Here comes the bride, all dressed in ... coveralls?
Let's hope not. But thanks to The Home Depot's new online registry, weddings, holidays, and other gift-intensive events may take on a more blue-collar feel.
In March, the home improvement retailer rolled out its registry, which works just like similar programs at home and department stores across the country. Registrants list the items they want and are able to view items that have been purchased, allowing them to adjust their list based on new needs.
This development is significant not only because it's another way that The Home Depot reaches customers but because it pushes home improvement further into holiday consumerism, one of the driving forces of the retail industry. While items like power tools have long been marketed as "great gift ideas for Dad," project-based products that require installation, like ceiling fans and some appliances, have not traditionally been considered as presents for newlyweds and aspiring do-it-yourselfers. But if consumers are able to put together a "wish list" of such items, their friends and loved ones will be more apt to make these purchases for them.
Expect The Home Depot's program to be a success, given the gift-registry mania that seems to be sweeping the country. (Once reserved primarily for weddings, people now register for all sorts of holidays, even personal ones like birthdays, at many types of retailers.) Furthermore, while they had not, as of press time, announced plans to do so, competitors like Lowe's can be expected to keep pace by implementing similar programs sooner rather than later.
The Home Depot can be largely credited with bolstering the DIY home improvement market, and its spinoff, BIY. With this new registry, will BIFSE (that's buy-it-for-someone-else) be their next venture?
