Introduction
Founded in 1924 in Chicago by a group of hardware store owners, Ace Hardware is a highly specialized store focused on home repair and hardware needs . The store is formatted and laid out like a supermarket but the retail chain sells only hardware and related items.
Ace Hardware is one of those stores that do not leave any strong impressions especially to young students. One goes to the store buy something, and leave. Sometimes, one does not even remember the place. Perception can be very neutral neither good nor bad.
Store Layout Analysis and Observations
As a hardware store, Ace does not seem to have many problems. The place looks like any other hardware store, conforming to generally accepted standards. However, looking like other hardware stores may precisely be the problem although not everything about the store is bad. On the contrary, many positive things can be observed about Ace.
For one thing, the place feels comfortable, efficient and very secure, and looks neat and organized. The store can also be described as accessible and convenient. A customer can be confident about going to the store and finding whatever hardware item he may be looking for. While these are very positive observations about the store, they do not make the store stand out. They make the store seem like all other hardware stores—like Mr. Handyman and True Value.
Some characteristics about the store are good and thus need not be changed. The outlet seems to be well organized and the shelves are grouped and labeled properly: lawn and garden, outdoor living, paint, light bulbs, lighting, home goods, tools, hardware, plumbing, and electrical. In addition, the outlet has a section for automobile needs. All related products can be found in the appropriate section; they are organized to complement each other.
There are important considerations that retailers must follow to ensure comfort of the customers and to help in the smooth flow of traffic within the retail area. Ace seems to have gotten this right. The place does not look cluttered in spite of its huge inventory. The store provides ample aisle space for customers to move around while store clerks assist other customers testing or assembling products.
One can have mixed feelings about the ambience and atmosphere in the outlet which is very quiet and relaxed, not noisy at all. At the time of the visits, no music was playing and if ever there was any, the music was absolutely unobtrusive. This can be either a positive or negative point about the store. On the positive side, silence makes the place feel so mature and serious; on the negative side, the quiet atmosphere can make young people feel uncomfortable and unwelcome.
While the whole store is gender neutral, one finds it a little bit wanting for some feminine touch. The sales clerks wear the same thing and they all look like boys. There seems to be as many males as there females in most of the store sections. However, some sections seem to cater mainly to male customers. The tools and automotive sections had practically all male customers lingering in the area. While this may be unintentional on the part of Ace, the overall impact of those two sections is that the place seems to cater more for males.
The color scheme does not seem disagreeable as they are cool to the eyes. While there is nothing wrong with the colors, they are the same ones used by Mr. Handyman and True Value.
As a result of all these, the store feels cold and unfriendly, especially to young people. The store clerks reinforce that impression as they are quiet, very unobtrusive and actually helpful. Not much can be said about the décor of the place; there are hardly any. Even the front and entry display are not extraordinary; they are mainly stacked up stocks without highlighting anything.
If there is one word to describe Ace Hardware’s layout is that it is very functional.
Observations and Analysis of Top Sellers
Ace is an expert in its field. The store knows where to strategically position products so customers would go inside the store. A conversation with one of the sales clerks indicated that one of the stores top-sellers are light bulbs. Many customers go there to buy these bulbs which are found it in the inner part of the store. A customer would have walked through so many shelves and have seen so many items before he finds the bulb he will buy. In the process, the customer could buy another item on impulse other than the bulb. Ace applies this same principle to many small, fast moving items. Most customers purchase and hand-carry to the counter only a few small items that that are located at the most inner part of the store.
As done by supermarkets like Walmart, sale and other heavily discounted items are displayed at the front near the entrance of the store. All customers coming can see these products and have the impression that everything in the store is low-priced. These products become top sellers not because the customers wanted them, but their display in the store enticed customers to purchase them. The customers end up buying more than what they had planned to do. However, the display can still be improved to attract more walk-in customers who did not plan to step inside the store and were only passing by.
Clearly, Ace is an expert in merchandising and organizing products in the store, especially with regard to selling hardware in the traditional sense. However, the store may still be missing out on other customers like young people and women.
