Reset, don't retreat: lessons from the Bathroom Association Connect Conference 2026

The outlook is tough, but it's not a reason to go quiet

The Construction Products Association delivered an honest economic update. Uncertainty is high, with inflation predicted to peak in late 2026 or early 2027, driven by rising material costs, interest rates, skills shortages and wider geopolitical pressures.

Total construction output is expected to fall by 3.3% in 2026, with the sharpest declines in private housing (-10%), private repair, maintenance and improvement (-8%), public housing (-5%) and commercial (-4.9%). A modest recovery of 1.2% is forecast for 2027, led by public non-housing (+3.8%) and infrastructure (+3.2%).

For bathroom brands, the instinct in a downturn can be to pull back on marketing. We'd argue the opposite. When demand is tighter, the brands that stay visible, relevant and trusted are the ones buyers and specifiers remember when conditions improve. It also makes it more important to know exactly where your growth is coming from, and to target those audiences precisely rather than spreading budget thinly.

RESET: a framework for marketing through change

Jez Rose opened the day with a framework for tackling change more effectively: RESET, or Recognise, Engage, Simplify, Evolve and Trust. It was designed for teams, but it translates neatly into marketing:

• Recognise. Acknowledge what has changed for your customers and the market, rather than carrying on as if nothing has. 

• Engage. Bring audiences into the conversation instead of broadcasting at them.

• Simplify. Cut messaging back to what matters most. Complexity is the enemy in a nervous market.

• Evolve. Adapt your channels, creative and offer as behaviour shifts.

• Trust. Back everything with credibility, because trust is what carries a brand through uncertainty.

Designers and manufacturers are stronger together 

Dr Vanessa Brady from the Society of British and International Interior Design (SBID) made the case for interior designers and manufacturers working much more closely in the bathroom sector. As consumer expectations and specification trends evolve, the brands that involve designers early, rather than simply pitching to them, are best placed to benefit.

It's a principle we see across the built environment: the strongest brands build relationships within the communities that influence buying decisions, rather than simply chasing reach. For bathroom brands, designers and specifiers are one of the most valuable of those communities.

Winning the next generation of talent is a marketing challenge 

The skills panel tackled the shortage of installers and plumbers, the Competent Persons Scheme and the important issue of how the industry attracts new talent. Both the panel and audience agreed on one thing: the sector needs to speak to a much wider pool, through schools and social media, and show why a career in bathrooms is genuinely attractive.

The panel also highlighted that the skill shortage is, at its heart, a brand and communications problem. Reaching young people means meeting them where they are, with creative that cuts through and changes perceptions. It's behaviour change work.

But attracting more people into the industry has to go hand in hand with raising standards. The discussion around the Competent Persons Scheme and the WaterSafe Register underlined the importance of giving consumers a clear way to identify qualified, competent professionals – and giving those professionals the recognition their training and expertise deserve.

Ultimately, tackling the skills gap is about more than recruitment. It is about building the brand of the profession itself – attracting new talent, championing competent professionals and making it easier for consumers to distinguish them from unqualified operators.

Setbacks are fuel, if you adapt 

Rob Law closed the day with the story of Trunki, from an early setback on Dragons' Den to an international product success. His message was about turning setbacks into focus, adapting to change and never losing sight of the end user.

It's a good reminder for marketers. The best brands treat disappointing results as data, not defeat, and keep returning to the customer's real needs.

What this means for your brand 

The bathroom industry is heading into a challenging stretch, and the answer isn't to retreat. It's to reset: understand where your audience has moved, simplify what you say, and build trust with the people who influence your sales, from designers and installers to homeowners.

That's exactly where we help. We combine strategy, behavioural science and creative to help brands in the built environment cut through in uncertain markets.