Pro Services at The Home Depot and Lowe’s

Paths to the Pro at The Home Depot and Lowe’s

Pros (Professional Contractors) have become one of the most important strategic battlegrounds in U.S. home improvement retail. Both The Home Depot and Lowe’s have invested heavily in expanding their Pro Services, offering enhanced capabilities designed to improve speed, efficiency, and loyalty among high-value professional customers.

For vendors, this shift creates both opportunity and competitive pressure. Winning in the Pro segment requires a deeper understanding of how the programs at The Home Depot and Lowe’s are evolving, and how marketing and operational partnerships must adapt.  It also requires dedicated resources on the part of the vendor and/or the use of outside assistance to navigate consistently evolving programs at the retailers. Vendors must have access to the most accurate information on working with their Pro Organizations. 

1. Why Pro Services Matter More Than Ever

Pro customers—builders, remodelers, contractors, and tradespeople—shop differently than DIY consumers. They buy in bulk, they shop frequently, and they expect reliability. They’re not browsing on weekends—they’re buying every day to keep jobs moving.

Recognizing this, both The Home Depot and Lowe’s have built stronger Pro ecosystems that go beyond a transactional relationship. Investments include:

• Dedicated Pro desks and service teams

• Volume pricing and bulk buying incentives

• Job-site delivery options

• Credit solutions tailored for contractors

• Loyalty programs that reward repeat purchasing

• Assortment and SKU growth geared specifically toward Pro preferences

• Marketing and promos, and programs designed to both drive lead gen and support the Pros

These programs aim to make each retailer a one-stop shop for the contractor—a place where speed, price, and trust converge.

2. Progress at THD and Lowe’s

Over the last few years, The Home Depot has doubled down on its Pro loyalty strategy. The company has expanded its job-site delivery capabilities, added digital tools to streamline order flow, and focused on inventory reliability across top Pro SKUs. THD’s Pro business continues to outpace DIY growth, showing how central this customer group has become.  Additionally, they have invested almost $24B in Pro-Centric acquisitions in the last few years.  

Lowe’s, meanwhile, has made Pro its “number one priority” for growth. The retailer has redesigned Pro desks, upgraded its loyalty platform, and invested in tools like mobile order management and improved delivery scheduling. Lowe’s has also broadened its Pro paint, building materials, and tools assortments to attract higher-spend customers.

In both cases, the message is clear: Pro is no longer just another segment—it’s the future growth engine.

3. Winning the Pro Segment: What Works?

For vendors, thriving in this evolving landscape requires more than a strong product. It demands strategic alignment with how Pro customers shop. Several marketing and execution tactics stand out:

a. Speed and Availability

Pros don’t have time to wait for stock. Vendors that maintain strong in-stock positions, predictable lead times, and tight order fulfillment performance earn trust quickly. This means close collaboration with retailer supply chain teams and accurate forecasting.

b. Bulk Packs and Contractor-Friendly Assortments

Pro shoppers want efficiency. Bulk pack sizes, contractor-grade materials, and simplified assortments help ensure faster purchasing decisions and higher transaction values.

c. On-Site Messaging and Promotions

Unlike traditional consumers, Pros respond best to job-related promotions—volume discounts, seasonal bulk deals, or rebates tied to frequent use. In-store signage, endcaps, and straightforward offers work best.

d. Digital Integration and Job-Site Support

Both THD and Lowe’s are building better digital experiences for Pros. Vendors that integrate with these platforms—whether through real-time inventory visibility or simplified order configurations—position themselves as more dependable partners.

e. Listening to the Pros

Many of the Pros have definitive preferences regarding the brands, specs, and functionality of the products they use. Over the years both THD and Lowe’s have added additional vendors, created Pro-centric proprietary branded products, and required existing vendors to design for the pro.  Additionally, the Pro and Core merchants have required different pack sizes, packaging changes, and promos all geared toward the Pro’s experience with the retailer.  New vendors to either retailer need to understand their respective Pro Programs and customers and work directly with all constituents.  This is crucial for vendor success at either retailer. 

4. Planogram Precision and Merchandising Discipline

When marketing to Pro customers, execution on the sales floor is critical. Planograms—the visual merchandising blueprints that dictate where products live on the shelf—play a bigger role in Pro success than many realize.

Pros shop fast and purposefully. If they can’t find what they need quickly, they’ll buy elsewhere. That’s why optimal placement, logical flow, and well-designed bulk merchandising displays are so important. Vendors who work closely with retailers on planogram compliance and resets often see a direct lift in Pro sales velocity.

5. Competitive Intelligence: Knowing the Market

Pro customers are savvy. They compare pricing and availability across multiple sources, including independents, online wholesalers, and regional distributors. This makes competitive intelligence a must-have.

Vendors who actively monitor competitive positioning—understanding where their pricing stands in relation to similar products—are better equipped to bring strategic insights to retail buyers. These insights help shape promotional calendars, pricing strategies, and value-added offerings that appeal directly to the contractor.

6. The Role of Relationship Management

Depending upon the vendor’s product portfolio, Managing the Relationship with the Pro Teams should be one of the most important areas of focus for the vendors. The Pro businesses at each retailer are very different from the Core business.   They’re structured differently and have a separate set of services, measures of success, and roles.  To understand each retailer’s Pro business, vendors need to dedicate resources that are focused on the Pro.  These dedicated resources can take many forms such as, individuals or teams at vendor level who are earmarked specifically for the Pro business, additional training for the existing teams who call on The Home Depot and Lowe’s, and the use of a 3rd party entity to work on behalf of the vendor to capture and maintain Pro business.  But no matter how vendors resource themselves, they need to keep in mind some crucial elements of success.  

This includes:

• Timely communication around Pro-Centric inventory and promotions—directed at the Pro buyers

• An understanding of their business structure including their outside sales business and subsidiaries.  There is so much opportunity in the Pro market for vendors to grow their

• Proactive problem solving

• Joint business planning focused on growth categories

• Coordinated seasonal execution

Vendors who show up as partners, not just suppliers, gain shelf space, promotional opportunities, and long-term loyalty.

7. The Road Ahead

Pro Services will continue to be a primary growth driver for THD and Lowe’s. Both retailers are evolving their programs rapidly, leveraging digital tools, supply chain investments, and loyalty strategies to strengthen their contractor ecosystems.

For vendors, the opportunity is massive—but it demands precision. Those who align their operations with Pro expectations, execute flawlessly at the shelf, and use data to inform smarter marketing strategies will capture a disproportionate share of this high-value segment.

Ultimately the Pro customer is reshaping the home improvement retail landscape. The Home Depot are investing heavily to win this segment, and vendors must rise to meet their new expectations.

By focusing on speed, availability, contractor-specific assortments, strong in-store execution, and smart competitive positioning, brands can secure their place as trusted Pro partners. Pro isn’t just a buzzword or even an opportunity—it’s a strategic imperative.