Abstract
Do-it-yourself (DIY) is an increasingly popular consumer behavior, but little is known about this large consumer segment. We undertake a depth interview study and review diverse literatures to develop a conceptual model of DIY behavior that explores the reasons why consumers DIY and the benefits they receive. The purpose of the model is to improve our understanding of a consumer segment that, in many ways, behaves differently from typical consumers. Research propositions are derived and discussions of implications and ideas for future research follow.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arnold, M. J., & Reynolds, K. E. (2003). Hedonic shopping motivations. Journal of Retailing, 79(2), 77–96.
Auh, S., Bell, S. J., McLeod, C. S., & Shih, E. (2007). Co-production and customer loyalty in financial services. Journal of Retailing, 83(3), 359–374.
Auster, C. J. (2001). Transcending potential antecedents leisure constraints: the case of women motorcycle operators. Journal of Leisure Research, 33(3), 272–298.
Bacharach, S. B. (1989). Organizational theories: some criteria for evaluation. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 496–515.
Ballantyne, D., & Varey, R. J. (2008). The service dominant logic and the future of marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(1), 11–14.
Bateson, J. E. (1985). Self-service consumer: an exploratory study. Journal of Retailing, 61(3), 49–76.
Belk, R. W. (1988). Possessions and the extended self. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(2), 139–168.
Bloch, P. H., Ridgeway, N. M., & Sherrell, D. L. (1986). Extending the concept of shopping: an investigation of browsing activity. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 17(1), 13–21.
Blodgett, J. G., Wakefield, K. L., & Barnes, J. H. (1995). The effects of customer service on consumer complaining behavior. Journal of Services Marketing, 9(4), 31–42.
Bogdon, A. S. (1996). Homeowner renovation and repair: the decision to hire someone else to do the project. Journal of Housing Economics, 5(4), 323–350.
Brace-Govan, J. (2004). Weighty matters: control of women’s access to physical strength. The Sociological Review, 52(4), 503–532.
Bridenbaugh, C. (1950). The colonial craftsman. New York: NY University Press.
Brown, T. J., Barry, T. E., Dacin, P. A., & Gunst, R. F. (2005). Spreading the word: investigating antecedents of consumers’ positive word-of-mouth intentions and behaviors in a retailing context. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 33(2), 123–138.
Bush, A., Menon, A., & Smart, D. (1987). Media habits of the do-it-yourselfers. Journal of Advertising Research, 27(5), 14–20.
Campbell, C. (2005). The craft consumer: culture, craft, and consumption in a postmodern society. Journal of Consumer Culture, 5(1), 23–42.
Campo, K., Gijsbrechts, E., & Nisol, P. (2004). Dynamics in consumer response to product unavailability: do stock-out reaction signal response to permanent assortment reductions? Journal of Business Research, 57(8), 834–844.
Close, A. G., & Zinkhan, G. M. (2009). Market resistance and valentine's day events. Journal of Business Research, 62(2), 200–207.
Corstjens, J., & Corstjens, M. (1995). Store wars: The battle for mindspace and shelfspace. New York: Wiley & Sons.
Crittenden, V. L., Crittenden, W. F., Ferrell, L. K., Ferrell, O. C., & Pinney, C. C. (2011). Market-oriented sustainability: a conceptual framework and propositions. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 39(1), 71–85.
Dabholkar, P. A. (1996). Consumer evaluations of new technology-based self-service options: an investigation of alternative models of service quality. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 13(1), 29–51.
Deci, E. L., Koestner, R., & Ryan, R. L. (1999). A meta-analysis review of experiments examining effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 125(6), 627–668.
Emmelhainz, M. A., Stock, J. R., & Emmelhainz, L. W. (1991). Consumer response to retail stock-outs. Journal of Retailing, 67(2), 138–147.
Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Fitzsimons, G. J. (2000). Consumer response to stockouts. Journal of Consumer Research, 27(2), 249–266.
Fornell, C., Johnson, M. D., Anderson, E. W., Cha, J., & Bryant, B. E. (1996). The American customer satisfaction index: nature, purpose, and findings. Journal of Marketing, 60(4), 7–18.
Franke, N., Keinz, P., & Steger, C. J. (2009). Testing value of customization: when do customers really prefer products tailored to their preferences? Journal of Marketing, 73(3), 103–121.
Freitas, A. L., & Higgins, T. E. (2002). Enjoying goal directed action: the role of regulatory fit. Psychological Science, 13(1), 1–6.
