Team Carbon : Silver Team

Web Analysis of hdsupplysolutions.com by Weisi Shi

Value Proposition and E-commerce type

HD Supply Facilities Maintenance (HD Supply) is one of the leading wholesale distributors of products and services to professional customers in the infrastructure and energy, maintenance, repair and improvement, and specialty construction markets. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and employed about 14,400 people. It offers a wide range of products across several inters related segments to its customers and complementing the product lines, the company offers many value added services as well. Through this approach HD Supply aims at providing seamless experience to the customers; by offering end to end solutions, the company can enhance average customer spend. Furthermore, the high quality service is a key differentiator in a competitive market and provides HD Supply an advantage. HD Supply is designed as a Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer model. It serves multifamily, hospitality, healthcare providers, educational and commercial properties, and municipal and government facilities.


Competitors and Revenue Model

  • 1. National Hospitality Supply - www.nathosp.com
  • 2. Top Hotel Supply - www.tophotelsupply.com
  • 3. Peach Suite - www.peachsuite.com
These three websites is offers the same or similar type of service as HD Supply Their revenue models are mainly based on retailing products, consulting services, and offering solutions.


Channels Integration

HD Supply offers its products through multiple channels: physical locations, e-business, and catalogs. A multiple-channel approach enables HD Supply to cater to large audience base and increases the visibility of the company's operations, products and services. It also enables HD Supply to increase sales by catering to the requirements of several customer profiles depending on the preferences regarding convenience and other related factors. HD Supply's approach to provide one-stop solutions to the customers through varied channels facilitates enhanced top line growth. HD Supply does not have any physical retail stores. However, their distribution centers are nationwide. These distribution centers ensure the ‘next-day delivery’ and ‘neighborhood convenience’.


Intended Customers

Intended Customers of HD Supply will be businesses and individuals. Business customers might include hospitality, healthcare providers, educational and commercial properties, and municipal and government facilities. Individual customers may include multifamily. As we can see in the graphics below, users are mainly in age over 45 who are browsing at work.


Marketing Strategies

HD Supply primarily operates in the US with limited exposure to Canadian markets. The company has a strong presence in this market, but the tough economic condition in the US has put pressure on the company's revenue growth in the recent years. However, HD Supply has seized the opportunity of increasing demand for green solutions and growth in homebuilding industry to expand the market. HD Supply offers eco-preferable products under its ideally green program in facilities management, repair remodel, utilities and white cap business lines. Thus, with the growing market for green solutions in the US, the company is well positioned to tap the potential market.


Attract different types of customers

To attract impulsive buyers, HD Supply put the ‘Top Categories’ on the Homepage. It accounted for most of the first screen places.
To attract patient buyers, HD Supply provides very detailed product classifications.
To attract analytical buyer, HD Supply provides a Comparison System, which compare detailed products parameters.


Customer Experience

  • Comparison Products
    • Comparison System. Detailed products parameters comparison.
    • Different views. List and Grid views.
  • Precise Search Products
    • Search Box. Keyword query.
    • Filters. Precise filtration products.
    • Multiple sorts.
    • Checkboxes.
    • Recommendation System.
  • Check Out
    • Shopping Cart.
    • Saving List.
    • Quick Order.
HD Supply has not implemented any real web 2.0 tools. And there is no personalization available.


Order Placement and Payment

As a customer of HD Supply, you are not able to purchase any products unless you have an account. The last step of registration is to fill in the shipping address, but you can ship to any other addresses you want when you check out. After you select the items and the qualities, you may add them to the Shopping Cart. You are able to not only check out from Shopping Cart but also from the Quick Order. HD Supply provided a good management of Shopping Cart.


Delivery, Shipping and Returns

As HD Supply has built multiple distribution centers, system can allocate an order to the nearest center. This center will be responsible for shipping the items to the buyers. HD Supply accept product back in its original packaging up to 90 days from the date of purchase and include an HD Supply Driver Return label or an Authorized Return Service (ARS) label on all returnable shipments.


Customer Service

HD Supply has a comprehensive online customer service system that can solve most questions. This system includes three ways to contact their customer service by phone, online chat, or e-mail.


Feature and content

HD Supply website content is clearly organized. Even for users who never access, they can easily learn how to purchase. This also proves that it has very good user experience.


Shopping Experience

HD Supply uses cookies to optimize customers’ shopping experience in that it allows customers to add multiple items to their shopping cart before checking out and it is helpful for HD Supply to recommend relevant products to customers.


Customer Loyalty

If you are shopping at HD Supply Repair & Remodel you better be a Cash Back Club member! Cash Back Club members receive up to 5% cash back on their purchases. Members also receive special mailers featuring new products, coupons, and upcoming member only events. There is no sign-up fee or membership fee, and HD Supply does all the work. It keeps track of customers’ purchases, and every quarter it will mail customers rebates straight to their home. Another way to maintain customer loyalty is that a team at HD Supply Facilities Maintenance designed a voice of the customer (VOC) project. The VOC team improved how the company gathers, analyzes and uses customer feedback.


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