www.HomeDepotOpinion.com – Complete Home Depot Survey – Win $5000 Gift Card

If you want to complete the Home Depot survey, go on over to www.homedepotopinion.com.

This customer survey is for people who have recently placed orders at their ware-house like stores. By completing all the questions, the survey takers will get a free entry to the $5000 gift card sweepstakes.

How to do the Home Depot survey on the web:
1. The web site to share your shopping experience and take the survey is at homedepotonion.com.
2. It can be taken in English, Spanish, French and it is available for consumers living in both Canada and the USA.
3. To see the feedback questions, respondents need to submit their area codes, User IDs and passwords.
4. This questionnaire is a short one so that it can be done within 10 minutes.
5. Personal information is required for people who want to enter the gift card sweepstakes.

Do you know why they offer this feedback survey opportunity to their customers? If you want to know the answer to this question, you may want to learn a little about their history and business strategies.

Home Depot is the leading retailer of home improvement and construction products in the United States. All over the US, one can find their bright orange themed warehouse-styled branches. This store was originally founded in 1979 in Atlanta by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank. Up to that time, home improvement and construction supplies were usually sold only to professional contractors in the construction industry, and rarely to home owners, because the supplies were generally bulky and had to be stocked in large warehouses. It was believed that the average retail customer did not have the expertise to renovate his own house, and would not appreciate having to shop at warehouses. Marcus and Blank believed that with the appropriate help, the general public would take to home renovation with gusto. They built their stores around 3 key principles, price, selection and service. They decorated the warehouse stores with a warm reassuring orange, and lit the stores brightly to encourage browsing. The stores were also staffed with knowledgeable associates who were trained to reassure customers and provide expert advice. On the weekends, home improvement workshops were held to inspire customers to undertake their own home improvement projects. With this innovative business model, it grew extremely rapidly, and became the largest home improvement retailer in the US.

The success of Home Depot caused another retailer, Lowe’s Company, to enter the market. By the time Lowes started its first store, the general public had already grown accustomed to DIY home improvement projects. Lowes then made three critical changes to its business model. Firstly, Lowes staffed its stores with cheaper, less knowledgeable associates, deliberately catering to customers who did not need expert assistance. Secondly, while it typically sited its stores in expensive places with high foot traffic, Lowes sited its stores in cheaper places that did not have foot traffic, relying on people who were willing to go out of their way for cheaper prices. Thirdly, while it has a single price policy, Lowes gave a 15% discount to professional contractors. With this modified business model, Lowes was able to price their goods below Home Depot, and Home Depot began to hemorrhage business to Lowes. Lowes handily beat Home Depot in a number of critical retailing numbers, including sales per square footage and inventory turns.

Alarmed by this turn of events, the Board of Directors at Home Depot hired a new CEO from GE, Robert Nardelli. Nardelli attempted to turn the store around with a new strategy of targeting professional contractors, buying up wholesale distributors, and firing expensive staff. This new strategy failed miserably, as existing customers deserted Home Depot at an even faster rate, while sales to professional contractors were low margin and not enough to offset the loss of the existing customer base. The failure of the strategy, coupled with Nardelli’s outrageous compensation package, led to his dismissal, and the current CEO Frank Blake was hired. Blake has gone back to Home Depot’s roots, again rehiring experienced staff, and once again going after retail customers.

Home Depot Survey: Customer Satisfaction Survey $5000 Gift Card Sweepstakes
As part of its drive to woo back its retail customers, all customers who have shopped at their stores are invited to take part in their customer satisfaction survey. To take part, you merely need your receipt, which has a username and password required to take the survey. The survey takes 5-10 minutes of time, and at the end, you are entered into a monthly Sweepstakes with a chance to win $5000. If you want to take part in this Home Depot Customer Satisfaction Survey, go to www.homedepotopinion.com.

The web site: http:/www.homedepotopinion.com