Content about Online shopping

According to a quarterly survey of tens of thousands of home improvement professionals, more than 60% of pros shop at big boxes.

The survey, the TraQline PRO report from The Stevenson Co., also found pros -- including general contractors, painters, plumbers and landscapers -- are motivated by competitive prices when buying home improvement materials.

The TraQline PRO findings include:

For the second year in a row, HCN has compiled a state-by-state list of high performers, innovative retailers and classic stores. It’s called the 2012 Home Chanel News Hardware Store All-Star list. Strong customer service is the common thread for all 50 retailers. From there, community involvement, company history, great products and interesting niches set these businesses apart from the competition. 

Robert and Vicki Amberg, owners of Gerstner Hardware in Glenn, Mich., recently proved their commitment to their surrounding community by re-locating a nearby Post Office designated to close and incorporating it into their store.

The story reminded me of my Uncle Jerry, proprietor of an independent store stuffed with hardware SKUs and located in South Newfane, Vt.

Channel analysis
Dollar sales and unit sales of the caulk and sealant category both showed year-over-year gains, according to consumer research from the Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group. But unit volume is down compared with two years ago. The warehouse home centers dominated — nearly three of every five tubes of caulk — but have trended down in the past 12 months.

The Mooresville, N.C.-based home improvement retailer's MyLowe's online product will be on display at the 2012 International CES show in Las Vegas.

The tech features of MyLowe's include a card or key fob to track in-store purchases online; a digital home profile to create rooms and store floor dimensions, product details and notes for the home; and folders to organize projects and ideas.

The Jan. 10-12 consumer electronics show is one of the biggest trade fair's in the country. 

Consumer research from Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group indicates that the home improvement industry grew 2% in the 12 months ended September 2011 compared with 2010. Specialty retailers and online shopping are making significant gains, and hardware stores are also “gaining sales momentum,” the research showed.

Home improvement, as tracked by The NPD Group, includes categories in hand tools, power tools, outdoor power equipment, storage and organization, faucets and shower heads, lighting and electrical, fans, and caulk/glue/adhesives.

The race for the winning e-commerce formula continues. The latest effort comes from Mooresville, N.C., where the nation’s second-largest home improvement retailer is taking a holistic approach to engaging customers across channels.

Lowe’s launched its MyLowes Web-based tool last month and described it as a digital effort to help consumers maintain, manage and dream about home improvement.

Some of the best leaders in retail have been hammering at customer service initiatives throughout the home channel for years on end. So how are they doing? According to research from San Francisco-based MarketTools Inc., pretty good, but not great.


Of 1,000 consumers asked to think back to their last time they shopped at a home improvement store and describe service on a scale of 1 to 9, the average mark was 6.5. The study, conducted in July using a nationally representative sample of consumers, also found 75.3% believe service has neither improved nor declined.


Across the country, and across a broad spectrum of industries, advertisements sporting mobile bar codes are becoming an increasingly familiar sight. QR codes — quick response codes — are the most common of a few types of bar codes that consumers can scan using a pre-downloaded smartphone app. The bar codes may appear on anything from posters to packaging to catalogs and, when scanned, lead consumers to a specific set of information, often through a mobile website.

Lowe’s second-quarter financial report was a disappointment to the company’s executives, who made no excuses for the retailer’s poor showing. Earnings were down slightly, revenues grew by only 1.3%, and comp-store sales were essentially flat. “Even after taking into account the challenges of the macro environment, we are still not pleased with our performance this year,” said chairman and CEO Robert Niblock, speaking at an analysts’ conference call on Aug. 15. 


A customer satisfaction survey by J.D. Powers and Associates found that sales, delivery and installation service are slightly more important than facilities, product assortment and price when it comes to buying major appliances.