Home improvement stores, like The Home Depot and Lowe's, continue to see US sales surge as the pandemic-propelled demand for DIY and home improvement projects continues through 2021.

Digital home improvement sales also experienced healthy gains during H1 2021 as consumer demand for products related to home offices and home renovations remained top of mind amid stay-at-home orders and remote working.

Home Improvement and DIY. Home improvement and do-it-yourself (DIY) projects were popular at-home activities during the pandemic, leading to ecommerce growth across several categories in 2020:. Other.

Home Hardware Stores Limited. Profile: Home improvement retail group with close to 1,100 stores across Canada. Objective: Improve customer communications for the transition to online sales and curbside pickup. Tactic: Contextual email marketing and customer journey mapping.

The news: Goldman Sachs is acquiring fintech GreenSky, which acts as a platform for home-improvement and healthcare loans to consumers, in a deal worth about $2.24 billion. The banking giant expects its deal to wrap up in Q4 2021 or Q1 2022, bringing GreenSky’s merchant network of over 10,000 into the fold.

Home improvement retailer The Home Depot is continuing to build on its loyalty program to create more personalized in-store and online experiences.

As it turns out, click and collect accounted for much of the ecommerce growth that several large US retailers saw in 2020, including The Home Depot (73.4% of ecommerce growth), Lowe’s (72.1%), and Best Buy (44.8%). Certain patterns stood out:. Home improvement retailers leaned the heaviest on click and collect.

Most of the retailers on that shortened list have one thing in common: They capitalized on pandemic-induced spending on home improvement, online grocery, and pet products while offering consumers convenient fulfillment options, great prices, or both. Three of the top 15 retailers will post a sales growth rate of at least 25% this year, with Amazon coming just under at 24.9%.

During the pandemic, many house-bound consumers turned to DIY or home improvement projects to help occupy their time and improve their experience of lockdown. Money wasn’t an issue for many, either, with lower outlays on travel and outings meaning household goods were an appealing proposition.