Original research · 2026-07 edition

AI SEO Statistics: Builders Merchants (2026-07 edition)

40 questions · 120 AI responses · 3 models · measured 2026-07-06

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The question bank

The questions we tested — sampled from real buyer journeys in builders merchants.

Each model answered every question once, same wording, same day. These are the prompts behind every percentage on this page.

Can I buy from a builders merchant if I'm not a professional contractor?
Is it cheaper to get my patio slabs from a local yard or a big DIY chain?
How do I calculate how many bags of cement I need for a 10x10 shed base?
What are the pros and cons of opening a trade account for a home renovation?
Do builders merchants usually offer free delivery if I spend over a certain amount?
How can I tell if a builders merchant is overcharging me for timber?
What's the best way to match the bricks on my 1930s house for an extension?
Is it better to let my builder buy the materials or should I source them myself to save money?
Show all 40 questions
What should I look for when inspecting a delivery of sand and gravel?
Do I need a special permit if a builders merchant needs to drop materials on the street?
Can I return unopened bags of plaster to a builders merchant after a week?
How much extra should I order for wastage when buying roof tiles?
What's the difference between sharp sand and building sand for a DIY project?
Are there any builders merchants that specialize in eco-friendly or sustainable materials?
How do I negotiate a better price at a builders yard if I'm buying in bulk?
What's a hiab delivery and do I need one for my driveway project?
Can I get a quote for a full list of materials from a merchant before I commit?
What are the red flags when dealing with a local independent builders merchant?
Is it worth paying for premium timber or is the standard grade fine for a garden fence?
How long does it typically take for a builders merchant to deliver bulk aggregates?
Can I buy single items like one piece of copper pipe from a merchant or is it all bulk?
Why is there such a big price difference between different merchants for the same insulation?
What questions should I ask a merchant to ensure their timber is FSC certified?
If I buy my own materials will most builders still be willing to do the labor?
Do builders merchants help with technical advice on which lintel I need for a load-bearing wall?
How do I handle a dispute if the materials delivered are damaged or the wrong spec?
Is it normal for builders merchants to charge a restocking fee for returns?
Can I get a trade discount as a DIYer if I'm doing a large-scale self-build?
What's the best time of year to buy building materials to get the lowest prices?
How do I know if the gravel I'm ordering is suitable for a heavy-traffic driveway?
Are there specific merchants that are better for plumbing and electrical vs general building?
What's the difference between a cash account and a credit account at a builders yard?
Can I visit a builders merchant just to look at samples of paving before I buy?
Should I worry if a merchant says they have a long lead time on common materials like breeze blocks?
How much does a bulk bag of topsoil actually cover in terms of square footage?
What's the most cost-effective way to get high-quality decking delivered to a tight urban space?
Do builders merchants offer any loyalty programs for frequent DIY customers?
Is it safer to buy structural steel from a specialist or a general builders merchant?
How do I compare quotes from three different merchants when they use different units of measurement?
Can I get a refund on a click and collect order if I realize it's the wrong size when I arrive?

Model by model

19-point average divergence: which AI you ask changes the answer.

The divergence index is the average gap between the most and least likely model per behavior. Higher = the models disagree more about builders merchants buyers.

Behavior rates across 40 builders merchants buyer questions, 2026-07 edition. Last column: average across models.
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiConsensus
Recommends hiring a professional20%15%10%88%
Suggests DIY first18%15%13%80%
Names specific providers5%20%43%60%
Gives price or cost info13%15%15%78%
Tells to check reviews8%5%0%90%
Tells to verify credentials18%10%3%83%
Mentions case studies / portfolio0%0%0%100%
Mentions local proximity38%35%25%68%
Gives selection criteria53%45%20%38%
Warns about red flags18%15%8%88%
Asks a clarifying question73%75%0%8%
Recommends multiple quotes28%15%5%78%

By model

How each assistant handled Builders Merchants questions.

Reading the 120 answers model by model shows how differently the three assistants treat the same builders merchants questions. On the most consequential behavior — whether to send the buyer to a professional at all — the rate ranged from 20% (ChatGPT) down to 10% (Gemini), a 10-point gap on an identical question set.

