As the holidays hit, Lowe's checks the 'Pro Pulse'
Lowe’s is ready for a holiday sales push to pros, and for good reason.
According to the home improvement retailer’s new proprietary Lowe’s Pro Pulse Survey, professional customers said they posted a banner year and don’t see a slowdown in sight.
While most Pros use the year’s end to wrap projects and reset, more than 70% of survey respondents expect to be busier than ever this winter, Lowe’s reported.
“As part of our commitment to better understand what pros want and need, we’re using methods like the Pro Pulse Survey to hear directly from Pros,” said Fred Stokes, Lowe’s senior vice president, pro sales and service. “Pros say they have been working harder than ever to keep up with the demand for home improvement projects, so we’ve rolled up our sleeves to help them restock and resupply with events like PROvember and special deals all holiday season long.”
The survey also revealed that there is an increased demand for pro help with 80% of survey respondents saying there is a need for home improvement professionals in today’s market.
Pros reported an average of nearly 11 projects per month in 2021 and expect that to increase by 45% in 2022. Among jobs expected in 2022, pros said there will be increased demand in projects aimed at adding functionality for homeowners with the top project being energy efficiency updates.
Additionally, 82% of respondents to the Pro Pulse Survey said the holidays are a time to reward teams for their hard work while 79% plan to take advantage of holiday deals to purchase new tools and job supplies.
With that in mind, Lowe’s has released its first-ever Lowe’s Pro Toy Catalog. The online catalog serves as a guide of new products and savings. Survey findings indicate that professional customers expect to spend an average of $3,100 on new products and hardware during the holiday season.
The new Lowe’s Pro Toy Catalog includes:
• Top PROvember deals: An entire month dedicated to Pros when Lowe’s offers deals, in-store demos, welcome kits for new Lowe’s For Pros Loyalty program members, and a special sweepstakes for Loyalty members
• Top pro “toys” of the season: The must-have tools and supplies to help Pros with all of their holiday shopping needs, whether restocking their own toolbox or gifting their crew.
• Top tips and picks from Lowe’s Pro Ambassadors: Lowe’s has enlisted a new group of industry experts to provide counsel on its product and service offerings for Pro customers, as well as share their wealth of knowledge on how they are prepping for 2022. Members include experts and influencers such as carpenter Darren Keefe; industry voice Victoria Downing; and Roger Wakefield, “The Expert Plumber;" among others.
Over the past three years, Lowe's has been steadily ramping up its offerings to professional customers through the use of new marketing, technology, and loyalty programs. In the past, Stokes has compared the fine-tuning of Lowe's pro strategy to a running back steadily gaining short yardage on the field.
"We're throwing the ball long now," he told HBSDealer.
