Compare Home Improvement Stores in New Zealand at Canstar Blue. Mitre 10, Bunnings, Hammer Hardware and PlaceMakers were compared on Overall Satisfaction, Range of Brands, Range of Products, Service & Advice and Value for Money.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Mitre10 rated number one for customer satisfaction
For avid DIYers, a trip to a local home improvement store is more than just a shopping trip. It’s a chance to think big! To dream up new projects to undertake around the home, and to browse the shelves for new products and the biggest and best power tools. In many stores, it’s also the chance to grab a coffee, pick up garden supplies, and snag a snarler!
But what a home improvement store offers its customers runs deeper than purely product choice and value for money. What about knowledgeable advice and helpful staff?
So as part of our mission to inform consumers of the best NZ has to offer, Canstar Blue canvassed the opinions of 2192 New Zealanders who had made a purchase from a home improvement store in the past 12 months, across a range of categories, to measure and track their satisfaction.
To decide which home improvement store offers the best level of customer satisfaction, each was rated across the following categories:
Hitting top spot in our ratings for the second straight year is Mitre10. The 100% NZ owned and operated brand earned its back-to-back win by achieving the only 5 Star Overall Satisfaction rating in our survey.
In addition, it earned further 5 Star ratings in all categories, apart from Value for Money, for which it earned 4 Stars.
Winning a 4 Star Overall Satisfaction rating, Bunnings also rated highly, with 5 Stars for both Value for Money and Range of Products.
DIY can be tricky at the best of times. Indeed, 30% of those in our survey say their DIY jobs always take longer than originally planned. So, it’s imperative to get the best advice, first time.
In our survey, 79% of respondents agree most store staff are knowledgeable about DIY. And it’s these skills that go a long way to drive consumers’ retail experiences.
Overall, Service and Advice rates a lot higher than Value for Money when defining the main drivers of customer satisfaction:
| Drivers of satisfaction | % |
| Service and Advice | 41% |
| Value for Money | 29% |
| Range of Products | 20% |
| Range of Brands | 11% |
As we mentioned above, a trip to a large home improvement store is about more than hammers and nails. In our survey, 59% of respondents say they visit hardware stores to buy a range of domestic products. Nearly half (44%) visit home improvement stores in preference to dedicated garden centres. And a quarter always partakes of the sausage sizzle!
And why? Because Kiwis love to do it themselves: 61% of those in our survey say they do DIY because they enjoy it. Even though it’s easy to look up products on-line, a similar number (58%), say they prefer to drive to a store and browse the aisles instead.
So, this weekend, if you’re contemplating getting started on a new DIY project, or just want to get a bag of potting mix for the garden, let Canstar’s latest Most Satisfied Customers | Home Improvement Stores award be your guide.
For if you rely on Mitre 10’s great products, service and advice, even though you’re doing it yourself, you won’t be doing it alone!
Canstar Blue surveyed 2,650 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers who have made a purchase from a hardware store in the last 12 months, in this case 2,138 people.
Canstar Blue surveyed 2601 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers who had made a purchase from a Home Improvement store in the past 12 months. In this case, 2192 New Zealanders.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
2018
2019
