Building Products Marketing: How to Increase Sales Among Builders, Remodelers, and GCs in 2026-2029
As the building industry evolves, manufacturers and retailers must understand the latest trends among different market segments to meet customer demands and preferences.
Builders, remodelers and general contractors (GCs) are a unique segment, with specific expectations, purchasing behaviors, and needs, especially when it comes to what they’re looking for from manufacturers and suppliers.
Our 2026 Building Products Customer Guide (BPCG) provides an in-depth look at how builders, remodelers, and GCs across the United States use different shopping and purchase channels, as well as the common problems they encounter on projects. It also explores how this group is being affected by external challenges, such as labor shortages and economic uncertainty. The data paints a clear picture of a pragmatic, time-crunched, and increasingly digital builders and remodelers. They are focused on project execution and profitability, and their brand and supplier choices reflect these core priorities.
By understanding the trends highlighted in our BPCG report, manufacturers and suppliers will be better equipped and informed to understand the nuances of different pro customers and what additional insights your team should pursue for a successful business strategy and increased building material sales.
A quick note before we dive in: These trends cover the broader building products market and should be used to influence discussions within your organization to build out your plan to get deeper insights specific to your brand, your product, your customer.
7 Trends Influencing Building Products Marketing in 2026
The next couple of years still offer unique growth opportunities for companies in the building materials and home improvement products industry who are customer-focused and ready to adapt their branding, marketing, product and channel strategies to meet increasing competition and shifting demands.
To help you prepare for what’s ahead and adjust your strategies accordingly, here is a look at a handful of key trends and market variables that are contributing to purchase drivers among Pro customers:
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1. Professionals Remain Open to Trying New Brands
Over the past 12 months, there has been an increase in the willingness among professionals to try a new building product or brand, as well as new suppliers. In 2025, more than 64% of commercial general contractors and builders have tried a new product or brand (up from 60% in 2024), along with nearly 51% of residential GCs and remodelers (up from 47% in 2024) and 47% of home builders (up from 40% in 2024). In general, pro customers have recognized the benefits of expanding their supplier options so they’re not left in a lurch—similar to suppliers, who are now diversifying their brands to be better positioned logistically. What’s more, new brand selection peaked above 90% in 2025.
Channeling Curiosity into Brand Loyalty
As a manufacturer, you can convert this widespread curiosity into long-term market share by engineering a frictionless trial-and-adoption process. Since satisfaction with new products and brands is high, your primary goal is to lower the barrier to that first trial. This requires a multi-faceted marketing strategy focused on proving key performance attributes and building confidence. Make sure the technical specifications of your products are transparent and easy to find during the research process. Doing this, and clearly demonstrating your product’s value, can help empower pragmatic professionals to move past their current habits and turn a single, successful product trial in a new standard on their job sites. Also, it is critical to keep essentials consistently available to meet product demand through pros' preferred channels, especially with the changes in economic dynamics and supply chains. When products are not available, manufacturers and suppliers must be masterful at communicating availability expectations.
2. Omni-Channel Presence is Vital in 2026 and Beyond
Digital and physical lines continue to blur, in regard to both shopping behaviors and purchase behaviors, with pro customers using multiple suppliers and multiple buying methods, both online and in-store. In 2025, residential remodelers and GCs and home builders were doing a majority of their purchasing in store, with a bit of online delivery as well. The notable exception was for product-specific suppliers, with 53% of residential GCs/remodelers and 49% of home builders going to retail stores and 34% and 40%, respectively, using online delivery. When it comes to builder materials dealers, residential GCs/remodelers are also more likely to prefer in-store purchasing, or 71% compared to 57% of home builders. Commercial builders and GCs are more likely than their residential counterparts to use online delivery and online pickup. As a result, your channel strategy for builders and contractors must be segmented to meet the distinct needs of each contractor and project type. Strive for a strong online presence but make sure that it reiterates or adds to what is in stores. Additionally, in terms of messaging and marketing, it’s important to ensure that your story and messaging align from one supplier to the next to more effectively build brand awareness. As we've been saying for years, "there is no e-commerce and in-store-commerce, there is only commerce".
3. Building Brand Loyalty Takes Precision and Dedication
According to our research findings in our 2026 Building Products Guide, brand decisions are a practical calculation of risk and reward. Among professionals, commercial builders and GCs demonstrate the most brand loyalty, with 45% describing themselves as “very loyal.” About 38% of residential GCs/remodelers and 33% of home builders say the same.
However, building that loyalty requires a multi-pronged approach. Product warranties are an important deciding factor for:
- 47% of home builders
- 38% of residential remodelers and GCs
- 36% of commercial builders and GCs
Meanwhile, loyalty programs fall among the least important purchase drivers. However, they may serve as a means to support more important decision drivers such as product selection, tracking, ordering, and support. Your loyalty program is more likely to be successful in retaining long-term pro customers if mechanism of transparency, communication, and operational excellence. Convenient procurement options (like same-day delivery and priority access to products) are also relevant purchase drivers to manage against when catering to commercial pro companies who value convenience and may have specific roles dedicated to purchasing that differ from those who are installing the product. Focus on demonstrating how your product’s quality and ease of use will save them time and money, and how your support will be there if something goes wrong.
