31st January 2023

MRA Research has launched a new bathroom trends survey, The Bathroom Pulse, in partnership with The Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) and separately, a new Bathroom and Plumbing & Heating Omnibus of plumbing and heating merchants and retail specialists.

The new monthly trends survey is part of The Pulse series of market trends surveys and tracks plumbing and heating merchants’ and retail specialists’ sales expectations, confidence and prospects for the bathroom sector. It aims to establish similar credibility and exposure in the bathroom sector as the established The Pulse survey of builders’ merchants.

In parallel, MRA Research has also set up a regular Bathroom and Plumbing & Heating Omnibus survey of plumbing and heating merchants and retail bathroom specialists. The Omnibus offers a quick and cost-effective insight tool for companies marketing to the Bathroom and Plumbing & Heating sector, enabling suppliers and others to buy their own questions on the Omnibus. They can buy as few or as many as required and get rapid analyses and results to improve their marketing.

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Yvette Kirk, Project Director at MRA Research, said, “We’re delighted to be working with the BMA on the new trends survey dedicated to the bathroom sector. Piloted in August, the first wave was completed in November 2022 in time to present the results to the BMA’s Marketing Committee in December. Adding The Bathroom and Plumbing & Heating Omnibus alongside the Pulse, enables us to offer a flexible and efficient tool for companies marketing to plumbing and heating merchants or retail specialists. Questions can be on any issue or topic for companies to use in their own internal analysis, or for their customers, or their own marketing. The advantages of an Omnibus survey are fast turnaround, affordability because it’s a shared cost, and the assurance of knowing the survey sample is representative of the market. You can buy a few questions for a month, or more, or run a question for as long as you need to track a key point.”

For the BMA’s November’s meeting, MRA Research added three Omnibus questions to the Bathroom and Plumbing & Heating Omnibus for the BMA, gaining vital feedback on water efficiency advice and mandatory water efficiency labelling.

Tom Reynolds, CEO of the BMA, said, “Thanks to the questions we included in the Omnibus, the BMA now has some real insights into what different areas of the bathroom sector know and how confident they are in providing advice to the trade and public, which will help us going forward.

“The Bathroom Pulse will help the sector quickly learn more about trends and prospects now and for the future, particularly as we head into what could be a particularly challenging period for the industry.”

If you are interested in adding your own questions to the Bathroom and Plumbing & Heating Omnibus Survey, or are interested in sponsoring The Bathroom Pulse, click here.

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