Four reasons why The Home Depot is outpacing Lowe’s online

The Home Depot has consistently grown its e-commerce business, doing more than twice as much in sales online as Lowe’s did last year.

Forbes offers suggestions for why The Home Depot is outpacing its top competitor in web sales:

1) “Better interconnectedness between the online space and the in-store space could guarantee better performance for Home Depot.” Home Depot has about 20 percent more stores than Lowe’s, allowing for easier and more efficient product shipping and in-store pickup.

2) “The opening of a third fulfillment center could further boost online sales for the retailer, by reducing the time lag between ordering a product and its delivery.” Home Depot has worked toward same-day shipping for all online orders since 2013.

3) Besides offering better online tools for consumers than Lowe’s website does, HomeDepot.com “also allows customers to avail services of any of their licensed contractors to completion. These services, more than anything else, could appeal to the valued pro customers…”

4) “Home Depot’s app goes beyond what Lowe’s offers in terms of maps and location-based product inventory, to further include features such as a voice-guided product locating service and updated online offerings during in-store shopping…”

In 2014, Home Depot’s web sales were $3.7 billion and Lowe’s were $1.4 billion.

Source : Kate Klein - Hardware Retailing
http://www.hardwareretailing.com/4-reasons-home-depot-tops-lowes-web-sales/