Home Depot’s EXPO Design Center pilots new web site

The Home Depot Corp.’s EXPO Design Center division is testing a new web site, EXPO.com, with an initial assortment of 200 interior design and home décor products offered for purchase. On the site, which Atlanta-based Home Depot terms a pilot, visitors also can get an overview of EXPO Design Center’s eight product showrooms, get company information and locate the nearest EXPO store.

The 200 products available online, to be fulfilled via UPS out of the company’s Plano, TX, distribution facility, are a sample of the larger assortment available in EXPO’s 33 stores. The site’s primary goal is to drive customers into the stores, according to Steve Smith, senior vice president of merchandising for EXPO Design Center. “We believe this site will be another tool to help fuel the demand for EXPO products and services across the nation,” he says. “Once people get a taste of the EXPO concept from our web site, they will want to visit our stores.” Customer response to the site will determine decisions on future development, Smith adds.