Market Segmentation Research for Installation
Not all installers are the same customer. A two-person heating firm fitting gas boilers and a 40-engineer company rolling out heat pumps buy differently, learn differently, and respond to entirely different propositions, even when they order the same SKU from the same wholesaler. Generic segmentations cluster on attitudes and produce groups nobody can find in the field. Installation segments need to be built on what installers actually do and buy: work mix, purchase volumes, replacement behaviour, wholesaler dependence, and energy-transition position. Those are the variables that genuinely divide this market. Our segmentation research interviews HVAC installers, electricians, and plumbers by phone, applies cluster analysis to behavioural and needs data, and delivers segments that are sized, reachable, and commercially distinct. Where homeowners shape the decision, as in heat pump adoption, we segment them in the same study online and map the two structures onto each other.
30+
years of exclusive focus on installation, construction, and home improvement
Dual-audience design: installers by CATI and homeowners by CAWI in one segmentation
Cluster analysis built on behavioural purchase data, not attitudes alone
20+
countries of CATI fieldwork with installers and wholesalers
What We Measure
Firmographic & Structural Variables
Company size: solo, 2 to 10, 10 to 50, 50+ engineers. Work mix: residential versus commercial, new build versus replacement. Trade scope: heating only versus full M&E, domestic wiring versus panel building. Region and urbanity, which shape project type and channel access.
Behavioural Variables
Reported purchase volumes per category in the past 12 months. Brand repertoire and switching frequency. Wholesaler dependence versus direct and online buying. Replacement behaviour: for example, whether an installer replacing a circulator pump goes like-for-like, upgrades, or switches brand. Each pattern defines a commercially distinct segment.
Needs & Attitudes
Appetite for energy-transition work: heat pump certification, EV charging, solar integration. Openness to new systems, such as press-fit versus traditional copper. Importance of training, technical support, and brand relationships. Price versus quality orientation, measured against actual purchase behaviour.
Segment Commercial Value
Each segment sized in number of companies and purchase volume. Channel footprint per segment: where each segment buys and who influences it. Growth direction per segment, so investment goes where volume is moving.
Linked Consumer Segments (Where Relevant)
Parallel homeowner segmentation for categories with consumer pull, such as heat pumps and smart controls. B2B and B2C segments mapped onto each other so marketing and sales work the same structure.
Subsectors Covered
Subsector
HVAC & Plumbing
Segmentation pivots on energy-transition position: heat pump adopters versus gas-boiler loyalists differ in training, project type, and brand openness, and the split varies sharply by country.
Subsector
Electrical Installation
Segments form around work scope, from domestic wiring to panel building and EV charging, and around digital maturity, which predicts openness to smart building products.
Subsector
Sewer & Waste Water
Segments split by specifier-driven versus contractor-driven work, and by new infrastructure versus replacement of ageing networks, which carry different decision logics.
Note: This is a portion of the subsectors and product categories we cover within installation research.
How Installation Segmentation Research Works - Example Project
Scenario: A top-5 global HVAC manufacturer needs segments to guide its heat pump go-to-market in the UK and Spain, covering both the installers who gate adoption and the homeowners who pull it. Design: CATI interviews with installers and CAWI interviews with homeowners in both countries, covering work mix, purchase behaviour, energy-transition attitudes, and decision criteria. Cluster analysis on the combined behavioural and attitudinal data produces installer segments, from heat-pump-committed early movers to gas-loyal sceptics, each sized and profiled, with matching homeowner personas developed alongside. Output: Named, sized segments with persona one-pagers that sales and marketing adopt directly, plus a short typing tool to classify any customer into a segment. The client scored the project 10 out of 10 on satisfaction and NPS. Note: This is an example of a typical project design, not a fixed process. Segmenting electrical installers by digital maturity for a wholesaler looks different.
Target Audiences
Note: Audience mix is tailored to each project. This is a portion of the audiences we cover.
HVAC Installers [CATI]
The core segmentation base for heating, cooling, and ventilation categories. They specify and buy.
Plumbers [CATI]
Water supply, drainage, and heating work. Often overlap with HVAC but segment differently on work mix.