Across the 40 builders merchants answers it produced, ChatGPT recommended hiring a professional in 20% of them and suggested a DIY approach first 17.5% of the time. It named a specific provider in 5% of answers (about 0.3 distinct providers per answer) and included price or cost information 12.5% of the time. ChatGPT asked a clarifying question before answering in 72.5% of cases, warned about red flags or scams in 17.5%, and told the buyer to verify credentials in 17.5%, averaging 449 words per answer. On the remaining cues it told the buyer to check reviews in 7.5%, pointed to case studies or a portfolio in 0%, and framed the choice around local proximity in 37.5%; a selection-criteria checklist appeared in 52.5% of its answers and a recommendation to gather multiple quotes in 27.5%.

Across the 40 builders merchants answers it produced, Claude recommended hiring a professional in 15% of them and suggested a DIY approach first 15% of the time. It named a specific provider in 20% of answers (about 0.9 distinct providers per answer) and included price or cost information 15% of the time. Claude asked a clarifying question before answering in 75% of cases, warned about red flags or scams in 15%, and told the buyer to verify credentials in 10%, averaging 270 words per answer. On the remaining cues it told the buyer to check reviews in 5%, pointed to case studies or a portfolio in 0%, and framed the choice around local proximity in 35%; a selection-criteria checklist appeared in 45% of its answers and a recommendation to gather multiple quotes in 15%.

Across the 40 builders merchants answers it produced, Gemini recommended hiring a professional in 10% of them and suggested a DIY approach first 12.5% of the time. It named a specific provider in 42.5% of answers (about 1.8 distinct providers per answer) and included price or cost information 15% of the time. Gemini asked a clarifying question before answering in 0% of cases, warned about red flags or scams in 7.5%, and told the buyer to verify credentials in 2.5%, averaging 265 words per answer. On the remaining cues it told the buyer to check reviews in 0%, pointed to case studies or a portfolio in 0%, and framed the choice around local proximity in 25%; a selection-criteria checklist appeared in 20% of its answers and a recommendation to gather multiple quotes in 5%.

Taken together, ChatGPT is the assistant most likely to route a builders merchants buyer to a professional (20%) and Gemini the least (10%). ChatGPT produced the longest answers, at 449 words on average. Specific providers were named most often by Gemini (42.5%) — even there, roughly one answer in 2 carried a name.

Where they disagree

The behaviors where the choice of model changes the answer.

The divergence index for this study is 19.2 points — the average distance between the most and least likely model across the coded behaviors. The gaps below are where which assistant a builders merchants buyer happens to ask matters most:

  • Asks a clarifying question: from 0% (Gemini) to 75% (Claude) — a 75-point spread.
  • Names a specific provider: from 5% (ChatGPT) to 42.5% (Gemini) — a 38-point spread.
  • Gives selection criteria: from 20% (Gemini) to 52.5% (ChatGPT) — a 33-point spread.
  • Recommends multiple quotes: from 5% (Gemini) to 27.5% (ChatGPT) — a 23-point spread.
  • Tells the buyer to verify credentials: from 2.5% (Gemini) to 17.5% (ChatGPT) — a 15-point spread.

The widest single gap — asks a clarifying question, 75 points — means a builders merchants buyer can receive materially different guidance on the same question depending only on which assistant they happen to open, so any visibility strategy built on a single model's behavior describes only part of the builders merchants market.

Where they agree

The points of near-consensus in Builders Merchants.

On other behaviors the three models move almost in lockstep — the points of near-consensus for builders merchants, where all three landed within a few points of each other:

  • Mentions case studies or portfolio: 0% across all three models.
  • Gives price or cost information: 12.5%–15% across all three (a 3-point spread).
  • Suggests a DIY approach first: 12.5%–17.5% across all three (a 5-point spread).
  • Tells the buyer to check reviews: 0%–7.5% across all three (a 8-point spread).

Measured question by question, the three assistants coded a response the same way most consistently on "mentions case studies or portfolio" (identical coding in 100% of questions) and least consistently on "asks a clarifying question" (7.5%).

Every behavior, measured

All twelve coded behaviors for Builders Merchants, averaged across the three models.

