The news: Home Depot is expanding its fast fulfillment options as it looks to deepen engagement with professional and DIY consumers and drive growth in a “frozen” housing market.

The retailer announced the nationwide launch of its Express Delivery service, which gets tens of thousands of products to customers in 3 hours or less for a small flat fee. The company expects to cut down delivery times further in the months ahead.

Home Depot also plans to expand next-day appliance delivery to more areas after an initial pilot successfully drove a sales lift in test markets.

The big picture: Initiatives like faster delivery are helping Home Depot increase sales and share in an otherwise difficult environment for home-related retailers.

• Net sales jumped 5.7% YoY in Q2, the biggest increase in over a year, as customers took on smaller, seasonal DIY projects and professional demand remained robust.
• Comparable sales rose 1.7%, the most since late 2022, as higher average tickets (up 2.8%) offset a 1% decline in transactions.
• Digital comparable sales increased 11%, the fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth, which the company credited to faster delivery speeds and omnichannel investments.

Despite unexpectedly strong demand from DIY customers during the quarter, pros remain Home Depot’s priority, and for good reason. Pro customers are less affected by the sluggish housing market and spend significantly more than DIY shoppers, making them a valuable audience to cultivate.

So far, that strategy is paying off: The retailer has experienced sustained growth since acquiring SRS Distribution in June 2024, its largest-ever acquisition, interrupted only by a dip in Q4 2025.

Implications for housing retailers: Home Depot’s Q2 performance suggests retailers can still grow in a stagnant housing market, but doing so requires being proactive and creating reasons for customers to spend to avoid falling behind.

• Home Depot’s efforts to strengthen its Pro ecosystem and drive incremental sales with initiatives like faster delivery and expanded loyalty perks give it more ways to maintain its growth despite the sluggish housing backdrop.
• Similarly, Wayfair’s rapid store expansion and broad portfolio are allowing it to attract a larger, more diversified customer base and gain share, even as category sales decline.

With fuel costs, inflation, and overall uncertainty chilling spending even among more financially secure consumers, retailers need to pull every lever at their disposal to keep shoppers engaged.