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D)UILDING products retailers

Llincreasingly are finding ways to make technology a larger-and more profitable-part of their business, from sales to merchandising.

Making shopping more convenient was the goal at Lowe's Web site, where more than 2,000 wood products are now available for purchase. Customers shop online from inventory at their local Lowe's, which then arranges delivery.

This means contractors can spend more time building, and sales reps can spend more time selling.

"Lumber in particular is one item that can be difficult for people to transport to their homes," said Bob Gfeller, senior v. p. of marketing and advertising. "Now, customers can order the wood they need and have the assurance those products can be delivered to their door."

Lumber was added as part of a continuing effort to make Lowe's Web site more user-friendly and to offer inspirational solutions for do-ityourself projects. In addition to the new lumber offerings, Lowes.com offers more than 20,000 products and 1,000 how-to projects online.

In its search for more effective merchandising, Home Depot partnered with SAS, a software provider in Cary, N.C., to develop revenue optimization software that keeps track of pricing, promotion, and clearance decisions throughout the entire merchandise life cycle.

Currently, Home Depot collects merchandising information from various sources. According to SAS, the new software will streamline this operation and "retailers will no longer have to rely solely on gut instinct or historical analysis."

"We believe the SAS software platform will enable our merchanding operation to perform more efficiently and effectively," said Mark Healy, senior director of merchandising at the chain. He added that the software represents a single, comprehensive solution to making the right pricing decisions, while consolidating multiple applications with one software vendor.

At White Cap Construction

Supply, BuildSite LLC was chosen to consolidate product and technical information from more than 200 manufacturers on a single Web site. Both companies are based in Oakland, Ca. White Cap has tested the site successfully at its sales support center in Ontario, Ca. "Now, salespeople throughout our network will be able to quickly access information that is current and accurate, and easily provide it to customers," said Peter Wragg, major projects manager.

BuildSite is designed to reduce information overload and time-consuming research for contractors and the suppliers who serve them. The company's mission is to deliver products that help its customers "do what they signed up to do." This means contractors can spend more time building, and sales reps can spend more time selline.