The behaviors AI models reproduce most often for builders merchants are asks a clarifying question (49.2% on average), gives selection criteria (39.2%) and mentions local proximity (32.5%); the rarest are mentions case studies or portfolio (0%), tells the buyer to check reviews (4.2%) and tells the buyer to verify credentials (10%). Each figure below is the share of a model's 40 answers in which the behavior appeared at least once, averaged across the 3 models with the full per-model range in parentheses:

  • Asks a clarifying question: 49.2% on average (ChatGPT 72.5%, Claude 75%, Gemini 0%) — a 75-point spread.
  • Gives selection criteria: 39.2% on average (ChatGPT 52.5%, Claude 45%, Gemini 20%) — a 33-point spread.
  • Mentions local proximity: 32.5% on average (ChatGPT 37.5%, Claude 35%, Gemini 25%) — a 13-point spread.
  • Names a specific provider: 22.5% on average (ChatGPT 5%, Claude 20%, Gemini 42.5%) — a 38-point spread.
  • Recommends multiple quotes: 15.8% on average (ChatGPT 27.5%, Claude 15%, Gemini 5%) — a 23-point spread.
  • Recommends hiring a professional: 15% on average (ChatGPT 20%, Claude 15%, Gemini 10%) — a 10-point spread.
  • Suggests a DIY approach first: 15% on average (ChatGPT 17.5%, Claude 15%, Gemini 12.5%) — a 5-point spread.
  • Gives price or cost information: 14.2% on average (ChatGPT 12.5%, Claude 15%, Gemini 15%) — a 3-point spread.
  • Warns about red flags or scams: 13.3% on average (ChatGPT 17.5%, Claude 15%, Gemini 7.5%) — a 10-point spread.
  • Tells the buyer to verify credentials: 10% on average (ChatGPT 17.5%, Claude 10%, Gemini 2.5%) — a 15-point spread.
  • Tells the buyer to check reviews: 4.2% on average (ChatGPT 7.5%, Claude 5%, Gemini 0%) — a 8-point spread.
  • Mentions case studies or portfolio: 0% on average (ChatGPT 0%, Claude 0%, Gemini 0%).

Trust signals

How well the models protect the builders merchants buyer.

Beyond whether to hire, the rubric codes how carefully each assistant protects the builders merchants buyer once a decision is made. Telling the buyer to check reviews or ratings appeared in 4.2% of answers on average. Verifying credentials or certifications appeared in 10%. Warning about red flags or scams appeared in 13.3%.

On structuring the decision, a selection-criteria checklist showed up in 39.2% of answers on average and a recommendation to gather multiple quotes in 15.8%. The single least-reproduced protective signal for builders merchants is "tells the buyer to check reviews" at 4.2% on average — the clearest opening for content that supplies it, since the models are not yet reliably surfacing that guidance on their own.

Referral behavior

Do AI models name Builders Merchants providers?

For service providers the decisive question is whether these systems name anyone at all. Across 120 builders merchants answers, a specific provider was named in 22.5% of responses on average — roughly 1 distinct providers per answer. In practice the assistants behave far more as an explanatory layer than as a referral engine for builders merchants: visibility comes from being the reasoning a model reproduces, not from being the named recommendation.

The question set

What these 40 Builders Merchants questions cover.

The 40 questions behind every percentage on this page were drawn from real builders merchants (home services; buyer hiring decisions for this specific service) buyer journeys. Each was put to all 3 models once, with identical wording, so the rates above describe how the assistants handled this exact builders merchants question set — not a general prior or a hand-picked subset. The full list is shown earlier on this page; the coded percentages are what those specific questions produced.

How to read this

A note on the numbers.

A percentage here is the share of a model's 40 answers in which the behavior appeared at least once — not a confidence score. Because each model answered every question exactly once on 2026-07-06, the figures describe this specific builders merchants question set and snapshot rather than a general prior. The full protocol and coding rubric are documented in the study methodology.

Methodology

A controlled snapshot, documented end to end.

40 standardized buyer questions per industry, one response per model per question (ChatGPT (gpt-5-mini), Claude (claude-sonnet-5), Gemini (gemini-3-flash-preview)), collected 2026-07-06, coded against a fixed 12-behavior rubric with human QA. AI outputs vary with model version, location and time — figures describe this sample and window, and are refreshed each edition. Read the full methodology →