• FR

    • Actively seeking two renovation centres to become local buying destinations

    Two renovation centres are presently being sought to serve as labs to test a theory: if a store makes an effort to position itself as a destination for quality products made in Canada, will it benefit the business? By extension, will it help the banner and its suppliers? Taking it a step further, will this action be perceived positively by its customers and professionals?

    Thanks to the synergy provoked between the five stakeholder groups of the “Well Made Here” program, we will want to demonstrate that all involved parties win, namely the retailer and its banner, its suppliers, its clients and contractors.

    It will in fact consist in synchronizing operations for all the implicated players and coordinating a marketing offensive to elicit certain change.

    What specific outcomes do we hope for?

    1. More traffic and sales, because people would be attracted to the fact that a home improvement center positions itself as a destination for products that are well made and locally made. If there is more in-store traffic, the mathematical odds improve that sales will increase.
    2. More sales at a just price, because the accredited WMH products are promoted for their quality and not through price reductions.
    3. More clients from outside the natural circle, attracted by the concentration of WMH products.
    4. Greater consumer satisfaction due to the information and drive from people who will find it noble and justified for a store to encourage local buying and especially, products that meet construction codes and other standards.
    5. Greater customer loyalty conversion due to the store’s position in solidarity with local manufacturers and because staff has higher product knowledge.
    6. More contractors who have become store customers due to products that are well made and made here.
    7. More manufacturers engaged in merchandizing and in-store promotions and by media to support the notoriety and the sale of their products.
    8. More notoriety for the banner to which the home improvement center is affiliated.
    9. More noise about the new WMH program due to the press relations and social media campaign orchestrated around the pilot experience.
    10. More manufacturers interested in joining the program.

    What indicators will be used to measure achievement of the objectives?

    1. Comparison of the corresponding month’s sales performance to that of past years’ (we will reveal the percentage of increase, not dollar amounts, to maintain the confidentiality of sales revenues).
    2. Measurement of the sale of accredited products compared to prior years.
    3. Contest during the promotional campaign during which buyers’ postal codes will be captured.
    4. Customer survey about their appreciation of the program and the retailer’s engagement.
    5. Calculation of repeat customers during the period thanks to the contest held during the campaign.
    6. Sales comparison in quantity or dollars for professionals during the same period using prior years’ data.
    7. Inventory of activities hosted in store and in the media by manufacturers who propose “Well Made Here” products.
    8. Audit of media mentions of the banner’s name.
    9. Calculation of the number of times the program was mentioned in the media thanks to the pilot experience.
    10. Identification of manufacturers who joined the program specifically due to the pilot experience.

    Exactly how will the pilot experience be carried out?

    The campaign will span five months, running from November 2019 to March 2020.

    The retailer will make the following commitments:

    • Accept to be part of a promotional campaign;
    • Help identify the supplying manufacturers that have not yet joined the program for us to solicit their participation;
    • Supervise the provision of information and training about the program to its staff;
    • Allow the WMH team to « decorate » the store and tag accredited products;
    • Collaborate with manufacturers who wish to conduct promotional activities;
    • Diffuse and compile the survey/contest at cash registers during the campaign;
    • Provide the necessary statistical data to draw up the operations report.

    The WMH team will make the following commitments to the retailer:

    • Provide the information and training to staff;
    • Solicit the renovation centre’s suppliers’ participation and implication in the program;
    • Request the retailer’s approval for any activity that could physically affect the store (contest, decoration, tagging, etc.);
    • Request the retailer’s approval for any activity that could affect the store’s name and reputation in the media;
    • Respect the confidentiality of information that will be shared during the partnership;
    • Keep the banner’s head office informed of the process and invite them to lend support.

    The results of the operation will be broadcast to the business community during the Spring of 2020.

    If you know of two dynamic retailers who could volunteer to run the pilot experience, invite them to contact Isabelle Champagne.