The Home Depot decides to stick to English


The Home Depot has shut down the Spanish language version of its e-commerce site, a company spokeswoman confirmed today. The e-retailer launched the Spanish site, accessible from the general home page in November.

Home Depot, No. 42 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide says it closed the site because nearly half of its visitors were from outside the U.S. and the retailer doesn’t deliver outside the country.

The Spanish site gave consumers access to more than 40,000 items – the same number as the English version of HomeDepot.com. The Home Depot originally launched a pared-down Spanish-language site in 2003 that included Do-it-Yourself tips, and ideas, the retailer says.

If The Home Depot is looking to appeal to Hispanic shoppers residing in the U.S., shutting down the Spanish site may not be a wise move. Forrester Research projects there will be more than 17 million Hispanic consumers online by 2011. And many online Hispanic shoppers prefer to read and make a purchase in Spanish, even if they are bilingual, the firm adds.

Other large merchants and consumer brand manufacturers that have introduced Spanish-language web sites recently include Avon Products Inc., No. 31 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, Best Buy Co., No. 12 and 1-800-Flowers.com, No. 36.

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