Garden Hand Tools Market

Market Overview

The global garden hand tools market was valued at USD 18.52 billion in 2022. It is estimated to reach USD 25.30 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 3.53% during the forecast period (2023–2031).

A garden tool is any of the countless gardening and landscaping tools that overlap with various agricultural and horticultural tools. Hand tools and power tools are distinct types of garden tools. Garden hand tools are handheld tools that are manually operated without the support of a battery and electricity. These are the most convenient tools for cutting, striking, and pruning garden beds. The earliest agricultural tools humankind uses are the ancestors of modern gardening equipment. Examples of garden hand tools are hatchet, axe, sickle, scythe, pitchfork, spade, shovel, trowel, hoe, fork, and rake.

The earliest garden hand tools were produced from various materials, including wood, flint, metal, tin, and bone. The evolution of metalworking led to the creation of today's robust tools, such as pruning shears (secateurs - for example, anvil pruners), grass shears, and loppers' effective cutting instruments. These tools are extensively used by professionals, home gardeners, and horticulturists and can be easily handled without prior experience. These garden hand tools are extensively sold by large distributors in bulk and are slowly expanding their presence through online stores.

Highlights

• Digging tool dominates the product type segment
• Residential dominates the end-user segment
• Online channel dominates the sales channel segment
• Asia-Pacific is the highest shareholder in the global market

Market Dynamics

Global Garden Hand Tools Market Drivers

Increase in Indoor Plantation

Indoor gardening has come a long way and has taken all shapes, sizes, and varieties, with various options from traditional soil-based planting to hydroponics. Most Americans reside in urban housing (apartments/flats) with limited garden space. In addition, people prefer having small flower beds and plating fruits/vegetables, signifying limited space. Gardening is preferred as a hobby, and semi-professional gardeners prefer garden hand tool kits as the requirement is limited.

Additionally, around 29–30% of baby boomers maintain indoor plants, and 37–40% of millennials grow sprouts in jars and herbs in pots. Most of them are home gardeners who enjoy using hand tools to regularly prune and trim their plants. An increase in health consciousness among people has paved the way for new techniques in indoor gardening. People prefer residue-free consumption in low-scale land. Also, many countries have started to adopt indoor gardening due to urbanization, and government policies and subsidies are encouraging more indoor gardening, driving the market's growth.

Availability of Cheap Labor and Land in Developing Countries 

Low-cost manual labor primarily constitutes less-skilled workers who use traditional hand tools instead of technologically advanced power tools. These garden laborers use spades, shovels, rakes, forks, hoes, and other essential tools to reduce working costs. Moreover, the availability of low-cost labor has pushed most US-based organizations' operations to China. The procedures of low-cost manual labor in countries such as India, China, and Indonesia drastically differ from the skillsets and efficiency needed to operate battery-driven tools, which poses additional challenges for vendors. However, the other difficulties low-skilled laborers pose have helped garden hand tools maintain their market dominance. Moreover, the rising training requirements in the workplace and improved safety standards from organizations such as OSHA are expected to improve labor skills at construction sites. This will also enhance work productivity through flexible and efficient power tools over the next few years.

Global Garden Hand Tools Market Restraint

Development of Power Tools

The rapid growth of battery-operated and motor-operated hand tools, similar to traditional pneumatic tools, is slowly replacing the demand for garden hand tools. Government initiatives in reducing harmful emissions and producing sustainable consumer tools without much effort are drawing a new era of hand tools in the market. Advancements in global economic growth owing to factors such as high disposable income and high constructional activities have increased consumer spending.

Additionally, the increasing shift toward power tools from garden hand tools has provided sustainable solutions among professional and semi-professional gardeners, decreasing the demand for garden hand tools. With technological advancements, cordless tools have witnessed a surge in demand for less vibration, noiseless operations, long battery life, and environmental benefits. Thus, the growing demand for power tools is expected to impact the need for garden hand tools negatively.

