Aubrey Horowitz of Home Depot: "We Plan Halloween 3 Years in Advance"

0:00Welcome to Future Commerce, the podcast at the intersection of culture and commerce. I'm Philip. I'm Brian. And the Home Depot sells the tools to build your home and the giant skeleton to make your neighborhood a landmark. Skelly's become a meme, a collectible tradition that makes fans all around the world happy. I know I'm happy. Ever since 2020, it's aside from Mariah Carey, it's the one thing I see where people are like, it's back with Halloween shopping starting as soon as June, July of these years. There's decorations becoming attraction in their own right. Front Yard is now a stage and she is the director of it all.

0:36She's making it all happen. The merchant of decorative holiday at the Home Depot since joining the company in 2012. She's worked across store operations, visual merchandising, power tools, online hardware. And today she helps shape the seasonal collections that turn shoppers and customers into creators and maybe making culture in the process. Aubrey Horowitz, welcome to the Future Commerce. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so happy to be here. I think I'm going to take you everywhere with me so you can just intro me and hype me up everywhere you go. You are, I think you might have single handedly or your team is kind of leading the charge and not only reshaping how people think of Holiday and Home Depot, but also creating culture in making our front yards cool again during the holidays and extending the holidays.

1:23How are you doing it? Well, I would say a few things. So first is the holidays have really evolved over the last several years. So if you look back to when we introduced Skelly in 2020, before that, you didn't have these giant pieces in the yards. And when Home Depot launched Skelly in 2020, it really changed the industry. It was the first time that we really brought giants that you would see in haunted houses and at trade shows to retail with retail pricing and made them accessible to customers. And so I think the landscape has really shifted. You have customers that are looking to really interact with the product and become creative.

2:08if there's a lot of DIY, which Home Depot, of course, we're focusing on our DIY projects and our DIY customers, but you have a lot of DIY within this space. And so the Halloween program has really evolved where customers can shop our products and then create a very unique and customized and creative experience in their own homes, on their own yards. So each home is going to look, you can all shop at the same retailer and then come out with a completely unique and a completely different haunt and yard scene. So I think that we're really starting to see a trend where customers want to make, and this all really started back in 2020, where customers want to make their yards and their haunts and their holidays their own and bring creativity and also really own a project so that they can connect with their communities through Halloween.

3:04Aubrey Horowitz: that's incredible but I what a fun thing to to introduce and it feels like it's kind of become like the the front man for Halloween Skelly has become the front man for Halloween um and it's it's so cool too because you know in many ways the front yard is like the home page of people's lives of their IRL lives it is and uh and so you know what you're seeing is sort of these like yard takeovers many ways like skelly sort of markets himself at this point uh or uh marketing through yard takeovers what are skelly's pronouns that's a good point good question it's almost like though i mean what's really cool is you've released this thing out into the world and and people are almost quantumly entangled through it it's spooky action uh in terms of how the marketing happens.

3:59Aubrey Horowitz: It's all fan driven. And so how, how do you, how do you like follow this sort of DIY approach to what people are doing, what they're posting? How do you capture that and, and, and sort of facilitate community building the, the haunt community? Well, there is a very engaged group of hunters and, and people that really enjoy celebrating Halloween. And fortunately, they like to talk about it a lot on the internet. And so I am, I'm very involved with reading and getting insights and really understanding what our customers are looking for. One of the things that I really love about this community is how much they love to share the things that they're working on.

4:48A lot of them will create their own props and their own scenes, in addition to purchasing products at Home Depot. And I love to follow the journey of where the ideas come from, what kind of scenes they want to build, and then how they get their products and then how they make everything come to life. There's so much creativity and so much personalization within this community. And I really love to be engaged and follow the trends so that we are able to develop product that we feel will be most engaging and exciting to not only these enthusiasts that are part of this community, but also the customers that are looking for different ways to celebrate Halloween.

