Home Depot’s second quarter (ended August 2, 2026) came in ahead of expectations. Sales, comps and earnings all sped up from Q1. Even with tariff pressure still in the mix, the company left full-year guidance where it was instead of raising it. That’s a company that likes its trajectory but isn’t ready to call the year early. The Numbers Image…

What Is a Planogram, and Why Does it Matter? At its simplest, a planogram is just a map. It’s a documented decision about what lives where on a shelf and why. It doesn’t need to be formal or complicated. Even a sketch counts, as long as the decision exists somewhere outside just one person’s head. That’s really the whole point:…

Before we design a bay, we ask what it’s actually supposed to do. Build brand recognition? Help shoppers compare? Guide a decision? Each answer points to a different layout. Start with the Job, Not the Layout Before we design a bay, we ask what it’s actually supposed to do. Build brand recognition? Help shoppers compare? Guide a decision? Each answer…

Most people think about signage as a design problem. What does it say? How does it look? Does it match the brand guidelines? Those questions matter, but there’s one we ask even before those: How far away is the person reading this? Distance changes everything about what a sign can do. Stand three feet from a sign, and you can…

Most conversations about paid search focus on what you’re bidding on. The brands that get the most out of their media budgets are equally focused on what they are actively excluding. Negative keywords tell search engines which queries should never trigger your ads. Done well, they are one of the highest-return optimizations in paid search, not because they add reach,…

June is here, and if you sell through The Home Depot, Lowe’s or Costco, that means one thing: Half the year is already behind you. Spring Black Friday is done. Lawn-and-garden season has peaked. Your Q1 and Q2 programs have already run. The good news is there is still time to fix what isn’t working. Now is the moment to…

Summer is one of the most competitive windows in home improvement retail. Grills, outdoor furniture, lawn and garden, lighting, fans – the seasonal floor fills up fast. And by the time most brands start thinking about summer execution, the best opportunities are already spoken for. That is the core challenge of seasonal retail: The moments that matter most require the…

Lowe’s reported first quarter fiscal 2026 results for the period ending May 1, 2026, delivering solid top-line growth and its fourth consecutive quarter of positive comparable sales. Despite CEO Marvin Ellison describing the housing market as the most challenging since the financial crisis, Lowe’s beat expectations on both the top and bottom lines and reaffirmed its full-year guidance. The results…

​The Home Depot reported first quarter fiscal 2026 results for the period ending May 3, 2026, posting solid top-line growth and positive comparable sales while reaffirming its full-year guidance. Despite ongoing consumer uncertainty and housing affordability pressure, the company delivered results in line with expectations and signaled that the underlying demand environment remains stable. Inside the Results What Drove the…

Memorial Day is one of the biggest retail moments of the year in home improvement. Shoppers are ready to spend on outdoor projects, grilling products, lawn and garden accessories, and everything in between. It signals the true start of summer for most shoppers. Project lists are long, motivation is high and retailers are actively building out seasonal sets with displays…