This blog post is a summary of an Aqua Magazine Webinar co-hosted by Skimmer CEO Jack Nelson and Director of Marketing Niki Acosta. The webinar shared findings from Skimmer’s annual State of Pool Service report, which you can read here. Click here to watch the full webinar.
If there’s one thing pool pros can count on, it’s the constant ripple of change. Since we started publishing our annual State of Pool Service Report, we’ve seen this time and time again. Industry-shifting trends can emerge and take over within the span of less than a year.
This year was no different. For our 2025 report, we surveyed 2,000 pool service professionals and pulled platform data from over 30,000 Skimmer users. Here are the top insights that will influence the pool industry this year.
1. Pool pros are battling economic headwinds with proactive price increases
Today’s economic climate is the number one market challenge facing pool pros today. Factors like inflation, interest rates, and consumer spending threaten all small businesses, and pool service providers are no exception.
But this concern is nothing new. The same challenge took the #1 spot in 2024’s report, and pool pros have learned to dial into one factor they can control. 76% of survey respondents report that they’ll be increasing their prices in 2025.
Business owners plan to apply these moderate price increases to cleaning, maintenance, openings, and closings to stay ahead of rising costs.
2. Predicted revenue is on the rise
In our 2024 report 82% of respondents anticipated an increase in revenue for the coming year. The actual results were more widely distributed, with 58% of participants hitting that goal, 21% of respondents making the same amount as the year prior, and 9% making less than in 2023.
Despite past setbacks, this year’s survey respondents remain optimistic. 81% expect their revenue to grow in 2025, and only 2% predict they’ll make less revenue than they did in 2024. These predictions might actually fare better than last year’s, though, especially since pool pros across the board are investing in strategic growth.
3 Pool pros are getting more strategic about growth
There are as many ways to grow a pool service business as there are to run one. But more than ever, pool pros are aligning on the growth strategies they plan to pursue.
For example, a record-high 60% of respondents reported that they’ll be growing their business in 2025 by finding internal efficiencies and streamlining their services. In other words, they plan to make the most of what they already have, rather than seeking external growth opportunities.
Other anticipated growth strategies include:
- 40% want to increase their marketing budget. Social media is not as powerful a tool as it used to be (unless you’re paying for it). Pool pros are levelling up by investing much more heavily in marketing than years past.
- 43% want to expand into other lines of business. We’ve also seen this anecdotally with Skimmer customers. Builders are expanding into service, and service providers are expanding into repairs.
- 25% want to reduce customer count and increase profitability per pool. They’re doing this by upselling, raising prices, and keeping an eye on automation trends.
- 14% want to acquire routes. This number has dropped dramatically from 2023, when 31% of respondents expected to grow their business this way in 2024 (maybe it’s because only 11% of them ended up following through on this strategy).
4. Private equity is on the rise, with mixed reactions
It’s no secret that private equity has a reputation. But not all private equity is built the same, and as it continues to rise, pool pros are showing mixed feelings on the subject. Most people’s opinions are influenced by what they’ve seen personally.
Neutral-to-negative feelings aside, 29% of respondents say that, if approached, they would sell to a private equity firm. 37% said they were unsure, and 34% said they would not. Again, a pretty mixed bag.
Ultimately, there are unique considerations in any private equity arrangement. And while every opportunity is different, we can generally group the pros and cons of private equity as follows:
5. The marketing landscape has shifted dramatically
Gone are the days of growth through organic social and Yelp campaigns. These channels don’t yield the results they used to, and pool pros know it. Instead, they're investing heavily in referrals, SEO, paid search, and paid social.
No matter which marketing channels pool pros leverage this year, they’re using more money to do it (50% plan to increase spending). If you’re planning to do the same, we have some suggestions:
- Take the time to learn how to optimize these channels (or hire an expert who will do it for you).
- Make sure you have a way to follow up on all the leads you generate—you’d be surprised how many pool pros don’t answer the phone when their paid social campaign sends people their way.
- Referrals are bigger than ever, so don’t forget to incentivize online reviews.
- Make sure to include marketing costs in your pricing calculations. Marketing is becoming more expensive, and you need to factor that into your pricing.
6. Pool pros are (slowly) coming around to “plus chem” billing
When it comes to how pool pros bill their customers, there’s not a lot of variation. 55% of respondents bill their customers monthly with chems, while 20% bill monthly “plus chems”.
There are pros and cons to each approach, but breaking chemicals out separately does make it easier to hit margins, especially as costs continue to fluctuate. Some pros choose to adopt a hybrid model, where they charge a set price for base chemicals and extra for specialty chemicals.
7. Technology helps pool pros run their businesses better
More than ever, pool pros are moving away from pen and paper systems and embracing technology. 68% of respondents use an accounting software to manage billing and invoicing, while 64% have adopted an all-in-one software like Skimmer to streamline day-to-day tasks and route optimization.
Especially as younger, more tech-savvy pool pros enter the industry, this upward trend will continue—so if you’re one of the 5% that uses no software at all, it might be time to reconsider.
8. Pool service companies stay on the small side
While the admin side of the business remains lean (62% of respondents operate with 0-1 full time office employees), pool pros appear to be investing in their crew, with 47% reporting a team of 2-6 crew members.
Of these crew members, 52% of technicians are employees, compared to 32% who are contractors. This aligns with the growing sentiment that, in order to attract great talent, it pays to invest in your people. Offering benefits, even if it’s just a truck and a cell phone, can go a long way in keeping great talent in the company.
No matter what size of company pool pros have now, most will be bigger by the end of this year. 55% of respondents report that they’re planning to hire more employees in 2025.
9. Pool pros are getting savvier about where (and how) to buy supplies
Pool pros appear to be using a mixed approach to purchasing parts and supplies: 79% of respondents visit a local distributor in-person, while 53% get parts delivered from a local distributor. Obviously, there’s some overlap, with few people sticking to one strategy.
Many pool pros take a strategic approach to shopping, going online specifically for small parts that can be shipped quickly, and shopping in-person up to three times a week for everything else. There’s also been a rise in buying groups, where many pool pros place large orders together to enjoy economies of scale.
10. There are many ways to grow your business in 2025
If there’s one message we want pool pros to get from the State of Pool Service report, it’s this: there are more ways than ever to grow a pool service business in 2025. Being realistic about challenges and strategic about growth are important, but there are many ways to go about that. Broadly speaking, we suggest pool pros keep these ideas top of mind for 2025:
- Embrace technology as a growth driver
- Seek out partners for long-term success
- Adopt a proactive pricing approach
- Expand your skill set
- Focus on customer experience
If you’d like to learn more about any of these approaches, check out Skimmer’s free resources for pool pros.
To read more about today’s industry trends, download the State of Pool Service 2025.