Global Garden Hand Tools Market Opportunities

Growing Penetration of DIY tools

Consumers' increasing interest in growing greens and maintaining a healthy ecosystem has increased the demand for DIY tools. The concept of DIY is well adopted by western countries, which contribute the largest share of nearly 81% to the DIY market, and the trend is expected to grow during the forecast period. The DIY market is projected to thrive due to media reach through television, social media, and videos. Also, the large number of retail stores, such as supermarkets and hypermarkets, has enabled the growth of many vendors in the DIY segment.

Although DIY is less prevalent in Asia-Pacific regions, it is predicted to increase during the projection period. The main factors driving the DIY market are house improvements, where DIY products such as garden hand tools have huge demand. It also gives enormous opportunities for vendors and manufacturers to explore market opportunities. The need for garden hand tools has witnessed demand in small-scale industries and home-based projects. In addition, Asia-Pacific has massive potential in developing ergonomically designed hand tools owing to factors such as low-cost labor and availability of raw materials, thereby providing significant growth opportunities for garden hand tool vendors.

Regional Analysis

Asia-Pacific Dominates the Global Market

Based on region, the global garden hand tools market is bifurcated into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

Asia-Pacific is the most significant global garden hand tools market shareholder and is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 4.79% during the forecast period. Asia-Pacific is the most populated area in the world, with a population of approximately 4 billion, equivalent to 60% of the world's population. The growing middle-class population and a large domestic consumer base are the driving factors of the garden hand tools market. The availability of raw materials and low-cost labor in countries such as China, Indonesia, and India have accelerated the demand for garden hand tools. Moreover, as the need for garden hand tools shows a surge in Asia-Pacific, customers are becoming more quality-conscious for good-quality and ergonomic hand tools with easy operability. The demand for quality tools has created a competitive atmosphere between small-scale manufacturers and well-established players in the market. The government has also initiated various programs to encourage local manufacturers to develop high-quality hand tools, thereby driving the market's growth.

Europe is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 2.82% over the forecast period. Europe is one of the largest and wealthiest economies, contributing to one-sixth of the global economy. Due to rapid urbanization, people are building gardens to enhance their lifestyle, impacting the demand for garden hand tools. Furthermore, Europe is a massive market for world-class manufacturing industries in many sectors, such as construction and automobile. However, highly skilled labor and innovative products at affordable costs drive the demand for garden hand tools. Moreover, Eastern Europe, Romania, and Poland also witness increasing demand for garden hand tools. The European Union has taken advantage of the latest garden trends by luring the aging population through internet retailing with price transparency and options such as click-and-collect at affordable prices and low-cost deliverables.

In North America, the huge penetration of commercial and residential sectors and the high disposable income of consumers is expected to fuel the market growth in the region. Many associations, such as the AHS (American Horticulture Society), see a need to reconnect the kids and youth of the country with nature and educate them on the need for and benefits of gardening. Especially after COVID-19, people embraced gardening as their hobby to recreate their outdoors beautifully. North America will abide by stringent regulations laid by the government to maintain public green spaces and gardens. Furthermore, the penetration of garden hand tools in North America is growing significantly, and more end-users are using these convenient garden hand tools instead of powered tools.

Latin America is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period. Gardening activities in Latin America have grown decently due to urbanization; nearly 80% of the population resides in urban areas. Agriculture makes a significant contribution in terms of growth, trade, and employment and securing the nutritional requirements of the nation. Latin America comprises nearly 38% of agricultural land, increasing the demand for agricultural tools. Further, purchasing power and literacy rate is low, so the penetration of garden hand tools has grown.

The penetration of the gardening industry in the Middle East and Africa region is still nascent as the Middle East, and Africa is one of the world's most land and water-constrained regions. The gardening concept is slowly gaining its reputation in the Middle East and Africa. Further, high purchasing power and construction activities will increase the demand for landscape beautification. The rise in commercial projects across the UAE and Saudi Arabia and the growing residential sector in GCC, and Middle East, and Africa has increased demand for gardening activities.