4. Pros are Serious About Researching Building Products
Builders are spending significantly more time conducting online research before a purchase. Approximately 54% of home builders spend an hour or more researching online before making purchases, and commercial builders remain deeply engaged, with 57% spending an hour or more on online research. The majority rely on supplier websites for researching and shopping for building products online, utilized by:
- 80% of residential remodelers and GCs
- 71% of home builders
- 65% of commercial builders and GCs
Google and other search engines, along with manufacturer websites, are also popular. The 2026 Building Products Customer Guide shows that Chat GPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) tools also are expanding their use among construction professionals. In particular, they are the fourth-most used method to research building products by commercial builders, with 35% saying they used this method, and growing fast.
Additionally, YouTube is used in the research process for:
- 60% of home builders
- 53% of residential GCs and remodelers
- 70% of commercial GCs and builders
How-to videos are the top method for learning about installation. Partner with your suppliers to help build out the insatiable need for online content. For some segments of professional customers, your physical presence is more important. Residential specialty tradespeople are less likely to engage online. For these groups, prioritize in-person engagement opportunities.
5. Pros Value Quality, Availability and Product Variety
Building products manufacturers should focus on quality, reliability, and supplying product options at a variety of price points to address increasing budget concerns. After all, high quality is the undisputed No. 1 driver for selecting building products brands across all segments, cited as one of the most important factors by:
- 88% of home builders
- 88% of residential GCs and remodelers
- 86% of commercial builders and GCs
Following closely is “Availability,” a critical second factor for 63% of trades. This underscores the core reality that even the most premium product becomes a liability if it can’t be sourced on time, potentially derailing an entire project schedule.
Communicating Value Propositions is Essential for Pro Customers
For manufacturers, your focus needs to be first about understanding what pros genuinely value most about your brand and products: How do they define quality for your category, brand, or product? Second, you must then communicate value propositions in compelling ways, highlighting professionals’ best options in a tighter, more competitive market, where their own clients may be more budget sensitive. Pros also want easy access to pricing information, accurate availability information, and product information related to specifications, cross-product applications and installation information.
6. Material Costs and Labor Challenges Constrain Industry Growth
Research from 2025 demonstrates that fluctuations among commercial and residential materials and project costs will be redefined by current U.S. trade policy and tariffs. As high as 88% of builders believe tariffs will inflate material costs. The majority of commercial and residential builders also believe tariffs will have an impact on availability and overall project costs. They are dealing with these economic uncertainties in different ways. About 42% of commercial builders and 37% of home builders are passing costs to customers, while only 26% of remodelers are doing the same. Stockpiling materials is also a strategy being used by:
- 47% of home builders
- 40% of commercial GCs/builders
- 35% of residential GCs/remodelers
Additionally, about 41% of pros experienced challenges related to materials in the first quarter of 2026, although this was a significant drop off from the prior four quarters, according to data from our Quarterly Contractor Activity Tracker. Labor challenges were experienced by about 38% of professionals.
Rising costs is the dominant concern among those who have faced materials-related challenges in the first quarter of 2026, affecting 78% of that group. Product quality also became a bigger challenge throughout 2025, affecting 49% in the fourth quarter of 2025 before dropping back down to 34% in Q1 2026. In terms of labor, availability, quality and cost are the main challenges.
How Pros are Responding to Labor Challenges
Remodeling and construction companies have responded to labor challenges by offering higher wages and additional benefits, which increases project costs for end clients. Manufacturers are investing in product innovation that improves installation times and methods, reducing the time that contractors and other pros spend on projects or reducing the need to find skilled trades for installation. Suppliers are working on technology solutions to help pros increase efficiency of purchasing and logistics. As a manufacturing brand, it’s important to be direct about the beneficial features of your products and materials and explain how they can save time or increase efficiency with your products. Manufacturers who excel at positioning products that help reduce labor will likely gain traction in market adoption.
7. Responsive Communication is Key to Strong Relationships
Relationships remain important to industry professionals. Our research shows that the majority of pros reach out to a product manufacturer for a variety of reasons, but it’s typically to solve an immediate, mission-critical problem that is related to project execution. When asked what most important things for building product manufacturers to provide for contractors and other professionals, the top answer across trades was “to quickly repair or replace faulty products,” especially amongst residential tradespeople, remodelers, and home builders. Commercial GCs (82%) and home builders (75%) are far more likely to have contacted a manufacturer in the past year, as the complexity and scale of their projects often require direct clarification. When communicating with manufacturers, generalists overwhelmingly favor traditional methods, such as phone calls and emails. Newer channels like texts or apps see little traction, as builders prefer the clarity, accountability, and nuance that calls and emails provide for critical discussions on pricing, availability, and technical support. It’s essential that manufacturers and suppliers build trust with this valuable segment of customers and cultivate long-term relationships through responsiveness and multiple modes of communication, including email, phone, text, and in-person support. Be where your customers are when they want you.
Understand Your Best Next Move with Customized Research
If you’re hoping to increase your sales among builders, general contractors, and remodelers, it’s important to dig deeper into current trends and data and identify how their behaviors and preferences are shaping up in 2026. One way to do this is by conducting custom market research into your existing and potential customer base, as well as your specific product categories. Our team at The Farnsworth Group will provide you with more than 35 years of home improvement industry expertise and specialized market research knowledge to ensure you get the valuable insights you need to make data-driven decisions for your brand. Commission market research to understand your best next move.
