DK Tools Limited caters to a new generation of DIYers who just want to get things done, quickly and simply. By Steve Hemsley

The tradition of parents teaching their offspring basic household DIY is on the wane, but manufacturer DK Tools is reaping the benefits.

The company, through its successful Amtech brand, designs, manufactures and distributes around 2,000 powered and manual hand tools to retailers and wholesalers. They’re aimed at shoppers who need affordable products to complete jobs around the house – such as putting up shelves, laying decking, pruning or basic repairs.

However, the loss of DIY knowledge among younger generations means many consumers are looking for help to complete tasks rather than having to bring in skilled tradespeople.

“The Amtech brand proposition has been designed to resonate and educate younger demographics, so we can target the generational skills gap that exists in today’s DIY market,” says DK Tools director Ishan Kalra, whose father founded the company in 1989.

Help for DIY Warriors
The company was started from a family-run market stall and now its range covers home, garage and garden tools.

The Amtech brand is not aimed at professional tradespeople – although serious DIYers do use its tools – but at the so-called Weekend DIY Warrior who wants to at least try and complete tasks themselves, whether they own their own property or rent.

The support and help available from Amtech includes simplified packaging with speech bubbles that outline each product’s features and benefits, as well as technical advice via the telephone, email support and a growing amount of video ‘how to’ tutorial content.

Kalra says the company rebranded a few years ago, so it could connect more closely with the consumer. It had noticed that many younger people wanted and expected different support to that available to their parents years ago, who would often write to a manufacturer for advice.

“Shoppers go on a different path-to-purchase today, which includes researching tools online, before they buy and try using them. They will also research online how to do a particular job. They will search, for example, ‘how do I put up a shelf?’. We have actually responded to that demand and featured it in our recent TV campaign.”

The power of personalised videos
DK Tools was aware that a considerable number of DIY help videos already existed on platforms such as YouTube, so the company decided to take a different approach.

“We are adding value to our service by ensuring our video content is led by the questions we receive from customers. We set up an Ask Us Anything service on our consumer website, and we respond to questions relating to our specific products using short personalised videos.”

For example, when someone asked how to assemble the Amtech two-litre pressure sprayer, the company produced a personalised two-minute video for “Tom in Ireland”. Other demonstration videos show customers, for example, how to change the batteries in its work lights and how to use drill chucks.

“It’s imperative we maximise the opportunity to appeal to a younger demographic in a decisive and consumer-friendly way, especially as they are about to enter their prime spending years,” says Kalra. “This generation is digitally astute and demands experiences from brands to command their attention and social endorsement. We therefore create personalised videos that deliver a memorable, vivid and educationally valuable customer experience.”

The company also replies with written answers on its Ask Us Anything page. For example, one recent question related to how someone sets a combination lock on one of the Amtech padlocks.

The questions the company receives provide valuable insight for its manufacturing team. The company stocks around 60 different DIY product categories and its research and development team continually evaluates key trends and technologies in order to improve product quality and maximise category growth opportunities for it’s business-to-business customers.

Warmer rebranding
The company is ambitious and wants to increase its network of stockists to include national retailers, wholesalers and independent high street shops.

It will also increase its online sales over the next few years, although the tools sector has been relatively slow to switch to e-commerce. Currently around 90pc of Amtech’s trade is through bricks-and-mortar stores.

Stockists have responded progressively to the rebrand, which has seen the packaging livery adopt a more dynamic and engaging colour palette, of red and yellow – which creates strong visual cut-through instore.

We worked with a brand consultancy to get the colour psychology right, and the new branding is both warmer and friendlier – in line with our positioning, of enabling DIY at entry-level,” says Ricky Johal, DK Tools’ head of marketing.

“We do not see ourselves as purely a DIY brand, but more of a consumer-facing DIYWS brand – Do It Yourself With Support.” 

Link to the Telegraph Business Club landing page: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/business-club/               

Direct link to the film: 
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/business-club/business/new-generation-diy-ers/

For more information about DK Tools Ltd or to become a stockist, visit: www.dktools.com
For additional information on the Amtech brand or to request product support, visit: www.amtechdiy.com    
To subscribe to our YouTube channel where we post personalised support videos: https://www.youtube.com/AmTechTools
Social communities: Facebook.com/AmtechDIY | Instagram.com/Amtech_tools | www.linkedin.com/company/d-k-tools-limited