Home Depot readies for spring with 'line-busting' mobile technology

Atlanta -- The Home Depot is prepping for spring, traditionally its busiest selling season, with 80,000 new hires and by rolling out the latest mobile technology to better serve customers. The retailer said it is equipping associates with the next generation of its in-store mobile technology, called the FIRST Phone.



Home Depot has deployed approximately 40,000 of the new Web-enabled devices to help stores expedite checkout through "line-busting" and conduct mobile check-out in the outside garden area. The devices also give associates a simple customer service tool for locating products, checking inventory on hand, or explaining product features.



The FIRST Phones, designed specifically for Home Depot, serve as a phone and walkie-talkie, and provide inventory management, product look-up, business analytics and even line-busting features to speed up checkout. The new updated devices feature a more intutitive interface, Internet access and inclusion of the Home Depot mobile app to help customers.



Additionally, Home Depot has begun filling more than 80,000 positions in preparation for the spring selling season.