C2. Hal’s Hardware, Inc.1. SWOT Ana

C2. Hal’s Hardware, Inc.
1. SWOT Analysis
2. Recommendations Based on the above SWOT analysis, the strengths or Hal’s Hardware, I nc. (HHI) far outnumber
t e weaknesses and make the thought of a website very feasible. Much of HHI’s inventory is small and suitable for cheap shipping so all of these items should be available for purchase through the website Orders for the larger items, which are too expensive to ship, can be placed on the website, but then the customer must come to the nearest store to retrieve
their purchase. Because of this restriction, the site should incorporate a store locator feature that exp
ands upon the information currently on the site. The user will input a zip code and a list of the nearest stores will be displayed. This way the user can decide whether or not to complete the transaction. One strength of HHI is each store’s bulletin board where customers can place job offers or sell unwanted equipment. The postings could be organized
online where more people could be exposed to them. A weakness to address is the lack of a lumber department. Maybe HHI could place advertisements on the website of lumber distributors/suppliers that have been cooperative in the past and generate revenue that way. A return policy is essential for a company that sells expensive equipment. HHI should consider
offering warranties with some of the more popular items or store credit in exchange for faulty merchandise. HHI prides itself on its reputation and customer service so it makes sense to extend this courtesy over the internet. The new inventory and tracking system would also translate well to an online setting. Customers could place their order and then follow the purchase to it’s destination.Competition with national chains is a concern so HHI needs to highlight the one area in which larger stores are inferior - customer service. Home Depot and Lowe’s are not able to interact as intimately
with regular customers as HHI and can’t gain the same level of trust. HHI must take advantage of this when expanding its website. A suggestion would be to have a testimonial section. The physical store could get opinions from the loyal customers and post them online where potential buyers could see them Also, make all of the info from the demonstration h
andouts available online for shoppers to download as well as the instructional videos. Draw the shoppers in and encourage them to visit the nearest location for more advice. Reaching out to new customers and guiding them along will hopefully impress them and encourage repeat business.