Segmental Analysis

The global garden hand tools market is segmented by product type, end-user, and sales channels.

Based on product type, the global garden hand tools market is bifurcated into digging tools, pruning tools, striking tools, and others. 

The digging tools segment dominates the global market and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 3.01% over the forecast period. Digging tools are used for establishing the lawn and creating the soil bed for cultivation. These tools are used for larger gardening areas and to clear debris and dry leaves from the garden bed. Digging tools are usually designed with long handles (40-49 meters) with a D-shape grip to dig deeper holes without bending the tool. In addition, consumer preferences for sustainable living have increased the demand for digging tools. Developed and developing countries such as India, Europe, and the UAE organize many horticulture workshops educating consumers on DIY techniques of using digging tools.

Striking tools are heavy tools with long handles and require more human effort. These tools are used in various applications such as gardening, construction, and households. Professionals widely use them as home gardeners as they are easy to handle and less expensive than power tools. The increase in landscaping and gardening activities, coupled with a growing middle-class population and a high standard of living, is expected to drive the demand for striking tools during the forecast period.

Based on end-user, the global garden hand tools market is segmented into residential and commercial. 

The residential segment owns the highest market share and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 3.15% during the forecast period. The growing health consciousness among consumers propelled them to have their gardens. Nearly 50% of the population resides in urban cities, where gardens and green spaces add tremendous value and are expected to gain traction in the market during the forecast period. The residential sector has witnessed a surge in growth due to increased construction activities and is expected to grow post-pandemic due to a shift toward energy-efficient buildings. In addition, investments in energy-efficient buildings increased over a period, with USD 152 billion in 2019, showing a growth rate of 3%. The increase in families' income and a growing number of middle-class families drive the demand for garden hand tools.

Both private and public offices significantly contribute to the garden hand tools segment. Major projects by both government and private offices involve conserving green parks, including generating revenues from the tourism sector. There are many tourist attractions in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East, and the number of tourists traveling to foreign destinations is increasing. Due to this, many policymakers have emphasized the importance of beautifying their cities to lure more tourists. Owing to urbanization and a significant rise in infrastructure development, the demand for corporate offices and public gardens has increased, increasing the need for garden hand tools.

Based on sales channels, the global garden hand tools market is divided into online and offline sales channels. 

The online segment is responsible for the largest market share and is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 3.31% over the forecast period. The adoption of technology by various industries has accelerated the demand for an online presence. Giant internet players like Amazon are setting up physical stores in today's digital economy, so the future is an omnichannel experience. However, nearly 83% of customers prefer online shopping with a personalized experience. With the help of the internet, more than one-third of consumers purchase outdoor gardening tools online. These consumers primarily use the internet to compare prices, and product features, read reviews, and search for promotions or sales. Retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe's, and Sears are a few popular sites for online research, though Amazon is the leader in purchasing outdoor power equipment online.

Offline sales primarily comprise sales through retail stores. Stores perform retail merchandising to attract many customers to increase their footfalls and volume sales. The retail process is the last step of sales in merchandise distribution. In addition, the sector comprises two main types of retailers: store retailers and non-store retailers. Vendors like Fiskars, Husqvarna, Stanley Black & Decker, and many more prefer offline sales to attract customers. Gardeners and professionals prefer to visit retail stores to purchase tools as customers look forward to knowledgeable staff to guide them.

Recent Developments

• December 2022- ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. ("ToughBuilt") (NASDAQ: TBLT; TBLTW) announced the debut of the company's new range of Long Handle Garden and Landscaping Tools, beginning with 11 out of over 150 SKUs and including numerous creative enhancements.

• October 2022- A "contemporary re-imagining" of two traditional Māori gardening tools designed specifically for kids was one of the winners at Friday's Best Design Awards in Tāmaki Makaurau, the most prestigious Australasian design event.