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Customer Journey Research for Construction
Construction buying decisions pass through architects, specifiers, contractors, and wholesalers before a product reaches a job site. Each audience enters the journey at a different stage, uses different information sources, and holds different veto power. We map that full decision chain using phone-based interviews with the professionals who actually specify, procure, and install construction products, from facade cladding and insulation to adhesives, roofing systems, and doors.
4
journey research phases covered: Discover, Explore, Validate, Shape Future
30+
years exclusive focus on construction, installation, and home improvement sectors
8+
distinct professional audiences recruited by phone for journey studies
20+
countries with harmonised CATI and IDI fieldwork capability
What We Measure
Examples
Specification Journey
How architects discover, evaluate, and specify products, and which information sources matter at each stage: BIM libraries, manufacturer sites, peer recommendations, trade press, CPD events. Where decisions get confirmed or overridden by contractors, and how sustainability certifications and regulation shape the shortlist.
Procurement Journey
How contractors translate a specification into a purchase order, and the role of wholesaler recommendations, price, and availability in final brand selection. Whether and why contractors substitute specified products, and how procurement varies by project type: new build versus renovation, public versus private.
Channel and Touchpoint Mapping
Which physical and digital touchpoints professionals use at each stage: technical advisors, wholesaler showrooms, BIM platforms, online configurators, trade fairs. Where they create friction, such as slow quotes, poor documentation, or inconsistent online pricing, and how digital adoption differs by audience.
Friction Points and Moments of Truth
Where the journey stalls and why, and which friction points carry the greatest commercial impact: lost specifications, failed conversions at the wholesaler, post-purchase complaints. How this differs by country, for example detailed documentation as a prerequisite in Germany, or contractor price sensitivity creating friction earlier in the UK.
Post-Purchase and Loyalty
What happens after installation: complaint handling, technical support usage, repeat purchase triggers. How after-sales experience affects willingness to specify or buy again, and which service elements (delivery speed, returns, technical helpline) most affect loyalty.
Emotional and Rational Triggers
What emotional factors sit alongside rational criteria: brand trust, the relationship with a sales rep, risk aversion on high-profile projects. How these differ between architects (reputation risk) and contractors (time and margin pressure).
Subsectors Covered
Subsector
Adhesives and Sealants
traces the path from architect specification (structural or decorative) to contractor brand selection at the wholesaler. Substitution rates are high, so the procurement stage matters most.
Subsector
Facade
technically complex and architect-driven. The journey starts with specification in a BIM environment and involves facade contractors, project managers, and sometimes building physics consultants. Sustainability certification (EPD, Cradle to Cradle) increasingly shapes the shortlist.
Subsector
Roofing
regional variation is significant. In some markets the roofing contractor controls brand selection entirely, in others the architect or building owner drives it. The research must account for this.
Subsector
Insulation
regulation-driven demand means the journey often starts with compliance (energy performance standards) rather than brand preference. The question is where brand choice happens and who controls it.
Subsector
Doors and Windows
high-involvement with long timelines. Renovation differs sharply from new build: renovation often starts with the homeowner or facility manager, new build with the architect.
Subsector
Building Materials (general)
structural products (concrete, steel, timber), focused on the interplay between structural engineer specification and contractor procurement.
Subsector
Civil and Infrastructure
public-sector procurement adds complexity: tendering, framework agreements, and the role of consulting engineers.
Subsector
Paint and Coatings
involves specifiers (protective coatings) and contractors (decorative), with the wholesaler playing a strong advisory role.
Subsector
Walls and Ceilings
dry construction (plasterboard, suspended ceilings) involves both specification and installation, where the installer's brand preference often overrides the original spec.
Subsector
Tools
shorter journeys that repeat often. Brand loyalty, wholesaler stock, and on-site trial are the key touchpoints.
Note: this is a portion of the subsectors we cover.
How Customer Journey Research Works in Construction: Example Project
Scenario: a manufacturer of adhesive and sealant systems wants to understand why architects specify their products but contractors frequently substitute them at procurement in Germany and France. Phase 1 (Explore): 15 qualitative IDIs per country across architects, contractors, and wholesalers, 45 to 60 minutes each by phone with a sector specialist, mapping the AS-IS journey from specification to installation and identifying where and why substitution happens. Phase 2 (Validate): a CATI survey with 100 contractors and 75 architects per country quantifies substitution frequency, ranks the reasons (price, availability, habit, wholesaler recommendation), and sizes each friction point by commercial impact. Phase 3 (Shape Future): a co-creation workshop with 8 participants per country, mixing architects, contractors, and the client’s sales team, produces a TO-BE journey map with prioritised interventions: touchpoints to improve, new ones to create, and frictions to remove first. Output: a validated AS-IS journey map per country, a quantified friction-point matrix, a co-created TO-BE journey with a prioritised action plan, and a board-ready summary deck. Note: this is a typical project design, not a fixed process. Every study is tailored to your category, audience mix, and geographic scope.
Target Audiences
Note: audience mix is tailored to each project.