5:37So the customers that they might not go all out in their yards, which of course, like we've got products for those customers. But maybe those that want a few pumpkins or some jack-o'-lanterns, some tombstones. So we really try to round out. And as we are building the assortments for the year, we're really trying to round out a collection that works for the enthusiast and the haunter all the way to our customers who are just looking for a few props to celebrate the holiday. And with Halloween being on a Saturday this year, we do see a lot of customer engagement. There's a lot of parties on the weekend.

6:18So really a lot of ways that customers start to celebrate the program. I would say the difference really is a lot of those enthusiasts and hunters, they start planning far in advance. We are talking sometimes a year out. And so when we think about the life cycles of the programs and when we really start to put products in store and online, obviously that has crept up over the last few years. And a lot of that is in response to our customers that are planning very far in advance. The Halloween enthusiasts are really, they're pretty much done with their plans in August because then they need to start building and executing.

7:05So a lot of what you see with Halloween in terms of when it's available in store and online has moved up because the demand has moved up because you have more and more people engaged. That community has grown a lot since 2020 when Skelly was launched. And so you'll see this natural demand pull forward. And for us at Home Depot, we want to make sure that we have product available for our customers and to meet them where they are. Holiday starts early on Walmart Marketplace. Apply to sell and get your inventory to Walmart Fulfillment Services by September 15th to prepare for millions of holiday shoppers.

7:47That's right, build your seasonal assortment with something called customer favorites. That's products that Walmart customers already love and they are actively searching for. Then you add eligible customer favorites to your catalog and you as a merchant, you can receive up to 100 % off referral fees on those items. So I don't know what you're waiting for. You can get holiday ready with Walmart marketplace. Sign up today at marketplace.walmart.com slash future commerce. That's getting holiday ready with Walmart marketplace and 100 % off referral fees. When you use customer favorites, visit marketplace.walmart.com slash future commerce.

8:30What is the, you know, the totality of the assortment this year? How has it grown? How has it changed in the last four or five years? So what you'll see is, and when we think about how we want to build out the assortment, the goal is we want to have something for everyone. And so we have giants and that's really where, you know, the industry has been reimagined. Like we talked about Skelly as having the giant pieces. This year, we really focused on value in our giants. And so all of our giants in store, they're fully molded. They're all$299, which is really an incredible value for you're talking about giant props that are 11 and 12 feet tall for only$299.

9:16And then from there, we really think about how do we build out collections that build off of collections that customers have been purchasing year over year? Because when you are building a, let's say you're building a graveyard, which is very common in what people want to build their yards. You want to continue to add on to your tombstones, different tombstones, different jack-o'-lanterns, different skeletons every year. And so we think about the previous collections and how do we continue to build off of them. One of the things that we really focus on at Home Depot is innovation and how do we continue to bring innovation to our customer.

9:59And so we have a few new innovative products this year. One is we have a Rotwing Parrot and he has interactive technology. He's kind of like a magic eight ball. So you can ask yes or no questions and he has over 20 responses. And so So that is a market leading technology that we haven't had in our assortment before. And that's something new that we have this year. And it's just a really great way for customers to be able to connect with the product. Another example is last year, and I actually have the skeleton behind me. We launched a six and a half foot Bluetooth enabled skeleton. That's the most customizable piece on the market for Halloween.

10:42You can control his lights, his eye settings, pre-record messages, speak into him live, control his movement, all within an app. And we took that technology and put it into our original 12-foot skeleton. So this year, customers can buy our 12-foot skeleton with all the same features that we had in our six-and-a-half-foot skeleton. And that's an online only. But so we're continuing to invest in technology. We're looking at building off of collections that customers had had previously. And we also look for new opportunities to bring licensed characters to our customers. We do see in this space that the licensed characters really resonate with our customers because they feel very nostalgic.

11:30There is just a really strong connection that our customers have to our license pieces. so we continue to build off of our license pieces and bring new characters in each season. Yeah, I hadn't really thought of it like that, but now that you say it seems obvious, not everybody is going all in and building an entire collection all at once. This is a multi-year journey, and I hadn't thought also that there's probably a lot of planning that goes into that. The thing that I'm now thinking about is where do people store all this stuff? Like you, that seems like an obvious partnership opportunity. I'm sure you have the, uh, the Husky 170 gallon tote for the storage teams.

