Character, a three-year-old home improvement startup, wants to reinvent the do-it-yourself industry.
Specifically, the startup characterizes its approach as “do-it-with-me.” Character, which started as a direct-to-consumer brand, sells tool sets and project-specific kits designed to assist with at-home manual tasks like hanging plants or installing light fixtures. In addition to these physical kits, Character also provides access to digital guides and videos that demonstrate to customers how to install these objects and access the SMS helpline 24/7.
Now, Character has announced its largest wholesale deal to date. As of October 1, the company’s faucet installation kits have been rolled out to 1,200 Walmart stores nationwide. The kit is also available for sale on Walmart’s website. Character’s bet is that the kits will help retailers sell more faucets and picture frames. Customers who are intimidated by home improvement projects may be more inclined to purchase if there is a kit that promises to be helpful right next to the product.
Character products are currently available at more than 1,450 stores, including select Ace Hardware and Framebridge stores. Alex Onsager, CEO and co-founder of Character, says one of the biggest challenges when convincing customers to buy products like light fixtures and faucets is “How do I install this? “It’s about helping (customers) overcome the difficult question of whether to do so.” How much does it cost? ” Many retailers, including Walmart, are now partnering with services like Angi and Task Rabbit, where customers can pay an additional fee to have someone come and install what they purchase through that retailer. Masu. However, these services can still cost hundreds of dollars.
That’s where Character comes in. For example, the company’s faucet installation kit costs $24.98 and includes a basin wrench, plumber’s putty, sealing tape, wet wipes, and a drip pan for excess water. This kit is intended to appeal to people who are not DIY experts but want to install something themselves, or who don’t want to pay someone else to do it for them.
Onsager said the startup’s partnership with Walmart actually began as an online pilot last fall. Character Faucet Installation Kits appeared as a recommended add-on when people were looking to purchase faucets on Walmart.com.
“This was an experiment to see how many people who buy faucets would add our faucet kits, and it worked,” Onsager said.
“Walmart helped us think about how to change what was just an online product.” For example, buyers Chara worked with gave feedback on how the brand could improve its retail packaging. he stated.
To drive adoption at Walmart, Character plans to invest in proven strategies such as advertising on Walmart.com and partnering with DIY creators to accelerate launches.
Brad Jashinsky, director analyst at Gartner, said the home improvement and DIY sector has now grown to be attached to a variety of specialty and mass retailers. Home Depot and Lowe’s are still the best-known names in this area, but many people now buy home improvement tools at places like Walmart, Target, Amazon, and IKEA, or at specialty stores like Sherwin-Williams. People are flocking to stores.
Jasinski said the digitization of the DIY sector “started, like many things, with culture and marketing in general.” And, he said, “brands started kind of getting attached to it.” Shows like “This Old House” and networks like HGTV have sparked interest in home improvement content. On social media, “we’re seeing a lot of consumers turning to YouTube when they’re looking for DIY help and how-to guides,” Jasinski said.
In turn, brands have started making this content part of their marketing strategies. Back in 2019, Lowe’s was publishing at least two videos a week on its YouTube channel, many of which focused on DY content.
But what’s a little different about Character is that we bake this content into the actual product that people buy. For example, installing a faucet “is the kind of project that people often get stuck on when they’re doing it for the first time.” Even if someone doesn’t take advantage of the SMS helpline that Character has set up, “knowing it’s there gives you some confidence that you can get the project done,” Onsager says.
How-to content evolved as the characters grew. As part of the Walmart rollout, the characters filmed various videos showing customers how to install different types of faucets.
It all feeds back into the company’s overall goals. The company believes its kits will help retailers, as well as faucet manufacturers and frame dealers, sell more products. And it hopes to prove that through more partnerships, starting with one with Walmart.
“We anticipate helping hundreds of people install faucets a week from Walmart alone. There’s a lot to learn from that,” Onsager said.
