Adhesives

If do-it-for-me consumers are becoming do-it-yourself consumers on smaller projects around the house—as many analysts maintain—then they are going to need to stick things together. Enter the adhesive category. Almost half the sales occur in a big box, according to consumer research from the Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group, but there are plenty of sales to go around.

Analysis: Hardware stores appear to have dropped 2 points in dollar share, but overall, a double-digit market share makes the hardware-store channel a relatively strong player. By comparison, hardware stores grabbed only 3.8 percent market share of snow blowers. According to Mark Delaney, NPD Group’s director of home improvement, adhesives remain a strong category for impulse sales. “There is not a lot of channel shifting, indicating perhaps that the category enjoys steady business,” he added.

Analysis: The average price of adhesives for the 12 months ending October 2008 was $4.40, down 1.1 percent from 2007. Cartridges have increased in popularity over the past year, while bottles declined by roughly 4 points.

Analysis: “This is the biggest year-to-year jump we’ve seen for ‘close to home,’ ” said Delaney. Apparently, driving to save a dollar doesn’t make much sense for a relatively low-price category. But brand is big. “Trusted brand is particularly important—and growing—with repairs. People seem to want to buy what they trust will fix it the first time.” said Delaney.