12:16Yes. But perfect.

12:18Aubrey Horowitz: Sheds. We do have options. Sheds, shed, shed, shed, shed, shed. Uh, there's, uh, I, I would like to get into the origin story, um, a bit there too. Cause I, I, I bet that's a story and a half. But when you're thinking about IP, when you're thinking about what will be popular, how much of that do you feel like you have the ability to control given the stature that a retail giant like Home Depot has in culture? How much do you think you can shape culture versus you have to predict what is going to be resonant in culture at the time that you're doing retail planning? I wish that I had a crystal ball and I knew all of the products that would go viral.

13:07I wish that I had that ability. I would say that. It feels like you do because you seem to be pretty good at it. The number one focus is on product quality, bringing innovation at a value that our customers expect at the Home Depot. And usually when we have a formula where we are innovating product, we're focusing on quality and we've got a great value when we're listening to our customers and we're taking their feedback and our customers will tell us exactly what they want. They'll tell us what characters that they want to see and they'll tell us the features and the benefits that are important to them.

13:45And when we listen to their feedback, that really seems like the special sauce and how we can deliver a product to market that really resonates with the customer. How much of your planning involves like collaboration with the manufacturing partners versus, you know, them, you know, you shopping around or them bringing it to you? I'm curious how that sort of works on your level. Because this seems, I would assume Halloween is a niche. It's probably not as niche as I think it is. It feels like something that you really have to go in with your own point of view as the Home Depot, right? Yes, I agree.

14:30So we really start the development cycle out a year to a year and a half early. I already have ideas and concepts for 2029. I haven't gone beyond 2029 yet. But what I would say is we at Home Depot, we develop from the ground up. And so we bring in our suppliers. We bring them in at the very beginning and we typically start with concepts. And so I have a running list of development ideas that are nonstop. I would say that I never really turn off the development brain. I'm constantly thinking about product and features and what kind of characters I think would resonate. I'm consistently inspired not only around the season when I'm seeing other homes decorated for Halloween, but when I go to trade shows, we'll go to cemeteries and be inspired by different tombstones.

15:33But I would say that we really start the development cycle very early. We bring in our supplier partners and we start developing concepts and we look and see what we think resonates in terms of theme. We really have to be thoughtful on, like I mentioned earlier, being thoughtful around hitting a value for our customer. And so how can we deliver an incredible value to a customer with something that's new and interesting and features that maybe we haven't seen before? So we really start that development process with our suppliers. And we start with ideas. The ideas turn into drawings. Drawings turn into CADs.

16:17And we review molds and go into sampling process. But we work very hand in hand, very, very closely. It's not shopping product. It is truly ground up development. And it really starts at the heart of the customer. we really think through what are customers looking for what have they been asking for what kinds of characters do they want to see what seems to resonate and we hold on to a lot of that feedback and then as the next year begins the development cycle we think about how can we best tackle the needs of the customer 2029 really sounds like a crystal ball to me that's way

17:00Aubrey Horowitz: further out than a lot of other brands and categories it's an ai crystal ball that's what ai crystal ball exactly in fact that's the question i have is how programmable is the future of the of yard decor like it does kind of feel like and you're already trending that direction and i can't help but think how haunted something would feel if it had like a muse agent holograms wow we we We need to, I want to be in the concept room. I want to let me in there. That's great. You know, when you're looking at, like, say, licensed characters, like, what do people want? And that to me is the challenge, is trying to anticipate what they want.

17:42And I think two to three years is an incredible feat to try to plan for, right? I do think you're striking the balance between anticipating the needs of where the industry is going and where customers are planning and looking into the future, while also trying to meet the needs of the customers and what they're asking for. So how do I deliver a product that you may not know that you want yet while also delivering the thing that you're asking for? But that's what makes this role so unique is is trying to really connect with the customer. And so for me, when we're thinking about development and planning, I try to view it as we connect with the customer first.

