While the past decade has seen the rise of maker culture - from crafting to hacking - DIY retailers seem to have been left out. And yet, despite a shaky housing market, the desire to improve one’s home has never been stronger. So what’s behind this mismatch, and how can brands transform into buzzing hives for a new generation of DIYers?

Everyone is now a ‘Google Handyman’. With nearly 680,000 YouTube channels dedicated to DIY videos, the information needed to fix thousands of household problems is just a click away. The Samurai Carpenter is helping people engage with woodwork, but what's behind its appeal?

By 2030, cities in China will house 1 billion people. To meet rocketing demand, the government plans to build 36 million affordable new homes. Spending on home improvement has increased, but people aren’t embracing DIY – they’re paying others to do it for them.

In a connected world, it doesn’t take much for like-minded groups to develop. But while most are held together by a metaphorical glue, the online community that’s formed around Sugru – a mouldable substance that’s used to fix or customise almost anything – is held together by the real thing.