The Home Depot: Strategic Product Analysis and Market Structure

Home Depot Corp was founded by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank in 1978 (The Home Depot, 2013). They adopted a strategic product analysis approach to offer customers a wide range of items. From the beginning, their employees focused on providing excellent customer satisfaction by assisting with tasks such as operating power tools, replacing appliance parts, and installing tile. To ensure that staff members were knowledgeable about the products, Home Depot offered thorough training for all employees. Additionally, the company organized workshops to educate customers about do-it-yourself projects.

The Home Depot is a well-known global hardware retailer that provides a wide range of construction and home improvement materials, supplies, outdoor and lawn equipment, appliances, and more. They also offer over 250,000 additional items through special order online or in-store (The Home Depot, 2013). To ensure their success, the company places importance on resource development and logistics management within their supply chain. By utilizing their strong connection to home improvement, Home Depot successfully carries out procurement strategies and implements measures.

Get quality help now
KarrieWrites
KarrieWrites
checked Verified writer

Proficient in: Business

star star star star 5 (339)

“ KarrieWrites did such a phenomenal job on this assignment! He completed it prior to its deadline and was thorough and informative. ”

avatar avatar avatar
+84 relevant experts are online
Hire writer

Variables in a program allow for the storage and manipulation of data. They provide the ability to assign a name to a value and reference that value using the assigned name throughout the code. In HTML, variables can be declared using the var keyword, followed by the variable name and an optional initial value. The assignment operator (=) is used to give new values to variables. Variables can hold various types of data such as numbers, strings, booleans, or objects. They can also be declared and assigned values simultaneously.

Get to Know The Price Estimate For Your Paper
Topic
Number of pages
Email Invalid email

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy. We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

"You must agree to out terms of services and privacy policy"
Write my paper

You won’t be charged yet!

Additionally, variables can be combined with other HTML tags and their contents to create web pages that are dynamic and interactive.

The market structure of an industry can vary depending on factors such as the number of sellers, product differentiation, and barriers to entry. It can be classified into different types including oligopoly, monopoly, perfect competition, or monopolistic competition. In a monopolistic market, the price elasticity of demand is relatively low compared to a perfect competitive market where it is very high. The more elastic the demand, the greater impact price changes have on product demand.

The Home Depot serves various customers both domestically and internationally. It holds the fourth position among home improvement retailers in the U.S. and ranks fifth globally. Its customer base includes in-house associates, novice homeowners, and commercial contractors. The Home Depot works closely with suppliers to ensure customer satisfaction at both global and domestic levels.

The program aims to improve the backup and service process for The Home Depot stores, providing efficiencies to Suppliers and enhancing accountability, efficiency and effectiveness to ensure a superior shopping experience for customers (The Home Depot, 2013). The business also has a well-designed Internet site that emphasizes collaboration with suppliers. The New Supplier Toolbox designs foster successful partnerships without complicated rerouting and confusing forms. The needs of Home Depot customers range from insecticides to an adequate supply of drywall for a complete home interior. The Home Depot also has an innovative, user-friendly Internet site that promotes supplier collaboration. Procedures for pricing and SKU number changes are clear to ensure seamless communication between The Home Depot and its partners. Finding products is easier than ever with the ability to enter the SKU number and select from a visual list of matching products.

Revenue and profit maximization are the main objectives for businesses.

Understanding the customer's perception of value is crucial for companies like Home Depot. They must assess their services in order to attract and retain customers. Economic factors and changing market trends may require adjustments to meet customer demands. Home Depot's Annual Report reflects the domestic expectations regarding procurement policies and procedures. In the past, Home Depot established design centers specifically for kitchens and baths. These centers offered customers the opportunity to incorporate Home Depot products into their home designs. However, Home Depot has now modified its procurement strategies and purchasing processes. Instead of design centers, they now provide design examples of kitchen and bathroom layouts. These examples serve as a service and guidance for customers who wish to incorporate Home Depot merchandise into their remodeling, renovation, or design projects.

