Brick Market Research and Reports
Our focus is on the building materials market while our main services include market research, analysis, forecasting, strategy development and customer benchmarking. We have completed a number of market research studies on the UK brick market and worked for several of the main manufacturers. Example projects are provided below.
Case Study: Market Report on Brick Sector
A market report was commissioned by a leading brick manufacturer to provide background information on the long-term demand for bricks in Great Britain.
The report covered a 5 year brick forecast as well as forecasts for the UK economy, the GB construction market and, because of its high usage rate, the housing market. Leading Edge has a long-term computer model for the GB construction industry and key building materials.
This covers brick sales from ‘home’ production for common bricks, engineering bricks and facing bricks. However, brick manufacturers are becoming increasingly international so the report included a section covering GB brick production, brick imports and the effect of exchange rates on these. The availability of bricks to import is also affected by the European construction outlook.
The report reviewed the opportunities presented by the impact of planning policy on product use, such as brownfield sites and architectural fashions. The major threats of bricklayer shortages and system building were evaluated.
Case Study: Market Research and Analysis for a Brick Manufacturer
A leading brick manufacturer had launched a new product. However, sales were slow, despite the obvious advantages the system offered over traditional forms of construction. The company wanted to get behind the reasons for the lack of orders. They could then determine whether they should scale-back production, or adopt a new strategy to market the product. They engaged Leading Edge Management Consultancy to determine what their short and long-term market strategy should be, and the market share that they could feasibly take in their chosen market sectors.
The first stage of the brick research involved speaking to respondents who had previously used the product, or who were in the process of specifying it. This enabled us to get an in-depth understanding of what specifiers, contractors and clients thought of the product in different sectors. We also spoke to a number of users who had decided not to use the product, to understand why they had chosen not to specify it.
The results revealed that there was a lack of awareness of the product and the benefits it could offer to a project. This was interesting, considering that the respondents had a high awareness and respect for the parent brand. But the awareness of the product was particularly low amongst specifiers, who still have a strong influence in specifying wall cladding and brick materials on many projects. Respondents would typically only consider a new system, when the project in hand presented a challenge that was not feasible using well established materials.
We presented the findings of the brick research back to our client. After discussing the results we decided to conduct another round of interviews in the sectors that were most likely to yield the largest volume of sales. We used Glenigan data to find projects where traditional materials were being used. We then spoke to the decision-makers on these projects to see if there was a possibility of substituting the new system. The qualitative feedback also enabled us to create a profile of each sector and the barriers to entry.
The research gave the brick company a clear idea of how the market was responding to the product and the key actions to take.
The find out more about how Leading Edge can assist with your research requirements contact us on 01252 279990 or contact us.