18:28And then if we are developing product that with the customer in mind, then the customer will connect with the product. And that's like when I mentioned earlier, the secret sauce is really how do you infuse the customer while also focusing on product quality, innovation, and value. It is the same for planning and development is how can I give something the customer they didn't even know that they thought that they wanted and also meet the needs that they're asking for.

18:59Aubrey Horowitz: Well, you did mention nostalgia as a big part of this. And I think that what's interesting is nostalgia changes. It really does. And is there an inherent relationship between sort of the spooky category and nostalgia? Because there is some level of like resurrection, like coming back from the dead, revitalization of something that died at one point. Do you think there's actually a connection between like the season itself and that remembering of something old? Um, you know, it's funny you ask that because I've never really tied those two together in the sense that you just explained it. But I would say because so I'm over Halloween, but also over the holiday category.

19:51And I would say that a trend that we see all the time is nostalgia. That hasn't really changed over the years. What has changed is what that nostalgic era means to that customer. and you'll see right now what's trending is a 90s Halloween or a 90s Christmas. Like apparently that's nostalgia now, which does make me feel old. But, you know, nostalgia doesn't have to mean the 40s or 50s or 60s. I think that nostalgia has just evolved. If you run operations or fulfillment at a growing brand, you already know this to be true. The customer just does not care where the marketing department ends its journey and the operations team takes over because if the order arrives late or maybe tracking is not updating or the unboxing experience does not live up to their expectations, that is a brand level problem.

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22:03I'm just curious, you know, you have, I'm sure your role is all encompassing. You've been at the Home Depot for many years now. You have the inside story on Skelly, but before you get to that, what else are you working on besides Halloween? and you know how does that inform the work that you do in this particular season too um well so right now what I'm working on is we're we're in our Halloween season we are setting in stores for holiday um which if you go into a Home Depot you will see Halloween and holiday uh side by side so we're we're deep in season right now but also all of that planning that we talked about I'm deep in planning for our 2027 assortment.

22:54So as I'm getting all of the feedback from our customers right now, as they're starting to set up their yards for Halloween, I'm taking all of that information and then infusing it into our final development for 2027, because I, like I said earlier, I'm just so inspired by what our customers do with Halloween and with the products that they buy from Home Depot and how they make them uniquely theirs and how they interact and connect. So that's what I'm working on right now, both Halloween and holiday, and then also planning for next year. It really is. It is the most fun job in as far as I'm concerned, because they just live in perpetual holidays.

23:41It's always Halloween and Christmas over here. I mean, that sounds like the greatest job ever. It really is. It really is. It is. It is the dream job. I've always been, when we talked about nostalgia earlier, I am a very nostalgic Christmas person. I love celebrating the holidays, but I'm also, I'm a Halloween enthusiast. I am working on my personal yard right now. It's, it's at least a three weekend setup. So it'll probably take me 30 to 40 hours in total. But I just I love Halloween. I've always loved it. The dressing up the it's just so fun. I love the movies that also feels very nostalgic to me.

24:30And fortunately, all of my children are also very interested in Halloween. So it's a full family affair. Obsession. And it really is. Yes, exactly. Yeah. There's something to be said then, I guess, about, you know, how you bring your whole self to work and, you know, how you have that authenticity about, you know, the way you celebrate your own passions in the way that you do your job. And sometimes that's like kismet. It comes out in the work that you do and then the community brings that to bear and they do half of your job for you. If you're doing your job right, maybe they help you do your job too.

25:15How much do you think the work that you have done has been amplified by the community of customers in the way that they've received it? Well, I do think, and here's one fortunate thing is that the community is very vocal about what they do and they don't like. And I love feedback in both directions. And this is a very unique category, like I mentioned earlier, that we really get a connection point with our customers in a way that in any other role that I've had at Home Depot, I haven't been able to connect with a customer in the same way and really get a larger voice with. So I would say that our customers, when they see product that they like, they let us know about it.

