Introduction
Home depot is seen as the world’s largest home improvement retailer which has many branches in China and France and two leading French retailers. It caters to construction and building maintenance. Having over forty thousand different kinds of materials for building and improved home supplies and also garden products. It is also a leader in employee and volunteering where people can go and do different tasks just for leisure and improvement of their skills.
In any country where it is found it gives hope to the communities because it believes in its culture and therefore people are able to work and make the best contributions to their communities meaning that it caters to the well being of the people. It is publicly traded and covers both the Poor’s index and the industrial index and therefore it is ranked as the most admired specialty retailer (Edwin, 1995)
There have been complaints from consumers on the services provided by this depot whereby they claim that there are defects in the goods and services that are provided and therefore not safe for them to use. The depot installers do not keep time for installation of their services to the consumers meaning that one is not sure whether after paying the amount due then the service will be available or not. This creates a problem for the concerned people in that they end up doubting the services as if one has to wait then it means the product may not be of the right quality.
They give products that are of low quality this is because they have no time to make follow-ups on their products and therefore due to the size of the story the products are not of the desired quality this leads to worry on the users and decide to make purchases from somewhere else where they are sure of the products. The users complain that some of their products have defects like holes, seams are not in the right position and therefore the products can not stay the expected time without having the need to purchase another. The company provides different products to its users in large quantities and therefore the consumer does not need to get out in search of a product that is not available in such place.
History of the home depot
This company was begun in 1978 by Bernie M and the vision was to enable the consumers to do their shopping of all the products they required in that same building. They opened two stores in June 1979 in Atlanta which were warehouses that had high competition and stocked many products more than the hardware that existed at that time. This is because their sizes ranged from forty thousand square feet to seventy thousand square feet per building. The associates did all their best to make sure that the consumers received the best services by guiding them in their projects like laying tile and handling the power tools that were provided by the industry. (Edward, 1991)
This industry has values that enables it to encourage the consumers including: the excellent consumer service where by the consumers are provided with the best products so as to capture their attention on the need to purchase from this industry; they take care of the people in that they ensure that the products are provided at an affordable prices where the poor and the rich are able to make purchase; they have the entrepreneurial spirit in that they cover all small business people in providing them with the products at smaller quantities and also affordable; they have respect to the people it means that without respect then the consumers will feel that they have no right to buy from such people because they do not see them as been of importance; they build strong relationships with the people through giving them their products that are desirable; they also do the right thing in that they aim at giving the people exactly what they require; they also involve themselves in the communities this gives them a chance to interact with all people in all ways; and lastly they create the share holder value where they are able to make further investments in different areas as they have created the right attraction and relationship with these people in different places and people have seen the need to have such industry in their places to save time, money and also have the assurance of security for some products requires security to the consumer in terms of installation.
This company has been the fastest in growth in history. In the 1980s and 1990s, the company had tremendous growth as it had established its relationships with different people in several areas and therefore they were able to move fast in terms of making investments and also in the selling of their products to the people. In 1989 it had a hundred stores meaning that its expansion was very wide, in 2001 it had acquired total home where it was able to sell all its products without restriction as much had been done in all areas where it was introduced and in 2006 it extended to china where it acquired the home way and a 12 store chain.
This company had a strategy of product alliances with the industry-leading manufacturers to deliver services to consumers through a combination of national brands and other related products. The company has tried to make further associates for its stores but it has not done because its management is not to the expected standard as there is limited movement outside the company to find a person with more years of experience in retailing so there was a need for a manager who understands retail and the consumer experience so that it can improve in giving of its services to the consumers. This company has managed to increase its expenditures but has no focus this is because increasing expenditures does not mean the service to consumers is excellent and therefore the consumers end up losing the taste for this industry product. (Mary, 1999).
Problems facing the industry
First issue
This industry has a problem with consumers in that the products that are supplied of them are of poor quality. This gives a consumer have the feeling that all the products are of poor quality. The reason is that the industry has many things been kept for sale, therefore, to get through all the products is a problem. Having in mind that the company has got poor quality products then it means that few people will be able to purchase from them and therefore their sales go down as the consumers will lower their purchasing power. It becomes hard to start convincing people again about a product when they have in mind that such product is not according to their desired quality.
The associates find it very hard and it has an effect on the company at large. the company has tried to achieve more sales in the first but due to this poor quality of the products then its sales have reduced and the company is going through many problems as they have to convince the consumer again. To raise their sales once again they need to have a serious check on their products before giving them to consumers. This will make the users have the feeling of safety in using such product and therefore one will not have any feeling when purchasing such product.
Strategies
It is always advisable for any associate to seek from the consumer and get the views before supplying their services to them. the company should ensure that their products are distinguishable from other products because a consumer can purchase a product from other companies and if they do not have a brand name then it is easy to confuse the products and end up losing consumers. Most of the companies have similar products which can only be distinguished through using a certain brand for them. (Edwin, 1995)
To achieve the goal of making the highest sales then a company should create the best relationships with the consumers through giving gifts, discounts, and also giving them the carrying allowances this gives the consumer a chance to increase purchases in that particular company. Also, a company should have respect for its consumers so that they feel to purchase such products then all the best is provided. If a person is not respected then it means that the associates have no time for the consumers which creates a boundary between them and the consumers and therefore to purchase any product from any of the companies a person has no desire at all.
The company can attract many consumers from the approach to them when seeking to know about the price and the expiry period. There are associates who do not know how to approach consumers and therefore the company should ensure the associates are trained on how to deal with the consumers.
Second issue
The duration is the time they take to give a consumer the service he or she likes. If a consumer is delayed by a product then to ask for another product becomes a problem because you have the feeling that the same will be delayed therefore a company should have associates who are always time conscious and ready to provide the products at the right time. Through having such workers then the company gets high sales as more will be sold. People always like the company that is ready to offer its products to their residence at the right time and therefore they feel that such products are of the best quality if they can be taken to them by the company associates.
Strategies
The company should ensure that all the associates are trained on how to keep time and also have a time schedule for the workers so that no delay in the delivery of products. If a company has a time schedule then it makes it work without problems or delays and therefore achieves the goal of making high sales. The main goal of the company is to increase sales and this can be only achieved if they are readily available to the consumers when they need be and also solve their problems and be ready to listen to them and do all that they expect the company to provide. (Joseph, 1994)
Conclusion
This home depot is important to consumers because it provides them with provides at fair prices and also they do not waste time going to search for products because they are readily available. This company has limited problems in terms of the product defects as compared to other companies because it makes a check of its products even though one might get some that have defects but they are very limited. It provides consumer services having high values of respect, entering in the community where no discrimination is seen from them because they serve both the poor and the rich and also the small business people.
Reference
Edward, R. (1991). Small towns have no access to retail superstores. An Investigation by Still man school of business.pp 12-20.
Edwin, B (1995). Retailing stores working all day long catering for all races of people. The wall street journal. Pp 34-45.
Joseph, N (1994). Retail superstores putting much concern in women’s wear. Pp 23- 34.
Mary, H (1999). retail marketing strategies. Journal of business strategy, pp. 27- 31.