Home Depot is taking another step in modernizing the customer experience by rolling out real-time delivery tracking across its big-and-bulky shipments — from home appliances to lumber headed to job sites.
The expansion was disclosed during the company’s Feb. 24 earnings call by Billy Bastek, Executive Vice President of Merchandising. Until now, live tracking was largely associated with small-parcel deliveries, but Home Depot has now extended this visibility to all “big & bulky” categories — a segment that has historically been more difficult to digitize end-to-end.
The shift is powered by the recent deployment of next-generation handheld devices used by delivery drivers. Those tools enable dynamic progress updates and help drivers stay aligned with customer needs, Jordan Broggi, EVP of Customer Experience and president of online, said.
“This enhancement gives our customers greater visibility and certainty on the timing of their delivery,” Bastek said, adding that removing friction from the experience leads to higher customer engagement and, ultimately, higher sales across touchpoints.
A competitive edge in the heavy-delivery segment
While real-time tracking has become standard for smaller items, extending it to bulky deliveries is a strategic differentiator in a space where visibility and reliability directly influence customer satisfaction.
A DispatchTrack survey from 2022 found that 41% of consumers want to know exactly where their large-item order is in real time, while 50% want at least a general sense of progress.
Driver-based tracking systems — like those Home Depot is adopting — can create time-stamped “digital breadcrumbs” across key delivery milestones, strengthening transparency and reliability.
A long-term supply chain transformation
The tracking rollout is part of a broader logistics push. Over the past eight years, Home Depot has added nearly 200 facilities and expanded its capabilities to accelerate delivery speeds and increase the number of items eligible for fast shipping.
Executives have also highlighted the company’s “ship from best location” algorithm, designed to select the most effective fulfillment point based on product availability, distance and cost.
The goal is clear: shorten lead times, broaden fast-delivery assortments, and deepen customer loyalty in an increasingly competitive retail environment.
