In the months following the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers, many of whom were sequestered at home, initiated a do-it-yourself (DIY) renaissance. According to a survey by Angi, 81% of homeowners took on a DIY project during the pandemic.
As lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders fade further into the rearview mirror, consumers are increasingly shifting back to do-it-for-me (DIFM) as it pertains to everyday home tasks. In a study published in 2024 by the Home Improvement Research Institute, 37% of homeowners elected to hire a professional in 2023 for their home improvement projects— up from 33% and 34% in 2022 and 2021.
William Blair’s Tim Mulrooney, group head of global services sector, and Phillip Blee, research analyst in the consumer sector, focus on the growing importance of professional service providers in a recent report. Consumers are showing a greater propensity to outsource common tasks, and William Blair analysts expect an increasing reliance on the “pro” channel over the next decade as consumer behavior continues to shift from DIY to DIFM.
Key consumer services markets highlighted in “The ‘DIFM’ Preference and Growing Reliance on the Pro” include:
- Residential U.S. structural pest control
- Landscaping and lawn care
- Interior/exterior painting
- Pool services
- Moving and storage
- Home improvement, renovations, and design
- Automotive services
Our analysts believe momentum within this longer-term trend will continue, with DIFM spend taking a greater share of the overall home improvement market. Similarly, we expect a comparable trend in the market for more recurring services—both near and away from home—as homeowners increasingly look to outsource their daily needs to professional service providers. This shift will be driven primarily by both demographic tailwinds (millennial homeownership and aging in place) and other factors, including aging domestic housing infrastructure and homeowner preferences and lifestyles.
For more information about William Blair’s global services research, please contact us or your William Blair representative.