4 Innovations for Home Improvement Retailer's You Don’t Want to Miss

Quick Summary

• Discover four game-changing technologies reshaping home improvement retail in 2025

• Learn how AI, AR, mobile apps, and visual search drive sales and improve customer experience

• Explore real-world use cases from top brands leveraging mobile and visual tech

• Get practical takeaways to future-proof your in-store and online experiences

Table of Contents

1. Personalization & Customization

2. AI, Augmented & Virtual Reality

3. Mobile Engagement

4. Visual Shopping

5. Recommended Reads

6. Watch: How Partium Powers Visual Shopping in Retail

1. Personalization & Customization

Consumers today expect more than just product availability—they want a tailored shopping experience. Personalization and custom configuration tools allow retailers to build stronger, data-driven connections with shoppers.

By analyzing behavioral, demographic, and transactional data, retailers can predict preferences and deliver recommendations that resonate. Whether it’s guiding a shopper through a DIY project or offering custom-fit product bundles, personalization boosts engagement and drives conversion.

Pro Tip: Use data from visual search and mobile scans to further personalize follow-up product suggestions.

2. Artificial Intelligence, Augmented & Virtual Reality

Predict, Recommend, Deliver

Artificial intelligence now fuels real-time customer insights, personalized promotions, and smarter inventory management. In home improvement, AI helps retailers:

• Predict demand for seasonal items

• Suggest product add-ons (e.g., screws for a shelf)

• Understand buying habits across channels

Immersive Shopping with AR & VR

In 2025, customers expect more immersive retail journeys. AR and VR are helping home improvement brands simulate room makeovers, preview flooring options, and test hardware placements—all from a phone or in-store kiosk.

3. Mobile Engagement

Smartphones Are the New Power Tool

Mobile-first shoppers now drive a significant share of revenue. In fact, frequent mobile shoppers spend 25% more than the average customer.

Retailers embracing mobile engagement are winning on multiple fronts:

• Gamified loyalty programs boost retention

• In-store scanning delivers real-time product info

• Push notifications create instant, location-based deals

Brands like Heineken and McDonald’s have long used mobile to blend digital with physical. Now, home improvement retailers are catching up—bringing guided product search and personalized offers into the aisle.

4. Visual Shopping

Visual Search Is the Fastest Way to Find Products

In complex categories like screws, fittings, or filters, product names don’t always help. Visual search—powered by image recognition and AI—lets shoppers snap a photo and get an exact match in seconds.

Visual shopping simplifies the search process and reduces customer dependency on in-store associates. It’s especially powerful when:

• Customers don’t know what something is called

• SKUs look very similar

• Shoppers want fast, self-service solutions

  Partium’s visual search powers this in retailers like The Home Depot, allowing users to go from snapshot to checkout in under 10 seconds.

  

Recommended Read to Power Your Retail Innovation

Looking to go deeper on the technologies transforming home improvement retail? These hand-picked articles offer practical strategies, real-world examples, and expert insights to help you optimize your customer experience, boost efficiency, and stay ahead of the curve.

• Why Visual Search is Kicking Butt in 2025

   

Backed by Research

According to a recent Forbes Council article, AI-driven tools like visual recognition and mobile experience design are rapidly reshaping B2B and B2C sales funnels in 2025.

Watch: How Partium Powers Visual Shopping in Retail