The implementation of this strategy did not lead to an increase in production at all stores. Numerous customers would get inspiration from the example designs completed at Home Depot but then buy similar items from other retailers, both online and physical home improvement stores. The procurement policy has been modified to incorporate high-quality products like Thomasville furniture and RIDGID tools, which are renowned in the furniture and professional-grade tools industry. Additionally, Home Depot has collaborated with Martha Stewart Living to provide a distinctive brand of home improvement products in categories such as paint, outdoor living, and home organization (Home Depot, 2013).

The focus should be on retaining consumers by using strategies adopted from internal industries, such as design stations that drive merchandise. Home Depot has modified its purchasing strategy and policy to align with the changes in the domestic market. The goal is to raise demand for a service and shift the demand curve to the right. Adding features or increasing the efficiency of provision can help Home Depot reduce production costs and shift the supply curve to the right.

Marginal Factors

Understanding the patterns that emerge from local markets is crucial when operating on a global scale. For companies like Home Depot, establishing a connection with local markets is a significant step. By creating a strategy for sourcing domestically, a company can establish a strong presence in the market. From a global perspective, Home Depot has implemented a merchandise program that focuses on sourcing products from around the world. To obtain superior products, Home Depot maintains a database that tracks merchandise globally and allows them to source directly from manufacturers. Their team of merchants specifically identifies and purchases advanced and high-demand products for their various store locations. Additionally, Home Depot has established sourcing headquarters in China, India, Italy, Mexico, and Canada.

The maximization of revenue occurs when Marginal Revenue and Marginal Cost are equal. A business needs to determine the cost of producing additional units of a service to use this method. Home Depot aims to gain insight into domestic market preferences and source from specific areas by implementing a global sourcing strategy. This approach allows for the establishment of local connections and pricing, which helps Home Depot expand globally. The presence of a local area network enables an understanding of each area's unique requirements. For example, in countries like India with monsoon rains and winds, the local office can take note of these seasonal trends. Home Depot has regional offices to understand the movement of goods better and serve its local customer base effectively (The Home Depot, 2013). Furthermore, local recognition can assist in addressing challenges that may arise in specific areas.

Pricing

Home Depot's procurement process is summarized in the reference manual, which contains supplier information. This manual provides specific data to ensure effective collaboration and partnerships. The ordering cycle for Home Depot includes requirements for electronic data exchange, delivery statistics, buying order approaches, store environment settings, engineering excellence, customs compliance, and shipping restrictions.

Figure 1: The Home Depot Ordering Cycle Diagram

The Home Depot provides distribution statistics regarding product and packaging characteristics, freight requirements, and product flows (Amadeo, 2014). These statistics help prevent confusion and difficulties upon arrival by detailing where product distributions should be based on their origin, production, and final distribution.

The Home Depot supplier reference manual covers customs compliance and transportation requirements. It provides guidelines for suppliers on handling international imports or exports, including ensuring proper documentation, sufficient packaging, and security. The manual emphasizes the importance of handling worldwide imports or exports correctly, with the right documentation, packaging, and security measures in place. Pricing strategies involve adjusting prices along the demand curve (Amadeo, 2014). In markets with high price elasticity of demand, like monopolistic competitive markets, even a small decrease in price can have a significant impact on demand (Amadeo, 2014). On the other hand, non-pricing strategies, such as TV advertisements, can shift the demand curve to the right. These strategies are more effective in markets with low price elasticity of demand, such as oligopolies. It is recommended to select a combination of strategies that will have the greatest effect on demand within the business's industry.

Barriers and the Service

One definite barrier to entry in the industry is the act of obtaining patents or lobbying for stricter regulations. Another barrier is entering the market with expensive services that require specialized tools, similar to Home Depot. To differentiate products and services, offering a money-back guarantee is another option for dissatisfied customers. Additionally, capital investment can help reduce labor costs.

