EDI Special Order Sales by LOWE’S (General Overview)

Special Order items refer to items not stocked in Lowe’s stores. Special Order items are presold to Lowe’s Canada customers and then ordered and shipped from the vendor’s facility directly to the Lowe’s store where the order originated or to the customer’s home. SOS programs play an important role in Lowe’s mission “to provide customer‐valued solutions with the best prices, products and services to make Lowe’s the first choice for home improvement” by allowing Lowe’s Canada to offer an extended product selection.

Several critical components should be discussed with Canadian Merchandising Team and Canada SOS Operations during the go‐to‐market planning for your SOS program:

• Who is the target customer for this program and what customer needs will the program fulfill?
• What is the appropriate scope of the program and how does it complement our in‐store offering?
• How can parties make this program easy for the customer to shop and for the associates to sell?
• What are the fulfillment options for this program (customer direct, in‐store pick up)?
• Should the program be available in all markets?
• Which electronic selling tool best fits the needs of this program?
• What type of associate training will be required?
• How will this program be marketed to stores and customers?
• Does this product require installation and can that be done by the homeowner or will it require participation in Lowe’s Installed Sales program?

Once you have discussed these elements and have defined the program you plan to offer, you can begin the set up process which is outlined further in this post.

Below is a list of the requirements necessary to setup a Canadian Lowe’s SOS Program:

• Vendor Set Up: Requires a Lowe’s Vendor Business Unit (VBU) Number, Master Standard Buying Agreement (MSBA) and Vendor Information Sheet (VIS).
• Cost Set Up: Must set up be in Canadian currency.

Below is a list of additional recommendations for SOS programs:

• Participation in either traditional EDI or Lowe’s EDI Webforms program. This is required for inclusion in electronic selling tools.
• Completion of an EDI Direct Delivery (DD) Certification for direct to consumer deliveries.
• Development of store associate training guides.
• Development of a paper catalogue program.
• Development of an electronic selling catalogue.
• Development of supporting marketing material.