Even retail giants like The Home Depot spend a good chunk of their year planning for seasonal spikes. And one of their biggest seasons, Spring, is here.
“Spring is our Super Bowl,” VP of Integrated Marketing Allison Kolber said during The Home Depot’s inaugural marketing summit InFronts. The event, hosted last week, was an opportunity for The Home Depot to showcase their media strategy innovation ahead of the busy spring season.
Retail media makes up a huge part of the overall marketing landscape. At its core, retail media is marketing to a customer at or near their point of purchase. That could be in the store aisle or in an app. Retail media spend is projected to represent 23.5% of all digital advertising in the U.S. according to Advertisers Perceptions.
Places like The Home Depot — where suppliers are vying to get in front of customers ranging from home improvement professionals to perennial DIYers looking for the best deal — have created full networks to help third-party brands better advertise their products on shelves. This helps brands get a “front row seat” to their customers in a way that previously wasn’t possible, VP of Orange Apron Media and Monetization Melanie Babcock told Hypepotamus.
The Home Depot launched its retail media practice in 2019. But last week, the team announced its revamp and rebranding to Orange Apron Media.
The revamp helps The Home Depot differentiate itself in the crowded retail media space. This is a “second phase” of The Hope Depot’s retail media work. Orange Apron Media focuses on providing personalized and best-in-class service. It is also about providing suppliers with better data to ensure they are making the best investment of their marketing dollars, Babcock added.
“That’s unique in the market,” she told Hypepotamus. “Automation is really how people can scale every time. We have the same capabilities as well. But at every point, whether you’re a really big or very small supplier, you are given Orange Apron service. And so when a supplier comes to us and says they’re planning a big launch, they know that they’re going to get the best service from us. We know their business…and we really know our customers.”
Home Depot’s Evolving Retail Media Landscape
The Home Depot has long been an innovator in the technology and media space. It was the first advertiser on Pinterest and has built up a top retail media platform over the last five years.
A focus on retail media, including shoppable videos and onsite advertising options, has had a big impact on suppliers who have products on Home Depot shelves. And it’s also changed how customers shop. So whether you are heading to The Home Depot for new flowers, new BBQ supplies, or new paint to help complete those Spring Cleaning tasks, Babcock said the goal is for Orange Apron Media’s work to help make the shopping experience easier.
“Everyone is busy. A customer walking into our store is solving a problem in their home. And it is often a problem they are unfamiliar with. And even if you have done a project [before], the technology of the products [you used] have changed. I want them to walk out feeling like that was easy because we solved their problem,” she added. “We are here to further the success of the Home Depot by furthering the success of our suppliers,” Babcock added. “Our suppliers offer us wonderful products and a lot of innovation. And we have to make sure that they are connecting with the customer at the right time in that consumer journey.”
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Featured photo from The Home Depot
