Joel Warady

Home Depot Invests $60 Million in Handheld Devices

January 21, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
Home Depot Inc. will hand over 10,000 portable devices to its store associates in 2010 to help them stock shelves, locate inventory, make telephone calls and check out customers throughout the store. What features on handheld devices will do the most to improve the customer experience?      [more...]

This is a great start for Home Depot but there is so much more that they can do with handheld if they really want to be a customer-centric retailer.

1. Why not have video access on the handhelds? When a customer asks them how a certain product should be used, or how a large piece of home repair should be installed, they could call up the video, right there on the handheld, and show the customer what is involved.

2. As a follow up on the the video, every inventory item--especially those items that require installation--should be cross-referenced in a database stating what tools will be needed for a proper install. Then, when the customer asks where an item is in the store, and the Home Depot employees pull it up on the locator, they can also recommend to the customer that they will need the following tools for installation. This could lead to a potential upsell.

3. The employee should have the ability to capture both the name and the email address of the customer in exchange for a special recognition. Maybe an additional discount, maybe a free gift every 6 months, etc. Once that name is captured in the handheld, it should be downloaded into a central database that is available at all stores. Then, when the customer shops at another store, and checks out "on the fly" within the aisles, the sales clerk will know how often they shop, what stores they shop at, etc. It allows for better appreciation, and better dialogue with the customer.

There are a number of additional initiatives that should be considered with the handheld roll-out. The key is to provide as much information to the customer--and the employee--while on the floor. It will lead to a significantly more pleasant and more profitable shopping experience.