The research is based on Google data.
The capacity of the market for metal tiles and corrugated board from July 2018 to June 2021 increased 2.6 times.
The turning point was the period of March-April 2020 - online demand went up sharply. The introduction of quarantine restrictions served as an incentive to change the habitual model of behavior of Ukrainians. Those who previously chose metal tiles and decking offline were forced to go online.
Graphs and diagrams here.
The structure of demand for metal tiles and decking is distinctive in comparison with other markets. The main difference is a high share of commercial demand - 38.8%.
This distribution of demand suggests that the Internet has become one of the main sources for purchasing goods. For example, for other markets this is usually 15-20% of the total demand.
60% of users search metal tiles and decking on the Internet without specifying their intention (for example, by simply entering the following words and phrases “metal tile” or “decking cues” into the search bar etc.). This is a natural picture that can indicate interest in the product as a whole.
At the same time, the share of information demand is extremely small - 1.3% . This means that users do not understand the specifics of the product, so they prefer to search for information by formulating their request in a very abstract way.
Comparing the demand for metal tiles and decking, we see that their dynamics and growth rates are different. Thus, demand for corrugated board has a stable trend with a slight surge in March-April 2020, which reflects changes in the market as a whole. In total, the number of users who are interested in this product has grown 1.7 times over three years - from an average of 1.64 million to 2.74 million per year.
This situation may indicate that Ukrainians had previously (until spring 2020) chosen decking online, while the introduction of quarantine restrictions only strengthened this search model.
The trend in demand for metal roofing is different. Until March 2020, this product was practically not in demand online - on average, up to 700 thousand requests per year. Over the past year, the situation has changed significantly. Compared to 2018, the demand for this product on the Internet has grown by more than 450% and now averages 3.3 million requests per year. At the same time, seasonal surges are clearly pronounced - in October and May.
When searching on the Internet, the store of metal tiles and corrugated board is specified with an average of 9.5 thousand users per month - this is only 1.8% of the total demand. The weight of this factor has remained practically unchanged over the past three years and is not significant when choosing.
A manufacturer's brand is more important than a store. 7% of Internet users (this is 296 thousand people in 2021) who are looking for metal roofing and corrugated board, choose a product according to the principle “brand = product characteristics”.
The market for metal tiles and decking is growing. In terms of online sales, he is one of the few to be positively affected by the introduction of quarantine restrictions.
