Specialist marketplace for the building materials sector, Plane & Simple, helps merchants to reach new audiences. Co-founder, Glen Stocco spoke to us about the shift in on-line behaviour and what it means for merchants.
Online DIY marketplace, Plane & Simple launched in 2021, offering a new way to access high quality building materials and home improvement supplies. Plane & Simple connects DIYers with trusted local independent merchants, shining a light on great local merchants who might not be on a customer’s radar. By entering a postcode, customers are paired with a selection of merchant partners in their area, and a full range of building supplies and products are delivered directly to their door.
What started out in Scotland’s Central Belt, has since grown to cover almost the entire country, with plans in place to have a big and bulky building materials distribution network right across the UK by the end of 2025.
“The premise of the online marketplace is to support and champion independent builders’ merchants,” says Glen. “Beyond selling on the marketplace, every one of our merchant partners has their own dedicated pages, bringing them an instant e-commerce route they may not previously have had access to. It also allows DIYers to easily purchase a full range of building materials, regardless of size, at any time of day from the comfort of their own home.”
Undoubtedly, consumer behaviour has changed, with the rapid move to online purchasing across pretty much all sectors. On the back of this, there has been a change in market dynamics for merchants, with a need to improve their online proposition to stay competitive in a digital world and drive incremental profit.
“Research showed that 35% of UK shoppers found home improvement stores overwhelming to shop at,” says Glen. “Our aim was to ‘lift the veil’ on great independent merchants, which are sometimes hidden gems, where DIYers can get high quality products and expert knowledge from local merchants that they might not have known about or felt too intimidated to go to. By opening up online DIY sales to local merchants, it introduced a new higher margin customer set and revenue stream for incremental sales.”
Changing behaviours
“When we initially launched the business, we were seeing a shift in online behaviour increasingly moving towards specialist marketplaces, and retailers across sectors were looking to capitalise on this trend,” says Glen. “What we were seeing back then has become an even bigger reality than we expected. According to a recent online behaviour report by ChannelEngine, over 60% of global eCommerce now happens on marketplaces, and 63% of customers say they prefer shopping on marketplaces rather than retailers’ own websites.
“For tradespeople, this shift is particularly significant – according to Jewson’s Trade Trends Report, nearly 50% are reporting that homeowners now want to buy materials themselves, influenced by what they find online.”
The statistics for this trend can be seen from some of the leading retailers and marketplaces. Amazon has seen 8% YOY DIY growth, with 32% of UK consumers now using Amazon to purchase DIY, while B&Q Marketplace revealed that sales on DIY.com reached 40% of their total online sales in under two years. Importantly though for these two marketplaces, product size and weight have become constraints.
“At Plane & Simple, we’re championing the independents to take on these big players,” says Glen. “We have a 4.7/5 Trustpilot rating, which demonstrates the strong relationships we have with our merchant partners and the satisfaction from customers.”
Merchant response
The transformation in customer behaviour and service expectations means merchants are having to engage both DIY and trade customers with a compelling omni-channel strategy. Just over three and a half years on from launch, the team at Plane & Simple are increasingly seeing merchants adapting their digital strategy to suit the evolving needs of new and existing customers.
“We’ve seen merchant appetite for online sales increase substantially over the last few years,” says Glen. “This is partly driven by difficult trading conditions – as merchants are working hard to maintain market share while running their businesses with higher costs. Given the current economic headwinds, customers are looking for the best value and merchants are in search of more sales. Customers are shopping on marketplaces, and if merchants aren’t present, they’re missing out.
“Alongside a challenging market, there’s an appreciation that we’re all shopping differently, and expectations have changed. You could call it the ‘Amazonifcation’ of our purchasing experiences.
“As consumers, if we’re looking for an item, we know we can find it online, buy it and know when it’s going to be delivered. When we don’t find this same level of ease for other purchases, it can lead to frustration, and we seek an alternative route – this is often when DIY and trade customers are now turning to marketplaces for more choice and a more pleasant experience.”
Indeed, 54% of UK shoppers now start their search on marketplaces rather than search engines.
“Marketplaces are the latest evolution in online commerce,” says Glen. “E-commerce is no longer just websites – marketplaces are the fastest growing online shopping channel, this is primarily being driven by specialist marketplaces – such as fashion, circular economy, and home furnishings marketplaces. With Plane & Simple, we’re bringing the future of online shopping to a traditional sector, and merchants are seeing the benefits.
“When we first started trading, some merchants were hesitant, but we’ve more than doubled our signups year-on-year. It’s become clear to merchants that customer behaviour has changed, and sales opportunities were being missed.”
Merchants partnering with Plane & Simple seem to agree. Kerrie Ferguson at St Andrews Timber & Building Supplies explains: “Plane & Simple has been a game-changer for our business. We were already holding stock and making deliveries, so adding new orders from a whole new customer base was seamless. The incremental revenue has been fantastic, and because the orders fit into our existing logistics, we haven’t had to take on extra costs. It’s truly been a win-win.”
Industry progress
The increase in digitalisation brings great opportunities and real industry progress to the merchant sector, but it can also seem like a daunting prospect. “Our aim is to empower independent builders’ merchants to take advantage of this change and to revel in the benefits that a specialist marketplace can have for them,” says Glen. “With the right digital strategy, merchants can retain their identity, individuality and personal approach, while also satisfying the evolving needs of the customer. Modern commerce is omnichannel – it’s about being wherever your customers are – whether that’s in-store, online, or on marketplaces.”
More at: www.itsplaneandsimple.com