Freysinger, V., & Flannery, D. (1992). Women’s leisure: affiliation, self-determination, empowerment and resistance? Loisir et Societe: Society and Leisure, 15(1), 303–321.
Gebhardt, G. F., Carpenter, G. S., & Sherry, J. F. (2006). Creating a market orientation: a longitudinal, multifirm, grounded analysis of cultural transformation. Journal of Marketing, 70(4), 37–55.
Gelber, S. M. (1997). Do-it-yourself: constructing, repairing and maintaining domestic masculinity. American Quarterly, 49(1), 66–112.
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Hawthorne: Aldine de Gruyter.
Holbrook, M. B. (2006). ROSEPEKICECIVECI vs. CCV: the resource-operant, skills-exchanging, performance-experiencing, knowledge-informed, competence-enacting, co-producer-involved, value-emerging, customer-interactive view of marketing versus the concept of customer value: “I can get if for you wholesale”. In R. Lusch & S. Vargo (Eds.), The service-dominant logic of marketing: Dialog, debate and directions (pp. 208–223). New York: M.E. Sharpe.
Home Improvement Research Institute. (2011). The September home improvement products market sales forecast grew 2.8% in 2011 with an increase in 2012 to 4.0%. Retrieved October 20, 2011 from http://www.hiri.org/?page=Media.
Hornik, J., & Feldman, L. P. (1982). Retailing implications of the do-it-yourself consumer movement. Journal of Retailing, 58(2), 44–63.
Humphreys, A., & Grayson, K. (2008). The intersecting roles of consumer and producer: a critical perspective on co-production, co-creation and prosumption. Sociology Compass, 2(3), 1–18.
Institut für Freizeitwirtschaft. (1999). Strukturwandel im deutschen diy-markt. Retreived September 18, 2011 from http://tourismus-projekt.de/pdf/strukturwandel.pdf.
John, D. R. (1999). Consumer socialization of children: a retrospective look at twenty-five years of research. Journal of Consumer Research, 26(3), 183–213.
Johnson, J. S., & Wilson, L. E. (2005). It says you really care: motivational factors of contemporary female handcrafters. Clothing and Textile Research Journal, 23(2), 115–130.
Kahle, L. R. (1983). Social values and social change: Adaptation to life in America. New York: Praeger Publishing.
Kotler, P. (1986a). The prosumer movement: a new challenge for marketers. Advances in Consumer Research, 13(1), 510–513.
Kotler, P. (1986b). Prosumers: a new type of consumer. Futurist, 20(5), 24–29.
Lastovicka, J. L., Bettencourt, L. A., Hughner, R. S., & Kuntze, R. J. (1999). Lifestyle of the tight and frugal: theory and measurement. Journal of Consumer Research, 26(1), 85–99.
Lepper, M. R., & Henderlong, J. (2000). Turning ‘play’ into work and ‘work’ into play: 25 years of research on intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. In C. Sansone & J. M. Harackiewicz (Eds.), Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: The search for optimal motivation and performance (pp. 257–307). New York, NY: Academic.
Ligas, M. (2000). People, products, and pursuits: exploring the relationship between consumers’ goals and product meaning. Psychology and Marketing, 17(11), 983–1003.
Lusch, R. F., & Vargo, S. L. (2006). Service dominant logic: reactions, reflections and refinements. Marketing Theory, 6(3), 281–288.
Lusch, R. F., Brown, S., & Brunswick, G. J. (1992). A generic framework for explaining internal vs. external exchange. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 20(2), 119–134.
Lusch, R. F., Vargo, S. L., & O’Brien, M. (2007). Comparing through service: insights from the service-dominant logic. Journal of Retailing, 83(1), 5–18.
Lynn, M., & Harris, J. (1997). The desire for unique consumer products: a new individual differences scale. Psychology and Marketing, 14(6), 601–616.
Martin, M. A. (2002). Consumer response to discontinuance of favorite products: an exploratory study. Advances in Consumer Research, 29(1), 249–250.
Min, K. S., & West, P. M. (2003). Consumer response to product unavailability. Advances in Consumer Research, 30, 197–198.
Moschis, G. P. (1981). Patterns of consumer learning. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 9(2), 110–126.
Nail, P. R. (1986). Toward an integration of some models and theories of social response. Psychology Bulletin, 100(2), 190–206.
Norton, M., Mochon, D., & Ariely, D. (2011). The “IKEA Effect”: When labor leads to love. Working Paper 11-091, Harvard Business School.