26:06When they see things that they don't like and they like to see differently, they let us know about that too. And I want it all. I want all the feedback. And I am, I really am product obsessed. This is a 24 seven job for me. The first thing that I think about when I wake up in the morning is the product and how I can make it better for our customer. And that's the last thing I think about when I go to bed every night. And I do bring that into my job and my day to day, I wake up every day excited to come to this job. Because it is it It is the coolest job we're working on. How do we help people make memories in their homes?

26:46How do we help people give, how do we give them creative inspiration to connect with their members of their community and in their neighborhood and with their friends and their family. And that's so special. And I, and I feel like that there is a responsibility in that to which I take very seriously. And I would say at the end of the day, we are, my team and I were very dedicated to product and to our customer. And they're very vocal about what they like and what they don't like. And we take all that feedback and hopefully give the customers what they're looking for and some things that they didn't know that they were looking for.

27:28Aubrey Horowitz: Love it. That's a phenomenal way to be able to come to your work. And I think that what I'm I'm mostly excited about is to see the mingling of Christmas and Halloween. You can set up for Christmas at Halloween and just let it roll on through with an AI Santa or Skelly in a Santa suit. Well, we do have a Skelly in a Santa suit, so should you choose to enjoy Skelly year-round, which a lot of our customers do, there is an outfit for that occasion. Amazing. Before we let you go, is there a story to Skelly's origin? Does he have an origin story? Of course he has an origin story. So, um, I was not on the team at the time.

28:14Um, I was with Home Depot at the time, but, um, we get in this role, we get a lot of inspiration from haunted houses and going to trade shows and, um, trade shows. And I've attended many. They're, they're incredible. The, the props that are built, the animation. But they are not retail friendly. And so by visiting a trade show, there was inspiration and you'd see these giant props, these huge 12 foot, 13 foot, 14 foot props. And those had never been retail. Those had never been accessible to most customers. And so the idea was, how do we bring something that is something that you could really only get at one of the trade shows, or if you were building a haunted house, how do we bring that to market?

29:08And how do we bring that to retail? And so our engineers worked to develop something that had never been developed at retail, which is a 12 foot skeleton. And it took about eight or nine months of planning. And, you know, not only do we have to get, we obviously have to get the quality right. We've got to make sure that we're meeting safety standards. But we also have to make sure that we're hitting a retail that's accessible to our customer. And we didn't know, it was so new and different. We didn't know that it would take off to be what Skelly is today. This is the sixth year that we've had him in our assortment and he's still the same retail at$299.

29:49But we just had no idea that he would take off and that people would want to dress him up for all the holidays and, and leave him up year round. But that's, that's not really a unique story with Skelly. This is, we get inspiration from trade shows, haunted houses, cemeteries, festivals, going to different haunts. And, and sometimes things, if I had a crystal, if we had a crystal ball, we knew what the next thing would be, that'd be great. But when you are able to provide a unique product and experience to the customer at a great value, I think that they're really able to connect with that. Wow.

30:33I'm just so thrilled to have had an inside look into how you have thought about this, how I think of the Home Depot as a cultural institution, to be honest with you, and how it's participating culture, how it's shaping culture, especially now as we're so much more performative about these things, these passions, and we need community now more than ever. And I love that we look to the things that we buy and the way that we participate in culture through the things we buy as our expression of it. And I don't think that anything extols our thesis anymore of commerce as culture than that. So I thank you so much for coming and joining us to talk about it.

31:17Thank you, Ivor. Thank you so much for having me. Yeah. Aubrey Horowitz. She's the merchant of decorative holiday at the Home Depot and go to the Home Depot this year. Go, go grab your$2.99 Skelly while they, while supplies last. Thank you so much. And thank you for watching this episode of Future Commerce. If this conversation sparked something for you, go like, follow, subscribe, wherever you get your podcasts. It helps more to join this conversation. Remember, commerce shapes the future because commerce is culture. We'll see you next time.