Home improvement retailer finds a home on mobile phones

The home improvement retailer like the universality of a mobile web site over a dedicated app for each smartphone operating system.

Home Hardware, a Canadian home improvement company, believes the relationship between consumers and their local stores is an important one. That relationship was a guiding factor in the design of the company’s mobile-optimized web site, says Kathy Philippe, Home Hardware consumer loyalty and web site manager.

Home Hardware is a network of more than 1,000 stores, each locally owned. That network is the reason why Home Hardware’s mobile site, like its desktop site, lacks a sales transactional component. “We are a cooperative of stores,” Philippe says. “The stores have the relationships with the customers.” Consumers can see product prices on the mobile site after they select their local store, she explains.

The mobile site, developed with help from Endeca Technologies Inc., enables users to create shopping lists, which they can also access on the company’s desktop site if they have created an account with Home Hardware.

The mobile site features a large search box at the top of the screen with a store locator button immediately below. Consumers enter a postal code or city and province to locate the nearest store. Product promotions highlight the lower section on the main page. Consumers also can access Home Hardware’s sales flyer on the mobile site.

Philippe says the rationale for choosing a mobile site over a mobile app is a simple one. “If you build an iPhone app it only works on the iPhone,” she says. “We want to be able to reach all smartphone and mobile device users.” Philippe does not rule out one day deploying a mobile app, but only if there is enough demand, she says.