01 / Store brands
54%
of trades pros say store brands can perform better than national brands.
What 1,168 Trades Pros Told Us About Trust, Tools, and Winning.
The State of the Pro is Sales Factory’s annual deep dive into the trades pro world: how they buy, what they trust, where they shop, and what it takes for a brand to earn their loyalty.
02 / Ad detection
AI
Count the fingers on that grip again.
Real
Featuring a real crew — this one earned the scroll.
AI
Impact driver held backwards. Nobody checked.
AI
Shadows fall three different ways in one photo.
92% can spot AI-generated or staged advertising — the fake jobsite, the model in clean boots, the copy no Pro would write.
They scroll past it in under a second — and they remember who ran it.03 / Peer learning
94%
learn from a coworker on the jobsite, not an ad.
04 / Where Pros buy
#1 In stock44.2
#2 Lowest price37.1
In-stock availability outranks lowest price as the #1 reason Pros choose where to buy — a Pro who finds a hole in your shelf doesn’t come back for the discount.
05 / AI adoption
30–49 year olds lead AI adoption in the trades.
Not Gen Z.
06 / The trades ahead
96%
of trades pros would encourage a young person to enter the trades.
“I’d encourage a young person to enter the trades.”
Ready to Go Deeper?
The Full Report Is Waiting.
A Note
From Rob Belk
CEO, Sales Factory
Most agencies claim to know their customer. We’ve built an entire methodology around proving it. Over 1,100 surveys. Eighteen pulse studies. Ten in-depth interviews. The State of the Pro is what their world looks like through their eyes.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What Brand Leaders Ask.
Q: What is the State of the Pro?
The State of the Pro is Sales Factory’s annual research report on how trades professionals buy, work, learn, and decide which brands earn their trust.
Q: Who is this report for?
It is built for brand, product, retail, and marketing leaders who need a clearer view of the trades pro market.
Q: What are the biggest findings in the 2026 report?
The report surfaces nine major themes, but a few findings stand out. More than half of trades pros say store brands can outperform national brands. Nine in ten are confident they can spot AI-generated advertising. And the most trusted source of product information in the trades isn’t a media channel. It’s a coworker on the jobsite.
Q: How does Sales Factory conduct this research?
The 2026 report combines more than 1,100 survey responses, eighteen pulse studies, and ten in-depth interviews with verified trades professionals.
Q: Why does the home improvement retail industry need research like this?
Because the people using the products are changing faster than assumptions about them. Current research helps brands make decisions from evidence instead of habit.