LAS VEGAS — Lowe’s is playing the long game when it comes to customer acquisition.
The home improvement retailer is leaning on its Creator Network to court younger generations long before they even think about buying their first homes.
“With Gen Alpha specifically, it's not about the immediate purchase that they're going to make at Lowe's,” Amanda Bailey, Lowe’s vice president of customer marketing and loyalty, told an audience at Shoptalk Spring last week. “It's really about, how do we inspire creativity? How do we make home improvement feel approachable? And we use our creator network to do that, so hopefully they think of this as fun and exciting well before they own a home.”
Lowe’s launched its Creator Network last June, with YouTuber MrBeast among the first to join the program. Through the partnership, the home improvement retailer and MrBeast introduced a curated storefront featuring the creator’s favorite materials, tools and DIY projects. As part of the deal, Lowe’s also served as the exclusive building partner for season two of the “Beast Games” series, with Lowe’s associates helping to build a complex to house contestants for the show.
While partnerships with creators like MrBeast — the most-followed YouTuber — put the brand in front of hundreds of millions of followers, it's about creating meaningful, relevant connections with those audiences, according to Bailey.
Lowe’s hopes younger consumers engaging with the YouTuber’s content sparks curiosity and inspiration, according to Bailey. “When those future DIYers start to see our brand and the places they are … by the time they go and buy their own home, they think of Lowe’s.”
The program, which also features names like Chris Loves Julia and Dad Social, allows creators to earn money via commissions through customizable storefronts linked to Lowe’s website.
The retailer has found that leveraging creators to showcase its products and drive brand awareness is becoming even more important with younger generations, particularly women, who are increasingly making purchasing decisions based on who they follow on Instagram or TikTok, per Bailey.
“Creators give us credibility,” Bailey said. Consumers are “going to creators for ideas, inspiration, tips. They're not just going there for ‘What products do I buy?’ But, ‘How do I use them? Is it worth it? Does it fit into my life?’”
