March 27, 2026
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How Timely Is the Planned Lowe’s Website Renovation Focusing on Personalization?
In remarks shared with Modern Retail’s Allison Smith, the centrality of a planned website renovation was made plain by the home improvement retailer.
In short: The company’s website is due for a significant upgrade, one wholly aimed at improving the personalization aspect.
“The personalization will show up through modular content blocks on Lowe’s website that can be swapped, reordered or customized based on customer behavior,” Smith wrote.
“[Lowe’s SVP of digital commerce Joe] Cano said Lowe’s homepage is made up of different sections, or ‘modules,’ such as featured banners and product recommendation areas, that can either stay the same for everyone or change based on the shopper. Lowe’s started to introduce these personalized content modules to its website at the end of 2025. One module that has already been fully rolled out is a weather widget that recommends projects based on local conditions,” she added.
Cano noted that early testing had unearthed upticks in terms of both conversion and engagement, with the continued deployment of the modular interface ongoing.
The widget implementation could (and in some cases, does) offer the following advantages:
- The existing weather widget can determine special offers based on the current conditions an individual shopper might be encountering. Should it be rainy, indoor project-related items such as housecleaning or painting supplies are put forth. If it’s a lovely day, outdoor items such as garden supplies could be front and center.
- Location-based customization, down to the ZIP code, is possible. This would ostensibly tie in to available inventory in nearby Lowe’s locations, making sure that out-of-stocks weren’t shown to reduce frustration — and background imagery, as well as assortment, suitable to the particular shopper browsing at any given time could be made region-appropriate.
- Purchase history could play a factor. Expected lifespans attached to certain products (with appliances lasting an average of seven years being used as a yardstick) could allow for widgets to provide suggestions to customers based on end-of-life expectations around major purchases made through the portal in the past — say, if it’s potentially time for a new dishwasher or stove.
Lowe’s Moves Into Future of Shopping, But Concerns Remain
Smith also cited Melissa Minkow, director of retail strategy at CI&T and RetailWire BrainTrust member, on the vital nature of personalization as it pertains to the contemporary retail business.
“This is the future of online shopping. We know that that’s what consumers are looking for, especially as retailers have larger assortment and there’s so much more to sift through for the consumer,” Minkow said, also noting that the home improvement category could leverage personalization even further due to the technical knowledge and expertise attached to many of the products and services needed by the average consumer.
However, Minkow also cautioned against leaning too hard in the direction of personalized product recommendations.
“The one thing retailers have to be careful of is the FOMO of it. If customers think you’re skipping on showing them too many items, they’ll worry that they’re not getting the full shopping experience,” she added.
BrainTrust
Neil Saunders
Managing Director, GlobalData
Brad Halverson
Principal, Clearbrand CX
Scott Benedict
Founder & CEO, Benedict Enterprises LLC
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Discussion Questions
Is it the right time for Lowe’s to be zeroed in on a comprehensive website reno hinged on personalization? Why or why not?
Should Lowe’s be focused in this direction, or are other channels more worthy of attention and capital expenditure? If so, which?
Do you believe customers have come to expect a high degree of personalization in terms of their interaction with retail websites?
Poll
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Customers don’t expect personalization, but they welcome relevant and unobtrusive personalization that helps them with their purchase journey. In the case of Lowe’s, this is less about blunt recommendations of what to buy, and more about building a context around the customer to ensure that what’s being shown is relevant. For example, people in Southern Arizona do not want to see snow shovels and have a much longer gardening season than people in Massachusetts. It’s basic, but sensible stuff.
With an estimated 40,000 SKU’s in store, and with some customers being contractors while others are general shoppers, the strategy in getting closer to what customers are hoping to accomplish helps result in better experiences at Lowes. Sears was a strong merchandiser back in the day with Good-Better-Best, ultimately helping customers zero in on what they really needed for the task. Lowes doesn’t need high personalization, just a path to help customers to closer to where they want to wind up.
