Dave Audette admits he has a “love/hate relationship” with his store’s online business. He and his wife Jessica are the owners of Lorette Home Hardware, about 20 minutes south of Winnipeg. At seven percent of overall sales, their store’s e-retail activity far exceeds the national average for independent dealers—which is well below one percent of total sales, the 2023 Hardlines Retail Report (now available for preorder!) will show.
Dave told Hardlines that, in one week recently, the store received 31 e-commerce orders. They ranged from bone meal fertilizer and fasteners to a gazebo, one order for a barbecue and a lawn mower, and some gardening kits. The store sells a lot showers online as well, especially by Maax and Mirolin.
(This news is excerpted from a larger story about online sales that appears in the latest edition of Hardlines Dealer News, our free monthly online newsletter for dealers and store staff. It goes out this Wednesday. Click here to get your own subscription at no charge!)
