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Case Study

Www.home_improvement.com (A)

By Nirmalya Kumar, Jonathan Lachowitz and Brian Rogers

21 pages

April 2000

Reference: IMD-3-0895

Home_Improvement.com is a US based pure Internet retailer. The case describes the Silicon Valley culture and how the company raised pre IPO venture capital. The initial funding has helped the company to become an early mover in the Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement category in the USA. However, in early February 2000, three months after having a fully operational website, the firm faces all the classic challenges confronting online retailers: the appropriate fulfilment model; customer acquisition and retention; product mix; and whether the company has a business model that will generate profits. Furthermore, competition is heating up. Besides, several new on-line retailers, the bricks and mortar giants, Home Depot and Lowe’s, are threatening to start online sales. The case allows exploration of broader questions with respect to the future of e-commerce such as: Which products and services are best suited to e-commerce? Which intermediaries in the e-supply chain are best positioned to make profits? How can companies produce sticky content? What is the correct valuation of Home_Improvement.com in the financial markets? What are the relative advantages of incumbents versus insurgents?

Keywords

eCommerce, Home Depot

Settings

United States of America
February 2000

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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This case study is part of a series

Www.home_improvement.com (A)
Www.home_improvement.com (B)

This case study is part of a series

Www.home_improvement.com (A)
Www.home_improvement.com (B)

Www.home_improvement.com (A)

By Nirmalya Kumar Jonathan Lachowitz and Brian Rogers
Case reference: IMD-3-0895 ©2000

Summary

Home_Improvement.com is a US based pure Internet retailer. The case describes the Silicon Valley culture and how the company raised pre IPO venture...

Reference IMD-3-0895

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

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Www.home_improvement.com (B)

By Nirmalya Kumar and Brian Rogers
Case reference: IMD-3-0896 ©2000

Summary

This case is a follow-up to the A case, titled www.Home_Improvement.com (A). It chronicles what happened at the company between May and July 2000, ...

Reference IMD-3-0896

Available Languages English

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