Bring in the Girls

Lately the economy has seen a surge, and many seem to think it is in a state of recovery. As a response to this, retailers have started using different strategies to try and bring in more customers. For example Home Depot, which is usually affiliated with men shoppers have tried to appeal to the female demographic by changing the layout of their stores or adding new products. Home Depot has added a line of Martha Stewart Living merchandize in hopes that this move will attract women who are renovating a part of their home.

In this market stores need to find a way to cater to as many clients as possible but that sometimes means changing the way people look at your store. For example, home improvement stores get a bad reputation for only catering to men and women sometimes feel unwelcome. "Sometimes they seem to feel like you're just a girl, you don't know what you're doing, you need to get your husband in here," said Ms. Butler, 25, who lives in Loxley, Ala. "It's intimidating for any female to walk into a home improvement store."

Without a housing recovery to revive sales of big items or major renovation supplies, home improvement stores are promoting smaller projects for spring, home improvement stores' major selling season. And that means sprucing up departments to get women shoppers excited about window treatments or new colors for makeovers of existing spaces.

Experts say that since the economy is still in a state of recovery people are still not comfortable buying houses because their income is not stable so companies like Home Depot and Lowes are trying to bring in people who are renovating. Changes in layout like wider aisles, warmer colors, less metal displays, mood lighting, more wood tones and comfort zones areas where customers could review paint samples or plan for remodeling are small changes that can make female customers feel more welcome.

Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/business/29home.html?_r=1&ref=homedepotinc