Do lt Best Opens Shop On The Internet

Do it Best Corp. plans to open the "World's Largest Hardware Store," a retail Web site reportedly offering the largest selection of hardware and building products on the Internet.

The enterprise is set to come on line July I at www.doitbest.com. The new address for the group's corporate site is www.doitbestcorp.com.

"Today, nearly 50Vo of all households have computers, and in 1998, consumers purchased $ l5 billion worth of goods on line," says pres. and ceo Mike McClelland. "Three years ago, Amazon.com didn't exist, but today that company dominates the book category over the Internet. We want to help our members dominate the on-line hardware category

In addition to an on-line How-To Encyclopedia full of project tips and how-to advice, the site will offer over 70,000 products, and new items will continually be added.

Customers will be able to access the "store" directly or link to the site through a Do it Best member's home page, whereby that member will directly profit from any items sold.

"What makes this Web site differ- ent from all the others is that it has the potential for every one of our members to build his own site and link it to the corporate site," says v.p. of mktg. Bill Zielke. "Customers who enter the e-commerce site through a member's home page will never know that they've gone to a corporately-run site. The member's name will be carried over all the subsequent pages of information."

Customers link to the store by clicking the "Shop" button on a member's home page, fiom there they can find and purchase the exact products they want using a variety of search options.

Do it Best will ship the merchandise fiom its retail service centers. For orders that cannot be sent by UPS, for example some building products, consumers will be directed to a nearby Do it Best store, and that store will arrange to deliver or special order the rtems.

The co-op decided to construct its own e-commerce site after conducting a recent survey that revealed one in l0 respondents would buy hardware over the Internet and learning of a Forrester study that forecast on-line sales of hardware and building products to hit $6 billion within four years.

To make it easier for members to have their own home pages, Do it Best is offering three new home page templates. The co-op will also custom design Web sites for members.

Lowe's Tabs New Agency

Lowe's Cos. has named McCannErickson as ad agency for its $100 million broadcast account.

Lowe's, a household name in the Southeast, decided to rethink its tv advertising as it ventures into the West (see April, p. 30). The chain is undecided as to whether it will retain its "Lowe's Knows" tagline.

McCann-Erickson. which has created ads fbr MasterCard, Black & Decker and Coca-Cola, replaces WB. Doner, Lowe's agency since 1990. The firm will develop broadcast ads and handle media buying for tv, radio, magazines and billboards. An inhouse staff at Lowe's takes care of the more basic print ads.

Lowe's, without disclosing its total ad budget. said it will increase about 20Vo this year.

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