Operating

The Home Depot's organization places a significant emphasis on various factors such as merchandise excellence, innovation, availability, on-time delivery, security in fabrication and delivery, compliance with regulations and codes of conduct, and product reputation. These factors greatly impact the procurement strategy, policies, and procedures. The supply chain plays a crucial role in managing global and domestic opportunities, outsourcing of products and services, and providing support to personnel. Procurement decisions and policy influences have a profound impact on the selection of products, sourcing approaches, freight and import costs, export processes, shipping details, contract information, and overall business movement.

Some policies are enforced that have the potential to bring benefits and substantial reasons for both internal and external sourcing strategies. These strategies aim to create innovative advantages in the procedures and decisions of organizations regarding building and buying solutions. Home Depot is faced with challenges in unifying and coordinating its operations and supply chain, from the customer to the supplier. These challenges include decreasing inventory levels, enhancing communication between trading partners, adapting to changing customer demands, reducing the time it takes for a product to arrive after an order is placed, and cutting costs.

Contractor Sales/Comparative Advantage

The increasing transactions in all Home Depot stores suggest that homeowners are investing more money in maintenance and home improvement projects. Nonetheless, contractor sales, a substantial part of Home Depot's business, remain below expectations. There is fierce competition for contractor business, with major competitors such as Lowe's adjusting their strategies to empower store managers to provide contractor discounts without requiring approval from corporate headquarters.

Projected Outcome

By partnering with Home Depot, the expansion of e-commerce services offers customers greater access to products and services, resulting in improved resources for a competitive advantage. The inclusion of contractor sales, web-based imaging software, and the Home Depot Foundation community outreach program in this expansion would greatly benefit the company. Home Depot acknowledges that its associates are its most powerful competitive advantage. By breaking down departmental barriers and fostering cross-functional areas within the organization, Home Depot associates collaborate to enhance the business through innovative approaches to improving customer service.

Here are our recommendations:

During the next 2-year period, Home Depot should concentrate on specific objectives to enhance its supply chain value, management, vision, and development priorities. One significant advantage of Home Depot's planned supply chain strategy is its utilization of e-business and e-commerce processes, which ensure that all information is accessible to the supply chain. However, there is a weakness in potential delays when launching super store concepts and the need to add features later based on more accurate research. To support new projects and supply chain changes, Home Depot is creating a tactical decision support tool and collaborating with nonprofit organizations for home rebuilding contracts and retail product initiatives. The company's main objective is to meet customer demands rather than addressing inventory management issues within the supply chain. As technology continues advancing, IT plays an increasingly vital role in business operations.

Conclusion

The customer service strategy and improvement to merchandise, policies, and techniques at Home Depot is greatly impacted by the company's demands for high levels of merchandise excellence, revolution, obtainability, timely shipping, protection in fabrication and delivery, compliance with rules and regulations, and understanding of brand and its reputation. The supply chain modernizes various global and domestic occasions, merchandise and service outsourcing and also provides support to workers.

The range of products, methods of examination and sourcing, prices for importing merchandise, distribution options, delivery and import information, statistics on contracts, and procedures all contribute to possible business measures influenced by procurement decisions and policy influences. The association with numerous state and federal laws imposes restrictions and varying treatment and regulations for businesses. Some policies bring about potential profit or significant motivations for sourcing strategies, both internally and externally, to create cutting-edge impact on organizational processes and choices in building and purchasing solutions.

References: - Kimberly Amadeo. (2014). What Is the Business Cycle? - The Home Depot. (2013). Welcome to the Home Depot.

Updated: Feb 21, 2024
Cite this page

The Home Depot: Strategic Product Analysis and Market Structure. (2016, Aug 21). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/home-depot-business-proposal-essay

The Home Depot: Strategic Product Analysis and Market Structure essay
Live chat  with support 24/7

👋 Hi! I’m your smart assistant Amy!

Don’t know where to start? Type your requirements and I’ll connect you to an academic expert within 3 minutes.

get help with your assignment