Recently, I had ordered some audio speakers for my living room. The delivery date for the order was going to take a while, but I was patient since this was not a “need”. On the day these were to have shipped, I received a notification that this was delayed by about 4 weeks. Once again, I waited.
Again, on the supposed date of shipping, the ship date got pushed. I had not ordered them directly from the manufacturer because I was originally promised by the vendor that they had them in stock. Having checked the manufacturer’s website, it agreed with the vendor on the longer lead times. Again, I waited.
This order got pushed out for the third time and shortly after that, my order automatically got canceled, the vendor stating they were not available in the foreseeable future. I checked the manufacturer’s site and it states that they would be available on April 30th.
What did I do when my order was canceled? I immediately began checking other vendors for availability and discovered I could not order them anywhere. Finally, I landed on eBay and saw people selling them for up to $150 over the retail price.
What is my point to all of this?
Scarcity drives desire. If we really want something badly enough but have a hard time getting it, many of us have an even stronger determination to find it… somewhere.
I believe this is much of what is happening to our home improvement industry currently.
With supply chain issues being extremely challenging between wood product availability, the extreme shortage of microchips (which almost everything that plugs in now uses), and the long lead times for anything that is home improvement related is making the consumer more determined than ever to find sources that can provide what they need and are more resolute to get their projects done in the face of adversity.
The consumer, being so hell-bent on getting what they need or want in an acceptable time frame frequently is not accepting of vendors that tell them that their order will be delayed and that “…while they understand how difficult this is, there is nothing we can do to help.”
The challenge is helping the consumer to realize that this is the reality across our entire industry, without it sounding like an excuse. They are not seeing the situation in their everyday life so it can seem unbelievable. I mean, bath tissue is readily available again so all is good again, right?
Most important is to be absolutely upfront with your client in regard to availability. I made my speaker order because I was told that they had them available.
Next time I order those speakers, it will be directly through the manufacturer, but it may not happen this year.