Tuesday, October 6th, 2009...9:07 PM
Aubuchon Hardware Is Global With HardwareStore.Com
When I was growing up if we needed a household or hardware item we went to Aubuchon Hardware. Aubuchon Hardware was founded in my hometown of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, in 1908. Now just over 100 years old, Aubuchon Hardware is still a family operated business with 130 stores spread across New England. I still go to Aubuchon whenever I can, it is a nice experience dealing with people who care about their jobs and serving the customer the way they have for generations. It is like going home.
Today there are over 20,000 hardware stores in the United States including the behemoth chains of Home Depot and Lowes. It is the regional hardware store named Aubuchon though that owns and operates its Internet business with the domain name HardwareStore.Com.
I believe in the power and opportunity for generic domain names. It is cool to have a brand with two “oo’s” in it like Google or Yahoo, but it takes lots of money to build awareness for a nondescript brand. The ability to gain instant brand recognition and have a brand that is a descriptive name is very efficient. Generic domains also help greatly in driving Internet traffic via SEO or SEM as well.
Generic domain names are certainly a key component of our strategy at NameMedia as we are building media properties like Photography.Com, Gardens.Com, Geek.Com, RockClimbing.Com, Tarot.Com, DailyHoroscope.Com, Cats.Com. We own many beyond this as well that we plan to develop or sell. These are valuable Internet real estate.
Will Aubuchon oversees the online business for Aubuchon Hardware. He says that acquiring HardwareStore.Com was like buying a nice piece of real estate in an ever-growing part of our world — online. The Aubuchon online store is pretty important as it has become its highest-grossing location. And from a branding standpoint, Aubuchon readily admits that HardwareStore.Com is easier to spell than his family name of Aubuchon.
This was a brilliant strategy to acquire and now build an online business around this domain. The little regional chain is now competing and thriving on a global stage with this generic brand. HardwareStore.com is also deploying some leadership in the eCommerce sector with it’s deployment of the rapidly growing RatePoint social commerce tools allowing customer feedback and dispute resolution. This is an important topic for all eCommerce sites and they are taking a leadership role here.
So next time you are need to go to the hardware store…check out HardwareStore.Com.
2 Comments
October 7th, 2009 at 6:50 AM
It’s nice to see a regional company doing so well, and embracing the future by establishing their presence on the Internet.
When I was growing up in Gardner, MA, I remember well that Aubuchon Hardware was our hardware store of choice. More often than not, it’s still where I go for my hardware needs, however, now to their store in Ayer, MA.
October 7th, 2009 at 3:31 PM
Like you, I deliberately frequent Aubuchon in my town, and near my summer camp in Maine. The people in both locations really know what they are doing and I have accomplished many difficult projects with their guidance. (I’m pretty good at carpentry and handy-woman stuff.) NOW, if they can translate that know-how online, and deliver it in a personal way, they could have a progressive e-commerce business.
Leave a Reply