Electrical Installers & Panel Builders [CATI]
Segment on work scope and digital maturity.
M&E Engineers [CATI / IDI]
Specification decision-makers on commercial projects, a distinct influence segment in their own right.
Wholesalers [CATI / IDI]
Their stocking and advocacy behaviour defines how each segment can be reached through the channel.
Homeowners [CAWI]
Added when consumer pull shapes the installer market, as in heat pumps and smart controls.
Our Advantage
We treat installation as its own sector with its own decision flows, not a sub-category of construction. That means our segmentation variables are the ones that actually divide this market: replacement behaviour, wholesaler dependence, energy-transition position, work mix. A generalist agency clusters on generic attitudes and produces segments nobody can find in the field.
We recruit every installer by phone with trade screeners, never from panels, because panel installers are rare, unrepresentative, and give unreliable behaviour data. Our segments are built on reported purchase volumes and validated against our syndicated installation monitors, so segment sizes mean something.
And we have run dual-audience segmentations linking installer segments to homeowner segments in the same markets. For heat pumps and smart controls, where the consumer pulls and the installer gates, that linkage is the difference between a segmentation you admire and one you use.
Project Examples
A global HVAC manufacturer segmented installers by phone and homeowners online for its heat pump strategy. Cluster analysis and persona development produced sized, named segments adopted directly by sales and marketing, with a 10/10 client satisfaction score.
UK, ES
A circulator pump manufacturer profiled how installers replace pumps in boilers, like-for-like, upgrade, or brand switch, by boiler age and brand. The behavioural profiles defined commercially distinct installer groups for targeting.
DE, IT, UK, FR
An electrical products manufacturer studied residential installer decision-making and purchasing behaviour across five countries, profiling distinct installer types to guide a go-to-market strategy.
BE, DK, DE, FR, ES
An electrical sector client isolated the needs and trends of medium-sized installation companies specifically, demonstrating how firmographic segments carry materially different service expectations.
NL, BE
Deliverables
- Segmentation report with segment profiles, sizes in companies and purchase volume, and growth direction per segment
- Persona one-pagers per segment for direct sales and marketing use
- Typing tool: a short question set that classifies any customer into a segment, ready for CRM integration
- Segment-by-country comparison tables showing where segments grow or shrink across markets
- Go-to-market implications per segment: channel, message, and product priorities
- Raw data file (SPSS or Excel) with full cross-tabulation capability
- Activation workshop with your marketing or sales team to move from segments to plans
- Interactive dashboard in Power BI or Forsta Vis on request
-
How do you validate that segments are real and actionable?
Three tests. Segments must differ on actual purchase behaviour, not just attitudes. They must be identifiable through a short typing tool your sales team can use. And they must be sized in volume so each has a known commercial value. If a solution fails any test, we rework it.
-
How do you reach installers, do you use panels?
No panels, ever. Every installer, plumber, and electrician is recruited directly by phone with trade-specific screeners. Online B2B panels in installation are low quality and would corrupt the segmentation base.
-
What sample do we need for a robust segmentation?
Typically 75 to 150 installers per country per audience as a floor, more when you need stable segments within sub-audiences or fine country cuts. We advise the exact number based on how many segments and breakdowns you need.
-
Can you segment installers and homeowners in the same study?
Yes, and for energy-transition categories you usually should. We run installer CATI and homeowner CAWI in parallel and map the two segment structures onto each other.
-
Do segments hold across countries?
Partly. We build segments on pooled data and check them per country. You will see which segments are pan-European and which are market-specific, with sizes per country.
-
When should we commission segmentation?
Before a go-to-market redesign, a portfolio decision, or a sales force restructure. Done after those decisions, segmentation can only confirm or embarrass them.
-
How long does a multi-country segmentation take?
A two-to-four-country dual-audience segmentation typically runs 10 to 16 weeks from kickoff to activation workshop.
Related Reports
Contact us
Send us a message
Please contact our office or fill in the contact form and our specialists will contact you.
PHONE
+31 10 2066900ADDRESS
Max Euwelaan 51
3062 MA Rotterdam