Lowe’s focus on a comprehensive website renovation centered on personalization is not only timely — it may actually be overdue. The company is currently expanding a major initiative to personalize its website experience using customer data, with the goal that all customers will see a personalized version of Lowes.com by the end of 2026. This includes modular content blocks that dynamically change based on customer behavior, project needs, and prior engagement — a significant shift toward a more intelligent digital experience.
From a strategic perspective, this aligns directly with what many retailers are recognizing: the digital experience has become the “digital front door” of the brand. For Lowe’s in particular, this is especially important because home improvement shopping is inherently project-based. Personalization allows Lowe’s to better understand whether a customer is renovating a kitchen, building a deck, or replacing an appliance — and then tailor product recommendations, content, and services accordingly. Industry research also shows that consumers increasingly expect tailored experiences, with nearly four in ten shoppers expecting personalized online interactions from retailers. In that context, Lowe’s investment is not just timely — it is necessary to remain competitive.
That said, personalization should not come at the expense of other priorities. Lowe’s still must invest in stores, Pro customer capabilities, supply chain execution, and fulfillment — all of which remain critical in the home improvement category. However, these investments are not mutually exclusive. In fact, a stronger digital front door can amplify store performance, drive project-based purchasing, and improve conversion, making personalization a foundational capability rather than a secondary initiative.
Ultimately, customers increasingly expect personalization — not necessarily as a novelty, but as part of a frictionless, helpful shopping experience. Lowe’s move in this direction is exciting to watch and could help the retailer better understand customer needs, drive project engagement, and strengthen loyalty. If executed well, this type of digital transformation has the potential to become a meaningful competitive advantage — and one that Lowe’s may indeed be catching up on after competitors and digital-first retailers have already moved in this direction.
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Customers don’t expect personalization, but they welcome relevant and unobtrusive personalization that helps them with their purchase journey. In the case of Lowe’s, this is less about blunt recommendations of what to buy, and more about building a context around the customer to ensure that what’s being shown is relevant. For example, people in Southern Arizona do not want to see snow shovels and have a much longer gardening season than people in Massachusetts. It’s basic, but sensible stuff.
With an estimated 40,000 SKU’s in store, and with some customers being contractors while others are general shoppers, the strategy in getting closer to what customers are hoping to accomplish helps result in better experiences at Lowes. Sears was a strong merchandiser back in the day with Good-Better-Best, ultimately helping customers zero in on what they really needed for the task. Lowes doesn’t need high personalization, just a path to help customers to closer to where they want to wind up.
Lowe’s focus on a comprehensive website renovation centered on personalization is not only timely — it may actually be overdue. The company is currently expanding a major initiative to personalize its website experience using customer data, with the goal that all customers will see a personalized version of Lowes.com by the end of 2026. This includes modular content blocks that dynamically change based on customer behavior, project needs, and prior engagement — a significant shift toward a more intelligent digital experience.
From a strategic perspective, this aligns directly with what many retailers are recognizing: the digital experience has become the “digital front door” of the brand. For Lowe’s in particular, this is especially important because home improvement shopping is inherently project-based. Personalization allows Lowe’s to better understand whether a customer is renovating a kitchen, building a deck, or replacing an appliance — and then tailor product recommendations, content, and services accordingly. Industry research also shows that consumers increasingly expect tailored experiences, with nearly four in ten shoppers expecting personalized online interactions from retailers. In that context, Lowe’s investment is not just timely — it is necessary to remain competitive.
That said, personalization should not come at the expense of other priorities. Lowe’s still must invest in stores, Pro customer capabilities, supply chain execution, and fulfillment — all of which remain critical in the home improvement category. However, these investments are not mutually exclusive. In fact, a stronger digital front door can amplify store performance, drive project-based purchasing, and improve conversion, making personalization a foundational capability rather than a secondary initiative.
Ultimately, customers increasingly expect personalization — not necessarily as a novelty, but as part of a frictionless, helpful shopping experience. Lowe’s move in this direction is exciting to watch and could help the retailer better understand customer needs, drive project engagement, and strengthen loyalty. If executed well, this type of digital transformation has the potential to become a meaningful competitive advantage — and one that Lowe’s may indeed be catching up on after competitors and digital-first retailers have already moved in this direction.