E-commerce strategies light up
That glow coming off cell phones and laptops – it’s distinct.
It indicates someone is shopping, browsing, buying. Whenever. Wherever. However.
Across the retail industry, merchants and technologists have set their sights on e-commerce success in the form of sales, profits, traffic or any combination of those. While the effort is universally embraced, no two approaches are quite the same. (And very few are even remotely the same.)
In the hardware and building supply space, there has been a recent push toward fine-tuning of digital shopping platforms to improve the online experience and achieve e-commerce prowess.
HBSDealer asked leaders in these industries about their latest efforts in e-commerce. Here are some of the insights:
“Do it Best moved to address the major shift in consumer behavior by enhancing and expanding our members’ ability to fulfill customers’ needs in-store and online,” said Dent Johnson, EVP of operations at Do it Best.
The company has introduced a fully integrated point-of-sale, putting customer convenience at the forefront, said the executive vice president.
“Our focus is on enhancing all members’ e-commerce capabilities with an eye for driving online customers into their stores. At a recent market, we debuted a popular automated locker system solution for online orders,” he said.
“We’re supporting all these efforts with a new white glove service for members to help them implement these major technology projects,” said Johnson.
# # #
Chris Kempa, CEO at True Value Company, explained some of his company’s recent e-commerce moves.
“The hyperlocal, omnichannel e-commerce platform we rolled out in the past year has been a big success for us and we will continue to invest in it and refine it,” said Kempa.
Bringing together online and in-store shopping has driven traffic directly to retailers’ stores, said the CEO, by utilizing features that allow them to compete with other e-commerce retailers.
“We have made it easier for customers to shop their local independent hardware store while keeping the process simple for the retailers,” said Kempa.
# # #
About e-commerce today, Lowe’s said, “we’re on a journey to becoming the world’s most customer-centric omnichannel retailer and we have built a robust tech infrastructure to advance our business.”
This transformation has led to achievements in e-commerce, said the large retailer, “and helps us continuously meet our customers where they are.”
Consumers have vast knowledge when it comes to shopping, especially online.
Lowe’s said it is, “proud of the gains we have made; from improving visibility of our available products, to enhancing our search and overall site functionality, we continue to deliver an integrated customer experience across stores, online and our mobile app.”
# # #
At Busy Beaver Building Centers, the e-commerce initiative is growing, including in the garden aisle.
“We will be a destination for all things plants this year,” said Karen Mayer, digital media director for Busy Beaver.
As part of this effort the digital media coordinator said, “we are working to make all our annuals, perennials, veggies, herbs, shrubs and trees available online.
“This will allow customers to browse and plan their shopping day, or they can even order the products online and take advantage of our same day in-store or curbside pickup,” she said.
Also, customers can sign up for emails to be the first to know about their Deal of the Day each day.
This spring, Busy Beaver will be rolling out a new rewards program called Great Deals+, “where our customers will be able to earn rewards with every purchase along with additional customer benefits,” said Mayer.
The building and hardware retail chain continues to focus on engaging with customers, said Mayer, “along with actively working to improve our website to provide customers exactly what they are looking for, when they need it, and how they like to shop.”
# # #
Angie Brown, senior vice president of technology for The Home Depot shares her thoughts on the topic.
“E-commerce is the new front door to the store, which is why Home Depot constantly invests in a seamless, complete digital experience. As online sales soared throughout the year, we continued updating our digital capabilities,” said Brown.
For example, she said, “we unveiled intent search, which identifies the product or service that customers need without a direct, one-to-one matching of keywords. Instead, our search algorithms augment basic keywords to yield a more relevant search experience unique for every customer.”
Additionally, in 2022, the retailer updated its in-store network with Aruba’s high-speed, Wi-Fi 6 technology – allowing customers and associates to quickly browse digital platforms in-store.
By investing in these technologies, said Brown, “we’ve successfully continued our quest of removing friction for our customers and helping them shop wherever, whenever and however they want.”
# # #
E-commerce does not stop evolving, so Orgill continues to evolve, said Grant Morrow, director of e-commerce at Orgill.
“Our Industry PIM solution has developed to be the leading product information database in the independent channel, but we are not stopping there,” he said. “Orgill understands that independent hardware retailers are at all sorts of different levels of maturity with their e-commerce needs.”
This continuing evolution has shown the company that they need to provide “a flexible, value driven platform that can provide different solutions for dealers of all different sizes, but which can still deliver impactful results,” said the e-commerce director.
Orgill previews its new solution in New Orleans at their Technology Symposium, February 8, with sessions that explain the new program on the Orgill Dealer Market floor February 9-11, said Morrow.