Payne, A., Storbacka, K., Frow, P., & Knox, S. (2009). Co-creating brands: diagnosing and designing the relationship experience. Journal of Business Research, 62(3), 379–389.
Peck, J., & Wiggins, J. (2006). It just feels good: customers’ affective response to touch and its influence on persuasion. Journal of Marketing, 70(4), 56–69.
Pollakowski, H. O. (1988). The determinants of residential renovation and repair activity. Final Report Prepared for the Office of Policy Development and Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Washington, DC.
Reynolds, J. T. (1985). Implications for value research: a macro vs. micro perspective. Psychology & Marketing, 2(4), 297–305.
Rokeach, M. (1973). The nature of human values. New York: The Free Press.
Schreier, M. (2006). The value increment of mass-customized products: an empirical assessment. Journal of Consumer Behavior, 5(4), 317–327.
Schwartzlander, A., & Bowers, J. S. (1989). Relationships between consumer characteristics and do-it-yourself behaviour (do-it-yourself activity). Journal of Consumer Studies and Home Economics, 13(1), 39–51.
Sen, S., Gürhan-Canli, Z., & Morwitz, V. (2001). Withholding consumption: a social dilemma perspective on consumer boycotts. Journal of Consumer Research, 28(3), 399–414.
Shaw, S. M. (2001). Conceptualizing resistance: women’s leisure as political practice. Journal of Leisure Research, 33(2), 186–201.
Silverstein, M. J., & Sayre, K. (2009). The female economy. Harvard Business Review, 87(9), 46–53.
Simonson, I. (2005). Determinants of customers’ responses to customized offers: conceptual framework and research propositions. Journal of Marketing, 69(1), 32–45.
Sloot, L. M., & Verhoef, P. C. (2008). The impact of brand delisting on store switching and brand switching intentions. Journal of Retailing, 84(3), 281–296.
Sloot, L. M., Verhoef, P. C., & Franses, P. H. (2005). The impact of brand equity and the hedonic level of products on consumer stock-out reactions. Journal of Retailing, 81(1), 15–34.
Snyder, R. C., & Fromkin, H. L. (1977). Abnormality as a positive characteristic: the development and validation of a scale measuring need for uniqueness. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 86(5), 518–527.
Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Tian, K., Bearden, W. O., & Hunter, G. L. (2001). Consumers’ Need for uniqueness: scale development and validation. Journal of Consumer Research, 28(1), 50–66.
Toffler, A. (1980). The third wave. New York: William Morrow and Company Inc.
Tuli, K. R., Kohli, A. K., & Bharadwaj, S. G. (2007). Rethinking customer solutions: from product bundles to relational processes. Journal of Marketing, 71(3), 1–17.
Valenzuela, A., Dhar, R., & Zettelmeyer, F. (2009). Contingent response to self-customization procedures: implications for decision satisfaction and choice. Journal of Marketing Research, 46(6), 754–763.
Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2004). Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68(1), 1–17.
Voorhees, C. M., Brady, M. K., & Horowitz, D. M. (2006). A voice from the silent masses: an exploratory and comparative analysis of noncomplainers. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 34(4), 514–527.
Watson, M., & Shove, E. (2008). Product, competence, project and practice. Journal of Consumer Culture, 8(1), 69–89.
Weaven, S., & Herington, S. (2006). Female franchisors: how different are they from independent business owners? Academy of Marketing Science Review, 10(4), http://www.amsreview.org/articles/weaven07-2006.pdf.
Wheaton, B., & Tomlinson, A. (1998). The changing gender order in sport? The case of windsurfing subculture. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 22(3), 252–274.
Williams, C. C. (2008). Re-thinking the motives of do-it-yourself (DIY) consumers. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 18(3), 311–323.
Williams, C. C. (2004). A lifestyle choice? Evaluating the motives of do-it-yourself (DIY) consumers. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 32(5), 270–278.
Xie, C., Bagozzi, R. P., & Troye, S. V. (2008). Trying to prosume: toward a theory of consumers as co-creators of value. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 36(1), 109–122.
Yuksel, U., & Mryteza, V. (2009). An evaluation of strategic responses to consumer boycotts. Journal of Business Research, 62(2), 248–249.
Zeithaml, V. A. (1988). Consumer perception of price, quality, and value: a means-end model and syntheses of evidence. Journal of Marketing, 52(3), 23–39.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wolf, M., McQuitty, S. Understanding the do-it-yourself consumer: DIY motivations and outcomes. AMS Rev 1, 154–170 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-011-0021-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-011-0021-2