The Home Depot wants to upgrade its technology capabilities, particularly as a means to collect and understand shopper data. The retailer is investing in more than just new tools and solutions, however. Home Depot is hiring approximately 1,000 new technology professionals in 2018 at its primary technology centers in Atlanta, Dallas and Austin, Texas.
The Home Depot already has approximately 2,800 employees in technology roles today, but the retailer doesn’t believe that number will be enough to sustain initiatives related to its $11.1 billion, three-year strategic investment plan. The plan’s ambitious goals include:
- Melding the company’s digital and physical shopping experiences;
- Expanding the company’s warehouse footprint;
- Prioritizing faster checkout for customers;
- Creating flexible scheduling and competitive wages for store workers; and
- Enhancing supply chain management.
Achieving these goals will require more employees who are well-versed in software engineering, system engineering, UX design and product management. With The Home Depot generating as much as 1.7 trillion data points per week in various predictive models across more than 90 million households, data-savvy tech workers are likely exactly what the retailer needs, especially as it strives to stay ahead in the home improvement sector.
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If the investment plan is successful, Home Depot expects to deliver 2020 annual sales of $115 billion to $120 billion, with a return on investment capital as high as 40%.
