2024 Plumbing Industry Trends

In this post, you get a better understanding of plumbing industry trends, following which you can stay on top of trends and get more clients.

In the past few years, the plumbing industry has witnessed several trends come and go as they have evolved and changed. From innovative tools and advanced technologies to plumbing quote software that make the work more efficient, this industry has embraced new opportunities to expand. Plumbing professionals are following these trends to make business decisions that maximize their profits. 

As a professional in this field, it is imperative that you stay on top of these trends and technologies. This is to serve your customers better and gain a competitive edge over your competitors. 

 Below are some new plumbing industry trends and predictions that will impact the plumbing industry. Read on to know how you can implement them and expand your business.

11 Plumbing Industry Trends to Follow in 2024

Whether you own a plumbing business or are a plumber, you must stay on top of the industry trends. Taking advantage of market changes requires understanding the outlook for the industry.

Here are some trends and market forecasts for the plumbing industry for 2024:

1. Embrace smart technology with smart plumbers

In expanding your plumbing business, you’ll have to hire more subcontractors, multiple coordinate projects, and follow up with existing clients, making managing your business more difficult. If you can adapt and switch to small plumbing business software, then technology can become your savior in this scenario.

Many of today’s first-time homebuyers grow up with mobile phones, so they are sophisticated when using technology and eco-conscious when making their purchase. To prevent unexpected water damage, they are looking for a service provider with high-tech plumbing systems, such as smart devices for detecting water leaks.

Plumbing industry workers who adapt to the current cutting-edge technology can identify new revenue streams and improve their customers’ experiences by providing them with better service and identifying new revenue streams.

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2. Educating customers about greywater plumbing trends

To find the cheapest plumbing services, customers often shop around. The lowest price doesn’t always mean the most advantageous deal – especially if it comes with lesser-quality work. 

Consumers often compare rates online quickly and easily, so as a plumbing company owner, you must educate consumers about quality craftsmanship. 

It is not necessary to justify the price; instead, explain what the customer is getting in return for the price they are paying and improve relationships with the customer. As a result, it’s difficult for many home service companies to compete solely on price. 

If every plumbing business did that, the margins would continue to shrink – and if everyone did that, no one would win in the race to the bottom. Thus, by informing your customer base about the value of your expertise, you can help them better understand how your expertise can help them. 

In this case, whether you invest in content creation (posting videos and photos on social media and adding a blog to your website) or adding a FAQ to your website, you need to find a way of educating the consumer and promoting your brand as an expert in your field.

3. Brain pipes report their leaks

Are you familiar with brain pipe technology? With this revolutionary method for detecting leaking pipes, the new construction market is taking off like wildfire, and it will significantly impact the plumbing industry shortly.

Due to the Brain Pipe technology, leaks can be detected in your plumbing system. As soon as the device pinpoints where the leak is, it sends a text message to the homeowner, informing them of it, and then shuts off the water supply. This is to prevent mold damage or leak damage from occurring. 

Also, the technology generates a monthly report showing homeowners where and when the most water is being wasted. This way, they can determine when and where the most water is wasted. It is essential for plumbing professionals who install brain pipe systems in new construction to have a deeper understanding of them.

4. To gain a competitive advantage, digital marketing is crucial

There is a high level of competition throughout the plumbing industry, and not a single company claims a market share greater than 5 percent. According to statistics for the plumbing industry, demand will grow over the next five years.

The number of plumbing companies available to consumers is growing, so those without a social media presence, a social media strategy, and positive reviews are becoming a lost face in the crowd. For this reason, you must know how much important is SEO for plumbing contractors.

As a plumber, you want to stand out in a saturated market where customer loyalty has historically been low, and it is becoming more and more difficult to build brand awareness. When it comes to brand awareness, you need to be where your customers are searching today for plumbers: On the internet.

A recent study found that 70% of home service customers feel that email is the best way to learn about deals, offers, and upcoming appointments.

5. Build your customer base by cultivating online reviews

Today, if you wish to maintain an excellent online reputation, you need to get good consumer reviews from your customers. 

Did you know that 86% of consumers read reviews before hiring a local business, and more specifically, 95% of those in the age group of 18 to 34 years read reviews from the previous customer? 

