PB Reader Survey 2023

READER SURVEY 2023

1. What is your main type of trade?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Builder

35.50%

2

Bricklayer

1.93%

3

Plumber/Installer

10.77%

4

Carpenter/Joiner

33.43%

5

Garden Landscaper

5.39%

6

Painter/Decorator

6.08%

7

Plasterer

4.42%

8

Tiler

0.28%

9

Roofer

1.10%

10

Window Installation

1.10%

2. Which best describes your job function?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Business Owner

71.69%

2

Sub-Contractor

13.40%

3

Other

14.92%

3. How many people are employed in your company?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

1-3

84.12%

2

4-9

9.81%

3

10-20

1.66%

4

21+

4.42%

4. Do you employ an apprentice?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Yes

10.08%

2

No

89.92%

5. Are other family members involved in the business?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Yes

39.50%

2

No

60.50%

6. What type of work are you involved in?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Residential repair, maintenance and improvement

77.90%

2

Domestic new build

10.36%

3

Commercial

8.29%

4

Heritage

3.45%

7. Do you belong to a trade association?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Yes

18.37%

2

No

81.63%

8. How do you promote your business?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Branded workwear

5.80%

2

Vehicle signage

6.08%

3

Local/regional advertising

5.11%

4

Word of mouth

75.97%

5

Other

7.04%

9. How many builders’ merchants do you regularly trade with?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

1

7.32%

2

2-5

84.25%

3

6-9

6.49%

4

10+

1.93%

10. Are you responsible for product/material purchasing decisions?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Yes

94.34%

2

No

5.66%

11. What factors most influence your purchasing decisions?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Professional Builder

52.21%

2

Product/brand awareness

49.45%

3

Quality

68.09%

4

Word of mouth

46.41%

5

Other trade magazines

11.19%

6

Other trade websites

12.43%

7

Radio

3.59%

8

Price/availability

72.79%

9

Customer influence

24.45%

10

Merchant advice/promotions

33.29%

12. Have you ever recommended or purchased a product from a merchant after seeing/reading about it in Professional Builder?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Yes

82.04%

2

No

17.96%

13. Do you stop at the adverts while reading Professional Builder?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Yes

80.80%

2

No

19.20%

14. If yes, do they encourage you to want to find out more about the suppliers and products?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Yes

87.35%

2

No

12.65%

15. How often do you visit a merchant?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Every Day

9.53%

2

4-5 Times a week

17.54%

3

2-3 Times a week

36.46%

4

Once a week

19.75%

5

Once a fortnight

16.71%

16. What merchants do you trade with?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Nationals

11.05%

2

Independents

7.32%

3

Both

81.63%

17. When you visit a merchant, do you pick up a monthly free copy of Professional Builder magazine?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Always

38.81%

2

Sometimes

47.24%

3

Never

13.95%

18. On average, how many other people read your copy of Professional Builder magazine Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

1

58.70%

2

2-5

39.50%

3

6-10

1.10%

4

11+

0.69%

19. Which of the following do you find most useful for information on industry news, supplier information and new products?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Professional Builder magazine

78.73%

2

Other trade magazines

17.68%

3

Local/national radio

3.73%

4

Manufactures literature/websites

34.81%

5

Internet

56.63%

20. How would you find out more information about a product or supplier you have read about in Professional Builder?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Internet search

88.95%

2

Contact the manufacture

25.14%

3

Ask the merchant

19.89%

4

RDR Link

13.67%

21. How are you most likely to view digital information?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Smartphone

50.28%

2

Tablet

20.30%

3

Desktop

26.38%

4

Other

3.04%

22. How do you rate the Professional Builder website?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Excellent

40.30%

2

Good

45.36%

3

Satisfactory

12.98%

4

Poor

1.35%

23. Do you use social media for business purposes?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Yes

32.87%

2

No

67.13%

24. If yes, which of the following do you use?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Facebook

69.64%

2

Twitter

17.86%

3

Instagram

28.93%

4

You Tube

21.79%

5

LinkedIn

22.86%

6

Other

18.21%

25. Do you receive the weekly Professional Builder E- Newsletter?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Yes

72.65%

2

No

27.35%

26. If yes, do you open it?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Yes

88.25%

2

No

11.75%

27. What type of vehicle do you use for business purposes?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Van

70.44%

2

Pick-Up-Truck

7.87%

3

Electric

0.69%

4

Hybrid

1.38%

5

Other

19.61%

28. What make is your business vehicle?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Ford

32.60%

2

Mercedes – Fuso Canter

4.70%

3

Fiat

2.07%

4

VW

11.74%

5

Citroen

6.63%

6

LDV

0.14%

7

Nissan

3.31%

8

Maxus

0.28%

9

Iveco

0.28%

10

MAN

0.28%

11

Peugeot

2.90%

12

Renault

5.52%

13

Vauxhall

10.36%

14

Other

19.20%

29. How often would you change your vehicle?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

1-3 Years

11.05%

2

4-6 Years

41.30%

3

7+ Years

47.65%

30. Is Professional Builder your favourite building trade magazine?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Yes

90.19%

2

No

9.81%

31. Which of the following aspects of Professional Builder magazine do you consider to be the most useful/interesting? (Tick as many as you like) Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Viewpoint

39.92%

2

Adverts

41.16%

3

News

58.70%

4

Features

59.67%

5

New Products

85.91%

6

Product Tests

64.23%

7

Legislation

29.14%

8

Technical Advice - how to articles (Step by Steps)

50.83%

9

Health and Safety

31.91%

10

Business Advice and Tips

24.17%

11

Training News

14.50%

12

Competitions & Give-aways

43.51%

32. For how many years have you been a reader of Professional Builder?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

1-10

41.02%

2

11-20

32.60%

3

21-30

16.57%

4

31+

9.81%

33. Overall, how would you rate Professional Builder magazine?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Excellent

48.34%

2

Good

43.78%

3

Satisfactory

6.77%

4

Poor

1.10%

34. Which of the following is of most concern for you or your business in the years ahead?

Answer Choices

Response Percent

1

Rising living costs

62.15%

2

Lower wages and pay

18.92%

3

Rising material costs

82.73%

4

Material shortages

47.38%

5

Lack of new industry starters

16.16%

6

Industry standards lowering

25.97%

7

Over reliance on digital technology

25.55%

8

Other

4.14%