Architects [CATI / IDI]
the start of the specification journey for most mid to high-value products. Digitally engaged, responsive to structured phone interviews, and able to recount recent specification decisions in detail.
Main Contractors [CATI]
control procurement, translating specifications into orders, negotiating with wholesalers, and making substitution decisions. Reached by phone.
Specialist Subcontractors [CATI / IDI]
roofers, facade installers, tilers, flooring installers, plasterers, with strong brand preferences shaped on site. Not reachable via online panels; phone recruitment with trade-specific screeners is the only reliable method.
Specifiers and Technical Buyers [CATI]
increasingly important in commercial and public-sector work, evaluating on technical criteria and influencing both specification and procurement.
Wholesalers and Distributors [CATI / IDI]
the critical link between manufacturer and contractor, shaping brand selection through stock, counter advice, and promotions. IDIs with purchasing managers reveal how listing decisions are made.
Building Owners and Facilities Managers [CATI]
relevant for renovation and maintenance. They initiate the journey and hold strong preferences on durability, warranty, and maintenance cost.
Project Managers [CATI]
on larger commercial projects they coordinate specification and procurement, a distinct audience with different criteria from architects or contractors.
Our Advantage
Why Customer Journey Research for Construction?
Construction journeys are not linear. A product can be specified by an architect, approved by a project manager, procured by a contractor, modified by a wholesaler, and installed by a specialist. Each handoff is a potential point of failure, and we know where they happen from mapping them across hundreds of studies over three decades.
We do not use construction panels. Every professional is recruited by phone, verified on project involvement and category experience, and interviewed by a specialist. Wrong respondents produce structurally wrong maps. A generalist will tell you the journey has five stages; we tell you which stage loses you the most revenue and why.
Our European Architectural Barometer and Contractor Monitor give us standing data on how architects specify and contractors procure, so we can set your findings against broader sector patterns. That context is not available from a generalist provider.
Project Examples
a flooring manufacturer needed to understand how architects and interior designers specify commercial flooring across three markets. IDIs mapped the process; a CATI survey quantified the influence of sustainability, brand familiarity, and distributor support at each stage.
FR, DE, UK
a safety equipment manufacturer needed to understand how large contractors buy customised protective equipment, including hard hats. IDIs with procurement and site managers mapped the decision chain from need through supplier evaluation to repeat order.
DK, DE, NL, UK
a construction products manufacturer ran satisfaction and NPS benchmarking among installers, wholesalers, and architects, mapping the post-purchase journey, locating service failures, and quantifying their impact on loyalty and repurchase.
IT, PL, FR, DE, BE
a building materials company with declining retention ran a journey-focused satisfaction study that pinpointed friction in ordering and delivery driving customers away, with a priority matrix linking journey-stage improvements to retention.
IT, CZ, MY
Deliverables
What You Receive
Actionable Insights, Not Just Data
Deliverables are always tailored to the needs of our customer. Together we choose the form in which the insights can make the most impact. This can be:
- Validated AS-IS journey map per audience and country, from need recognition to post-purchase
- Friction-point matrix with quantified commercial impact scores, ranked by priority
- Touchpoint inventory: which are used at each stage, how they perform, and where gaps exist
- TO-BE journey map (when co-creation is included) with prioritised interventions and ownership
- Country comparison showing where journey dynamics converge and diverge
- Verbatim quote bank by audience, journey stage, and country
- Raw data file (SPSS or Excel cross-tabs)
- Executive summary deck (5 to 8 slides) for board or management
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How do you map the full specification-to-installation journey when multiple audiences are involved?
We interview each audience separately, then overlay the findings into one integrated map. Each sees the process from its own perspective, and the combined map shows where influence concentrates, where handoffs occur, and where decisions get overridden.
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What sample sizes do you need for a construction journey study?
Qualitative: 8 to 15 IDIs per country per audience. Quantitative: 75 to 150 CATI per audience per country. The exact number depends on how many subsegments you need (new build versus renovation, commercial versus residential).
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Can you run construction journey studies across multiple European countries simultaneously?
Yes. We routinely run harmonised studies across 3 to 10 or more markets in one project, with questionnaires adapted for local structure and centralised data and analysis.
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How long does a construction customer journey study take?
A three-phase study (IDIs, CATI, co-creation) takes 10 to 14 weeks from briefing to delivery. A single-phase qualitative study takes 6 to 8 weeks. Timelines depend on countries and audiences.
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How do you reach specialist subcontractors like roofers or facade installers for journey research?
We recruit by phone with trade-specific screeners, verifying active project involvement, category usage, and decision role. Online panels are not viable here; phone is the only method that consistently delivers verified respondents.
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Can journey research be combined with satisfaction or brand studies?
Yes. Many studies combine journey mapping with NPS, satisfaction, or brand funnel analysis. The journey provides the structure and the metrics layer onto specific stages, giving you both what happens and how well it works in one study.
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At what stage should we commission customer journey research?
When you are losing specifications, seeing high substitution, or declining loyalty and do not know where the problem sits. Also before a launch or market entry, to understand the decision process before designing go-to-market. It often precedes or runs alongside brand and satisfaction studies.
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