Tools

Who’s got the best battery power

The staggering growth of the DIY industry in Australia has resulted in Tradies having a bunch of new battery-powered toys filling up their  sheds.

The question is, which brand stands out above the rest? Does the sky-blue hue of the Makita branding go perfectly with a Tradies’ Ford  Ranger?

To find out the answer to these questions and ultimately which battery-powered tools Aussie’s prefer, we caught up with our mates from  BlokeVote who asked over one thousand blokes, “If you were to buy a new set of battery-powered tools, which brand would you buy?”

An overwhelming majority of 30 per cent of respondents voted Ryobi as their preferred brand. This majority was consistent overall  demographic categories including Tradies where Ryobi just edged out Makita and Milwaukee as the most popular choice!

Hardware giant Bunnings, who has exclusive rights to Ryobi in Australia, says there is rising demand for cordless power tools, a shift that has been underway for a while as building sites look to boost safety by reducing cords, and Tradies seek to find a “one size fits all” solution to  fitting out their toolsets.

This popularity can be certainly attributed not only to the demand for power tools but effective advertising and distribution strategies that  make Ryobi top of mind and readily available.

The key differentiator for Ryobi is that their positioning and user-friendly accessories have captured the attention of DIY’ers who account for  a large part of this rise in demand. Leaving more traditional rivals like Makita and Bosch fighting for the scraps.

Coming in second were Makita and Bosch who both secured 16 per cent of the overall votes. Makita scored significantly stronger with the Tradies, which is to be expected with their strong industry reputation and Tradie brand connection.

Milwaukee Tools, who scored 10 per cent of the overall votes, also scored higher with Tradies at 18 per cent of the vote. With the brand  sharing the same parent company as Ryobi, it’s no surprise that the market strategy for Milwaukee is to target the ironed on Tradies and  professionals who’re missed by Ryobi’s DIY’er targeting.

DeWalt scored well with 11 per cent of the overall vote, with the American company employing the same brand positioning as Makita, Bosch  and Milwaukee as the tough trades person’s tool of choice.

Ridgid, Festool, Hilti, Stanely, Ozito, Black and Decker and WORX were the other brands featured in the survey with them sharing the  remainder of the votes.

By appealing to the average Tradie, Ryobi has tapped into a market who were once too afraid to have a crack at that DIY project themselves.

With the home improvement market set to grow to $50 billion per year within the next 10 years, how long will it take the other battery  powered tool brands to shift focus from expert consumers to the everyday DIY’er?

 

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