According to a recent Market Force satisfaction study, consumers prefer to shop at Ace Hardware for their home improvement supplies and Costco for their home furnishings needs.
In the home improvement category, Ace Hardware earned a composite loyalty score of 61%, with Menards scoring 50%, followed by Lowe’s, Home Depot and Walmart.
The results, said Market Force, were based on the responses of nearly 2,000 consumers polled about their experience during their latest store visit.
Consumers were also asked about the following store attributes: value, merchandise selection, brand selection, organized merchandise, cleanliness, availability of eco-products and checkout speed.
The company stated that Ace Hardware also ranked first with nearly every attribute, and earned strong marks for organized merchandise and speedy checkouts. Meanwhile, Menards scored highest for merchandise selection.
In addition, the Market Force study concluded that the do-it-yourself business is thriving: 66% of men and 59% of women reported they buy the products for home improvement projects and complete the projects themselves. Further, 20% of males and 28% of females buy the products, but outsource the work.
“With fierce competition and plenty of choices available, retailers should be striving to delight every customer on attributes related to service, value, atmosphere and merchandise,” said Cheryl Flink, chief strategy officer, Market Force Information.
On the home furnishings front, Costco, which earned a high ranking on value, earned the top spot, with a 63% composite index ranking. Target earned a 57% score, followed by Bed, Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s and Walmart.
Market Force also polled consumers about their use of store loyalty cards, credit cards and mobile apps. Mobile app usage was higher for home furnishings.
As for hardware store loyalty programs, Ace Hardware ranked the highest, while Walmart lead with the most store credit card users, at 34%. On the home furnishings side, Kohl’s topped the list with both the most popular loyalty program and store credit card users for its category.
