Home Depot (HD) is the world’s largest home improvement center and its recent changes have shown its commitment to continue to hold that title. The Atlanta-based home improvement retailer employs close to half a million workers to keep it ready to help customers tackle their repairs and other needs around the house.
To keep the best employees out there, Home Depot recently committed to raising wages for workers, which will cost the company roughly a $1 billion. Considering the company’s revenue for 2022 was $157.4 billion, according to the 2022 fiscal year end financials, that seems like a small price to pay to retain the title of world's largest home improvement store.
Home Depot is committed to helping DIYers tackle their everyday projects as well as contractors. Home Depot has held classes, ‘How Doers Get More Done,’ to help share the knowledge needed to tackle lots of different projects. Home Depot classes are there to help people prepare to help Do-It-Yourself, Do-It-Herself and kids workshops get more done.
Home Depot Plans Growth through Expansion
Home Depot is making commitments all around to retain the best talent and is working to build its clientele with new customer programs. Home Depot on March 2 launched a new type of builders DIY program with Roblox (RBLX), as the gaming platform partnered with the retailer to launch Virtual Kids Workshops in Roblox’s RedCliff City.
The Virtual Kids Workshops will offer kids opportunities to play, build and learn all at the same time. Learning from Home Depot how to virtually build a project before it is started ‘in real life.’ These virtual classes are an extension to the kids’ classes already offered at the home improvement warehouse company and will provide different projects like building a bird house. Kids will have to walk through the store and collect different materials to complete the project.
While the virtual workshops aren't step-by-step instructions on how to build it online, it does give a basis on how to start a project. Learning what materials are needed and what order to do the project is a great starting point. Kids go through the different aisles of the warehouse collecting different materials for the project and then go through the process of building in the correct order. Measuring, assembling and painting happen in order to help build a concept for the young DIYers.
"We are taking the Kids Workshops experience to a new level in the metaverse, inspiring more future doers by meeting them where they are," said Molly Battin, Home Depot’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer. "Our Virtual Kids Workshops offer the familiarity of The Home Depot -- a weekend trip that many young people already experience with their families – and combines it with the discovery, problem solving and fun that Roblox is known for."
Home Depot Virtual Experience Transitions to Real Life
The virtual building projects will have varying levels of complexity, much like the original DIY kids' workshops that have been around for years at Home Depot. With many things going virtual, this addition to the in-person classes that are going to continue to be offered makes sense to offer to virtual options to customers as well.
This new virtual experience is a great way for kids who primarily use the Roblox platform to build something and then learn that they can actually go and build it in real life as well. Kids will look for supplies in Roblox similar to searching for supplies in the actual store, which otherwise could be a daunting task to not only kids, but adults as well. Like any building project or online platform, adult supervision is advised.
