Home Depot announces convenient new service for customers 

Home Depot (HD) has recently been taking bold steps to battle a concerning pattern of customer behavior in stores.

In its second-quarter earnings report for 2025, Home Depot revealed that its U.S. comparable sales increased by 1.4% year-over-year. However, recent data from Placer.ai found that customer visits at the retailer’s same-store locations decreased by 2.6%, compared to the same quarter last year.

The decrease in consumer demand comes during a time when the average 30-year mortgage rate continues to hover over 6%, which has had a significant domino effect on the housing market. Many consumers are putting off purchasing new homes as prices increase.

According to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors, existing-home sales dropped by 0.2% month-over-month in August, while the median existing-home sales price spiked to $422,600, which is 2% higher than what it was in August last year.

“Existing home sales remained sluggish through July and early August as mortgage rates stayed elevated,” said Ruben Gonzalez, chief economist at Keller Williams, in a statement to TheStreet. “With rates declining recently, sales should get a lift in September and October.”

During an earnings call last month, Home Depot executives flagged that customers are continuing to put off funding larger discretionary home improvement projects, such as bathroom or kitchen remodels, due to general economic uncertainty.

“Our customers still tell us that the rate environment is giving them pause on larger remodeling projects that would typically require debt financing,” said Home Depot Chief Financial Officer Richard McPhail during the call.

Home Depot launches a new tool to reverse concerning customer behavior 

To help encourage customers to take on these projects, especially after previously announcing price increases in stores, Home Depot recently introduced a new digital tool for its Pro customers (residential and commercial professional contractors).

The retailer has launched its new Project Planning tool, which is “designed to streamline how professional renovators, remodelers and specialty tradespeople plan, manage and execute complex projects,” said Home Depot in a press release sent to TheStreet.

The tool allows customers to manage “every phase” of their home improvement projects through a single supplier while giving them access to all of Home Depot’s product assortment in stores and fulfillment centers.

Related: Home Depot seals billion-dollar acquisition to win back shoppers

By using the tool, customers can create materials lists, track and manage orders, personalize delivery preferences, and gain visibility on early pricing and inventory availability.

The Project Planning tool also has a multi-user collaboration feature, which allows multiple customers working on the same project to stay up to date on materials, deliveries, invoicing and more.

If customers need extra assistance, they can even use the tool to collaborate with Home Depot associates in real time.

“Our Project Planning tool makes it easier than ever for our Pro customers to plan, purchase and monitor the status of their complex projects – all backed by the full power of The Home Depot’s product assortment and expertise,” said Mike Rowe, Home Depot executive vice president of Pro, in the press release. “The average Pro works with 10 or more suppliers on a single job. We’re in a unique position to simplify this process and will continue to expand our digital tools to meet the evolving needs of Pros.”

Home Depot bets big on Pro customers to fix weak sales

The release of Home Depot’s Project Planning tool comes shortly after it closed its $5.5 billion acquisition of GMS, a major distributor of building products such as drywall, ceilings, steel framing, etc., to boost its pro business.

The deal closed last month, and it aims to give Pro customers access to more fulfillment and service options that allow them to complete their projects more quickly with less friction.

More Retail:

• Temu makes bold move to slow down fleeing customers
• Lululemon CEO raises red flag about customer behavior in stores
• Home Depot seals billion-dollar acquisition to win back shoppers

During the earnings call last month, Billy Bastek, executive vice president of merchandising at Home Depot, said that the company will be doubling down on making the customer experience simpler to attract more shoppers.

“We know that as we remove friction from the experience, we (will) see incremental customer engagement,” said Bastek. 

“We also continue to invest in improving search functionality leveraging AI, and enhanced our buy it again capabilities, allowing customers to easily and conveniently reorder products regardless of where the original purchase occurred. During the second quarter, we leaned into products and projects that are resonating with our customers, and we continue to focus on innovation to deliver the best value proposition for home improvement projects while enhancing the customer experience."

Related: Lowe’s struggles to fix a concerning customer problem