Home Depot debuts virtual field trips for kids

Dive Brief:

Home Depot has added an educational Virtual Field Trips series to its suite of DIY workshops, the company announced on Thursday.
The retailer's suppliers will take viewers on kid-friendly tours and show them how products make it to store shelves, the company said in a press release.
As part of its collaboration with Discovery Education, the company will provide more online resources and projects in Spring 2021 to the Science Fair Central platform, which launched in 2017. The platform has offered various educational projects to more than 2 million students and educators, per the company press release.

Dive Insight:

Home Depot has been hosting monthly children's workshops for more than 20 years. Now that many school children are learning from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company looks to connect with parents seeking to entertain and educate their children remotely, Lisa DeStefano, vice president of brand marketing and creative for Home Depot, said in a statement.

"From plant genetics to supply chain, we've broken down these stages into creative, interactive, digestible videos with accompanying DIY projects that bring the excitement of traditional field trips to family households," DeStefano said.

As the coronavirus pandemic drags on, retailers have been turning their attention from in-person engagements to virtual ones or socially-distant events. Fellow home improvement retailer Lowe's announced curbside trick-or-treating earlier this month, while Macy's has turned its annual Thanksgiving Day Parade into a virtual affair. Meanwhile, Neiman Marcus created a digital hub in July complete with stylist video appointments and virtual events. In June, Tanger Outlets introduced a virtual shopping service to let customers shop remotely across a range of stores.

While many retailers have struggled during the pandemic, home improvement retailers like Lowe's and Home Depot have continued to thrive as homebound consumers spruce up their abodes. Other store segments, such as home furnishings and sporting goods, have also benefitted from consumers spending their money on their home lives.