![]() ![]() It began in 2011 with buy-online-return-in-store (BORIS), and then added buy-online-pickup-in-store (BOPIS), as well as buy-online-and-ship-to-store (BOSS). As ecommerce has grown in importance for Home Depot over the years, the retailer has gradually expanded its interconnected and omnichannel strategy to incorporate more and more convenient pick-up and return options for its customers. Today, however, service must be continuous and stretch beyond the four walls of a bricks-and-mortar outlet. Convenience, selection and value tend to get people in, and service is what brings them back.” Blending the Physical and Digital World The holy tenets of retail are convenience, selection, value and service. We want you to come to us because we’re not just interested in the transaction, but in the relationship and in your lifetime purchase behavior. There are lots of places you can buy a drill. “We’re trying to walk in the shoes of our front-line associates, because that’s our differentiator. “You learn so much in the aisles,” Hofmann says. They shadow employees and serve customers, seeking first-hand knowledge of what it takes to keep winning the hearts and minds of the modern consumer. ![]() To make sure Home Depot delivers this message, and that the customer relationship stays at the forefront of the retailer’s mind and strategy, executives don the iconic orange aprons and put themselves on the frontline in Atlanta-area stores once a week without fail. “Trying to pick up those signals is a big challenge, and it’s a different type of message.” “Sometimes they’re there to pick up paper towels or laundry detergent, other times they’re there because they’re doing a $30,000 kitchen remodel,” says Hofmann. Typically visiting a store between four and six times a year, each run – and indeed each customer – is distinct. And consumer store-visits are different, too. While contractors get the most out of content that focuses on product specs, consumer-focused messages include how-tos and home improvement tips. Convenience and Value Brings Them In, Service Brings Them Backīut for the everyday consumer, the relationship is different – and so the communications are different. It’s, ‘How are we helping them make money on their job?’ It’s more B-to-B versus B-to-C.”Īs such, Home Depot offers cheaper bulk-order offers for contractors, and keeps them in-the-know of product availability and quantity via mobile notifications. The marketing challenge there is more relational. They don’t need a store map they know our store. “We have a much more intimate relationship with them. “The contractors are heavy mobile users – they’re hardly ever in front of a tablet or PC, and they’re more interested in product features, specifications, price, and if we have contractor-like quantities available,” Hofmann says. The key to servicing this cohort, says Hofmann, is through building professional relationships and engaging them through the most appropriate channels. ![]() Professional contractors make up just 3% of Home Depot’s customers, yet generate some 40% of its revenue. To do so, the retailer must understand the key differences between its two main types of customer. “Home Depot seeks to integrate the store experience and the online experience from a customer perspective.” Know Your Customer “Omnichannel is really how a retailer looks at the supply chain, but interconnected considers how we want consumers to see our environment,” explains Smith. The aim, then, is to deliver what Home Depot’s Vice President of Direct Fulfilment and Delivery Stephanie Smith calls an “interconnected retail experience”. But in an increasingly connected world, Home Depot knows the importance of omnichannel, and that nearly all of its customers – be they professionals or otherwise – are engaging with the brand online and on mobile. Upping its in-store customer service game is the primary focus in achieving this goal. As Home Depot’s CMO Kevin Hofmann puts it: “Our goal is to help both professional contractors and average consumers solve problems.” ![]() Ranking No.9 on YouGov’s most recent survey of America’s best-perceived brands, the home improvement supplies retailer has two distinct customer bases that it needs to impress to keep its well-built reputation intact and sales high: construction professionals and everyday DIY consumers. It may be one of the largest and fastest-growing ecommerce retailers in the US – online sales grew from $500 million to $5 billion between 20 (with another 23% surge in Q1 2017) – but delivering an unbeatable in-store experience remains the top priority for Home Depot. ![]()
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