In 2026, competition in the home decoration and building materials industry has entered a new stage. The traffic war has gradually lost its advantage and turned into a costly internal friction.
Many merchants spend a lot of money to invest, only to find that customers only compare prices, wait and see, and eventually lose customers after arriving at the store.
For example, you spent 10,000 yuan to attract 10 customers, and finally closed 1 transaction; while the store next door also invested 10,000 yuan, but received 30 customers and closed 5 transactions.
The input is the same, but the results are vastly different.
In the reality of this industry, merchants are facing huge confusion.
In the past, a merchant’s rivals were the peers selling similar products next door; but now, the real rivals are the dozen or so salesmen and bosses on the customer’s mobile phone who constantly send him messages, show him cases, and build trust.
Nowadays, customers have to enter the store 5 to 6 times on average before completing a transaction. Every hesitation and comparison is a test of the merchant’s operational capabilities.
In this case, smart merchants have begun to change their thinking, from “traffic catchers” to “trust stewards”. They have moved the main battlefield to the private domain, especially WeChat Moments.
So, how to build trust in the private domain and get three times the effect of spending 10,000 yuan?
First of all, we need to change the circle of friends from a “product showcase” to a “personal TV station”.
Many merchants’ Moments are filled with product advertisements, such as “New models arriving at the store, discounts last three days!” Such content is difficult to attract customers in an era of information overload.
What customers need is a credible “professional consultant”.
You can create a circle of friends according to the formula of 70% professional personality + 20% real life + 10% product information.
For example, share professional insights, such as “Why is microcement popular now? What are its advantages and disadvantages compared with traditional ceramic tiles?”; display on-site survey records, such as “Today I went to Sister Li’s old house for renovation. This wall problem is very typical, I recommend handling it this way…”; conduct case review, “This project is completed, and this is how we solved the waterproofing problem that the customer was most worried about at the time…”.
At the same time, share snippets of your life appropriately, such as late nights working overtime, small team celebrations, etc., so that customers can get to know the real you.
Secondly, top salesmen know how to “restrain.”
The friend circles of low-ranking people always end with “If you need anything, come to me!”, while the approach of high-ranking people is to only show, not promote.
Continue to share expertise, demonstrate the process, and present results, so that customers can come to the conclusion that “this person is very professional and he should be able to solve my problem.” When customers take the initiative to consult, give a professional response.
Finally, we need to set up the “golden facade” that is pinned to the top of WeChat.
When a customer clicks on Moments, the first three impressions are very important.
You can set three pinned contents. The first is [Who am I], sincerely introducing yourself, such as “Focus on the renovation of old apartments for 10 years, helping 100+ families get weird apartments”; the second is [What do I have], showing core products or service solutions, such as “We don’t just sell ceramic tiles, we provide a complete bathroom renovation solution with “zero additions””; the third is [What others say], showing the best customer cases and testimonials, videos and real conversation screenshots are better.
The competition in 2026 is essentially a competition for “the right to reside in the customer’s mind.”
The traffic in the public domain is a square, which can attract attention, but people should be invited to the “living room” in the private domain to entertain them well and build relationships.
The more warm, professional and authentic the private sector is, the stronger the customer stickiness will be, and it will be able to escape from the quagmire of price wars.
Therefore, merchants should regard every traffic fee as introducing new customers to the “private living room”, entertain them carefully, and ultimately win business.
