The person walking into a DIY store today is not the person who walked in twenty years ago. They search before they move, they ask an app before they ask a salesperson, and half of them grew up with a smartphone in their hand.
Retailers have understood this. Their ranges, their private labels and their tenders are being rebuilt around this new customer. For suppliers, that is good news: whoever understands the customer best has something every buyer is looking for.
I have spent my career on both sides of the table. Here is what I have learned about building a strategy that starts with the customer, and why it has become the most reliable way to grow with retailers.
From the buying desk to the strategy table
I started as a buyer for technical hardware at ADEO, the group behind Leroy Merlin. I then became Product Sourcing Manager for hardware and tools at Kingfisher, the group behind Castorama, B&Q, Screwfix and Brico Dépôt.
Those years taught me something no sales training covers: a buyer is not looking for the best product. A buyer is looking for the best decision. One they can defend in front of their category manager, their finance team and their stores.
Today, through my company LaRévolution, I work with DIY and home improvement suppliers across all categories, from manufacturers to brand owners. Over my career I have worked with more than 120 suppliers. I also build products and brands myself, which keeps me honest about how hard the supplier side really is.
One thing I am clear about: I am a strategy partner, not a sales agency. I never sit in buyer meetings on a client's behalf. My job is to make sure the client walks in with a strategy the buyer cannot ignore.
The customer has changed, and keeps changing
Gen Z and millennials now represent around 47% of the world population. They are becoming homeowners and tenants who renovate, decorate and repair, and they do it their way.
They look for inspiration on social media, compare on their phone in the aisle, and increasingly ask an AI assistant which product to buy. They want projects that are smaller, faster and more personal. They care about price, but also about design, durability and what a brand stands for.
Older customers have not disappeared either. They remain loyal, often more demanding on service and advice. A retailer now has to serve both in the same aisle, sometimes with the same product.
Customers want more choice, but less effort to decide. The supplier who helps the retailer solve that paradox becomes very hard to replace.
Our world has become limitless
The old boundaries of DIY retail have quietly disappeared.
- Between channels. Around 17% of DIY shopping in Europe already happens online, and platforms like TikTok Shop and Temu are moving fast into home improvement. The customer moves from screen to store and back without thinking about it.
- Between borders. A product launched in one country can be seen, compared and ordered across Europe the same day.
- Between price tiers. Retailer brands now cover every level, from opening price to premium. In some categories at Brico Dépôt, private label reaches up to 80%. Every brand now plays at every quality level.
- Between search and recommendation. Around 800 million people used ChatGPT every week at the end of 2025. Your end customers are among them, and so are the buyers you want to meet.
A limitless world can feel overwhelming. I see it as an opening. When there are no fixed walls, the supplier with the clearest idea of who it serves and why can go much further than before.
What this changes in how buyers decide
Price is on the table from the very first minute of a range review. No supplier can ignore it, and no buyer should pretend otherwise. But price is rarely the whole answer. The real question behind every negotiation is: which supplier can give us the best offer, with the lowest risk for our customer and, therefore, for our business?
An offer built on price alone enters a race against other players who will always find a lower number. The strongest offers combine a competitive price with something the buyer cannot get elsewhere: a clear role in the range, an innovation, a service level, a story the customer immediately understands. Price can open the discussion. The rest of the offer is what closes it.
That question has only become more important. Buyers today have to justify every space on the shelf against their own private label, against online players, and against a customer who can leave in one click.
So what helps a buyer most is not another product presentation. It is a supplier who brings a clear view of the end customer: who buys this category, how their habits are moving, which needs are not covered yet, and what role each product should play in the range.
That conversation also needs time. Retailers shape their ranges months before a tender opens. The suppliers who share their customer insight early, in that preparation phase, often find their ideas written into the brief.
A practical way in
Strategy can sound abstract. In my work with suppliers, I keep it to four pillars, each one starting from the customer.
- Value proposition. Is your range still relevant for today's customer? Product, packaging, sourcing, features that have quietly become standard.
- Strategy. Who do you want to be in your category? A heart surgeon always earns more than a general practitioner. Define your differentiation, what success looks like in 24 months, and what needs adapting to cross borders.
- Visibility. Show up where customers and buyers look: trade shows, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and now AI assistants. Share insight about the category and the shopper, not only product.
- Execution. A strategy is there to move better, not to move later. Small milestones, regular reviews, a team that owns the plan.
two exercises to start
The AI test. Open a private browser window and ask ChatGPT which brand it recommends in your category. Are you in the answer?
The one sentence. Complete: "We are the only [brand] that [does this], so customers get [that]." If it is hard to finish, that is exactly where to start.
When the moment comes to meet the buyer, I help suppliers frame their offer around the three things every buyer weighs: cost reduction, sales growth and risk reduction. The third one is often forgotten, yet a reliable partner who protects the shelf, the service level and the customer experience is worth a lot to a retailer.
Start with the customer, the rest follows
Retail can feel tough from the supplier side. I know, I have seen both sides. But the logic is simpler than it looks: retailers win when their customers win, and they stay with the suppliers who help them get there.
The customer has changed. The world has opened up. The suppliers who take the time to understand both will not need to fight for their place on the shelf. They will be invited to it.