Observations and Analysis of Consumer Traffic
The layout of the store does not suggest any gender bias but may be described as unattractive of boring. However, there seems to be more male customers entering the store; the number of women, while close to those of the males, is less. Gender concentration varies depending on the section. In the tools section, the customers seem to be all male at the time of the visit; more females many females are in the kitchen and cleaning supplies section.
The store also knows that not all products will attract customers who will not even glance at products along their paths. The visitors who enter and purchase items seem to know what they want and go there for a purpose. They do not take interest in products other than what they are looking for. Only when they get to a specific location do they linger. They seem to be looking for specific brands or alternative or allied products. The ask questions from a sales staff but mainly to seek help locating a particular brand or product size. Ace uses this opportunity to offer other things.
While most customers ignore the peripheral displays, they do linger in the areas where they wanted to go. Ace’s complementary arrangement of products help induce customers to buy other things.
The shorter the time customers spend in the store, the fewer things they buy. The store succeeds in extending the time customers spend in the store with complementary arrangement of the displays. This also helps stimulate more interaction among customers and sales staff.
Ace Hardware seems to have succeeded in developing customer loyalty. While it may look unattractive to young people and some women, the store certainly has many loyal patrons. A good number of customers use the store’s rewards card.
Observations and Analysis from Conversations with Sales Clerks and Customers
Conversations with sales clerks and some customers affirm earlier analysis: People have no distinct perception of the retail chain. People just buy and go as they do at other hardware stores. According to the sales clerk, light bulbs are among the store’s top sellers. That is not exactly an exciting as the company is being identified with a commodity rather than some unique identities.
Customers also affirmed this finding. One regular customer and rewards card holder bought a floor mop. The customer said he did not find anything extraordinary with the store experience. It was just the practical place to go for certain items. Likewise, another customer said the same thing. He bought a device to put an appliance on wheels. Again, he found nothing exciting about the store other than its being convenient.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Based on the above analysis, the following recommendations can be made.
Sales Staff
Sales staff could be trained to become more customer-friendly. The store can consider having staff near the entrance to greet customers as Walmart does without sounding insincere and mechanical. However, it is good that they remain unobtrusive as customers examine products. Ace Hardware may want to consider distinguishing male and female staff with their uniforms. Some female staff like the cashiers may be required to wear skirts instead.
Female Friendlier
The entire store is generally gender-neutral. However, some sections—like the tools and auto sections—attract more male customers. There are no sections specifically made to be more female friendly. Products intended for the kitchen and bathroom can be organized differently. Separate sections for these two could be set up instead of the products buried in the shelves all over the place like the plumbing section. These products may be displayed as appliance and furniture stores would. This display could have some kind of lounge where female customers can sit for a while to choose products.
Even a crafts section may be added. Some crafts—like jewelry wire wrapping—that require hardware tools. A display might suffice for this so both the store clerks and the customers would know what to look for. Sometimes customers can have a hard time to explain what they need. Many hardware tools have other uses.
Colors
Colors are part of a corporation’s identity. This might not be easy to change. However, sections in the store could be altered a bit. The tools and auto sections could use very masculine colors. Kitchen and bathroom sections can use more feminine colors.
Front Display
Perhaps this varies every season. There are times of the year when there no special occasions. The display can be enhanced a bit to show some action and functionality. Rather than furniture stacked together, they may arranged to show how they are actually used. Moving, 3-D displays as one sees in department stores cold greatly enhance the front display. Lighted displays could also help. The displays need some movement. They look very static as they are now.
Ace Hardware is doing very well in a lot of things and should not change any of these. In particular, the store’s understanding of customers has been helpful in building customer loyalty to and familiarity with the store. However, the company may consider targeting customers other than traditional ones. The above recommendations hopefully could help in serving the needs of these customers.
Works Cited
Ace Hardware. 2016. Ace Hardware. Web. 1 Mar 2016. <http://www.acehardware.com/home/index.jsp>.
