Lowe's 2005 Annual Report Download - page 15

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GREAT STORES GREAT HOMES 13
Commercial Business Customers
Always Improving Service Offerings
Just as a home’s open fl oor plan allows it to evolve with the changing stages of life, our stores evolve to meet the changing
needs of customers. Driven by the growing number of customers looking to Lowe’s for professional assistance and com-
plete home improvement solutions, we remain focused on enhancing our “Big 3” initiatives of Installed Sales, Special Order
Sales and Commercial Business Customer sales. These initiatives continue to drive traffi c, grow average ticket, and
strengthen our relationship with the customer.
Fiscal 2005 marked the fi rst full year that our new Installed Sales model was available in all of our stores. Featuring
a dedicated installed sales production team, the new model separates the sales function from installation management,
facilitating improved customer service. By enhancing our Installed Sales capabilities, we are extending and strengthening
our relationship with customers and positioning ourselves to capitalize on the strong growth prospects of the do-it-for-me
business. In fi scal 2005, Installed Sales continued its strong performance, delivering 31 percent growth over fi scal 2004.
In addition, we are rapidly adding to our special order selection to satisfy the growing number of customers looking for unique
products to personalize their homes. We made signifi cant improvements to the special order process in 2005, making it
easier for customers to shop for special order merchandise and more effi cient for our store associates to place accurate
orders by transferring many paper catalogs to an electronic format. In fi scal 2005, investments in our special order busi-
ness resulted in a 25 percent increase in Special Order Sales over fi scal 2004.
Finally, in 2005, we continued to strengthen our relationships with Commercial Business Customers (CBC) through marketing
efforts targeted specifi cally to the professional tradesperson, property maintenance pro fessional and repair and remodeler.
Lowe’s is committed to helping commercial customers, so our stores carry the professional products and job lot quantities
required to meet their unique needs. In addition, each Lowe’s store has a CBC project desk staffed with commercial sales
specialists to assist these professionals.
Ongoing strategic investments in our “Big 3” sales initiatives ensure they will continue to differentiate Lowe’s and be
important drivers of our business in 2006 and beyond.