The reality is that consumers read an average of 10 online reviews before they feel comfortable enough to trust a business, and more than 40% of consumers only look at reviews posted within the last two weeks when deciding whether or not to do business with them.

Plumbing companies need to maintain an active online reputation on all major platforms: Google, Yelp, Facebook, and Houzz, among others. A company also needs to respond to a bad review when it receives one since 89 percent of consumers seek a response from the company when they receive a bad review.

The key to getting a 5-star review is ensuring your plumbing team delivers an experience that will make your clients envious of you. 

It is more likely that customers will leave positive reviews if you include polite requests after every job with a link to your Google My Business page or another online review platform where the customers can leave their comments. 

Don’t be afraid of your customers, and pay attention to online reviews of your business so that you can see what they think about what you’re doing well and what you could improve to make it easier for customers to do business with you. When a service company responds in real-time, customers tend to remember it.

6. Customer expects a personalized experience

Alexa and Siri make every purchase decision custom-tailored, including plumbing services, with their responses to basic commands.

By providing a memorable customer service experience, you’ll soon have your customers recommending your plumbing company to their friends and family.

7. Make it easy for customers to pay online 

Take a moment to consider how you pay for things: the Apple Pay app, Venmo, PayPal, or Square. When purchasing goods and services online, consumers have the convenience of simple, one-click purchasing solutions. Furthermore, they help to mitigate any hesitation when it comes to making a purchase.

By adopting modern yet easy online payment options like PayPal, plumbing techs can easily collect payments without having to deal with the problems associated with messy paperwork.

Automation will speed up the reconciliation of payments, reduce payroll and accounts receivable computation time, and save you money.

8. The plumbing industry faces a labor shortage

Plumber job outlook remains in high demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, plumbers and related occupations will grow by an average of 14% over the next decade, compared with 5% for other occupations.

Furthermore, skilled workers are expected to retire over the next decade, and young workers aren’t interested in skilled trades, so retiring workers will have difficulty replacing them. 

Building a solid company culture is essential for attracting and retaining top talent.

9. Demand is growing, but so is competition

The plumbing industry is crowded with professionals. There were over 470,000 plumbers in the United States in 2016, which is only expected to increase in the coming years. People are becoming more interested in joining the trade as more people enter it. 

Based on the report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2014 to 2024, the plumbing industry is expected to grow at a rate of 24%. At the same time, the competition for plumbers is becoming fiercer each day, which results in increasing demand. 

 10. More Solar-Powered Water Heating Solutions

Nowadays, consumers are more concerned about how household appliances affect the environment. As a result, energy-efficient water heaters are becoming more popular. 

Solar-powered water heaters are expected to gain popularity in response to homeowners’ interest in environmentally-friendly alternatives. With solar heaters, consumers can save on their heating bills and energy.

Consumers will need a plumber to make the switch during the first installation. On your website, you should list solar heater installation as a service.

 11. The popularity of trenchless technology is on the rise

Technology can do more than save your customers money on water bills; it can also speed up your work processes. For example, trenchless technology has made it possible for pipelines to be installed and repaired more efficiently than traditional methods. 

This technology offers a faster, more cost-effective solution than traditional sewer lines, requiring considerably less manual labor than traditional sewer lines. Instead of digging up the client’s property, only small openings need to be created at either end of the pipeline. Additionally, a camera helps you see what’s happening inside pipes when you have plumbing issues.

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Conclusion

Plumbing is undergoing rapid change, mainly because of technology. As the plumbing industry embraces software solutions, increases its online presence, performs more repairs at home, and demands smart plumbing, it can expect a steep increase in mobile communications in 2022. In 2022, the plumbing industry is expected to have a bright market outlook.

Besides staying on top of the trends, you also need tools to organize your finances. In that scenario, InvoiceOwl can be the best pick. Wondering what it is? It is the leading estimate and invoice software for plumbing businesses, and if used correctly, it can simplify the financial management of the business.

Using this tool, you can control every aspect of the financial management operations, enabling you to avoid a variety of complications and issues.

With an intuitive UI/UX and ease of use, you can easily integrate the software into your plumbing company and make it stand out from the competition. 

Are you looking to impress your customers and simplify your finances? 

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