivate the DIY consumer behavior.

Market Evaluations

Four types of market evaluations drive DIY behavior: (1) the relative economic benefits (2) the need for customization (3) a lack of product availability (4) lack of product quality (Wolf & McQuitty, 2011). Consumers carry out marketplace evaluations through obtaining estimates and inspecting offerings in stores.

Relative Economic Benefits

The need for saving is an essential motivator in carrying out DIY activities. It's assumed many consumers tend to take DIY actions to save money over purchasing goods and services from professionals. Therefore, they compare the expected economic value with the purchase of a marketplace for similar products to economic benefits gained when carrying out DIY projects (Wolf & McQuitty, 2011). Nevertheless, DIY activities don't increase household income, thus purposes on the ability to repair and maintain the household by saving on paying professionals for help.

Lack of Product Quality

For instance, a professional may fail to achieve the quality of a product or service that a consumer needs, this may influence the consumer's decision to make the product or perform the functions themselves (Brown et al., 2005).

Lack of Product Availability

The absence of product in the market motivates the DIY consumer behavior and has a similar effect to the insight of insufficient quality. This encourages consumers to perform DIY activities for repairs, maintenance, and goods. For instance, when there is high demand in the housing industry and a shortage of home repair and renovation professionals, this indicates a lack of product availability. Therefore, consumers are inclined to do such repairs themselves since the service professionals don't meet their needs.

The Need for Customization

The need to customize one's product is a motivation closely related to a lack of product availability. With the presence of infinite raw and semi-raw materials, the DIY market creates a platform for consumers to create their customized products.

Identity Enhancement

The sources of identity enhancement include sense of empowerment, the need to be unique from others, and being part of a DIY community (Chen & Chandler, 2010). These motivations tend to differ across individuals. Such individuals are motivated by a desire of their own to enhance aspects of their identity.

Specific Prompts as Part of the DIY Purchase Process

Home Improvements Design and Planning

The initial step in the DIY purchase process is the design and planning of the home improvement needs which is instrumental towards identifying the key items that are required in the improvement process (Goldstein, 1998). The home improvement design helps to identify the specifics of home improvement which ensures that all the key items will be factored in the initial purchase to ensure that the budget meets the overall cost of the home improvement (Moisio, Arnould, & Gentry, 2013). Besides, proper design and planning state of the purchase process ensures that reconstruction process is not interfered or discontinued which could increase the cost as well as affect the timeline for the project completion. Do it yourself home improvement should incorporate a professional designer who can be able to articulate the correct measurements for the materials to be used and can provide price and product quality counsel before the home owner commits to purchase the items (Goldstein, 1998).

Conducting Online Research

Conducting online search for the key materials that will be used in the home improvement. Online research of the materials and design promotes greater customization and borrowing of construction techniques from other people who have completed similar home improvement projects. The online search in do it yourself home improvement helps the home owner to be able to establish key suppliers who can be able to provide greater realization of the desired design and home improvement final outcome. Therefore, conducting a proper online research is instrumental towards ensuring the home owner has the potential to take advantage of the knowledge and techniques that have been established by those of who have undertaken similar home improvement projects.

Creation of the List of Materials

Creating a list of the materials after conducting an online search ensures that the list of materials is inclusive. Creation of the list of materials ensures that one can choose items that are on budget and helps to restrain the home improvement cost. Doing online research helps to ensure that the materials that will be listed in the list of materials are readily available and meets the design profile of the new home improvement features (Goldstein, 1998). Listing the materials prevents potential conflict in terms of the choice of materials and ensures that one settles for the materials and the designs earlier enough to prevent potential future redesigning which can increase the overall cost of the home improvement. Therefore, listing the materials ensures the design perspective and the design fits with the materials which is instrumental in standardizing the final outcome (Moisio et al., 2013).

Online or Instore Purchase of Materials

The last step of the DIY purchase process is the purchase of the materials and the delivery in the construction site. There are two choices of materials which have different benefits and conveniences of the DIY. Online perchance of the DIY materials for the home improvement provides great convenience in terms of access and cost. Online purchase of materials gives the home owner greater variety of materials for the DIY project which is instrumental in ensuring the materials for the home improvement are in alignment with the design. Online purchase of the materials is hassle free delivery of the materials which are insured until they reach the construction site storage (Goldstein, 1998). The online purchase of materials helps the buyer conducting a home improvement project ensures greater discounts which reduces the overall cost of the home improvement. Online purchase also involve expert suggestions...