Home Depot is continuing to prove that mobile is a prime part of its digital strategy by running commerce-enabled mobile ads.

The retailer is running a mobile ad campaign to promote its line of floor products and lead consumers to a commerce-enabled mobile site. The ads are running within Pandora’s iPhone application.

“This effort is customer conversion at its highest level – running mobile ads broadens the reach and frequency of customer awareness of new products, sales and promotions,” said Marci Troutman, CEO of SiteMinis, Atlanta.

“I guess the question should be why would they not?” she said.

Marci Troutman is not affiliated with Home Depot. She commented based on her expertise on the subject.

Mobile ground
Home Depot has several different banner ads running that promote floor options.

One banner ad reads, “Top quality tile at prices that’ll floor you,” and other ads promote specific brands of flooring.

Users can tap on the ads to be taken to a mobile-optimized Web site to see all of Home Depot’s floor options and search by price and product rating.

Consumers can purchase items directly via the mobile site by adding an item to their shopping cart.

Users can view product reviews and ratings on the site, which is useful for a home improvement retailer who is not able to see the product in person.

The main purpose of the ads is to promote Home Depot’s floor options, but users can also browse the entire Home Depot collection via the company’s mobile Web site.

The ads also drive shoppers to the nearest Home Depot store. Consumers can either enter their ZIP code or use their device’s GPS.

Users can view a map of the nearest Home Depot locations

“With smartphones climbing in sales and greater use and consumer acceptance of geolocation, it is extremely important to give consumers the ability to find a location to purchase,” Ms. Troutman said.

Shop on mobile
By using mobile ads, Home Depot is able to promote its existing mobile site to consumers who might not be aware of it.

The ads lead users to either buy a product or find a nearby store, which is effective because it gives users a choice and appeals to consumers who are not comfortable paying for bigger ticket items via mobile.

This is not the first time Home Depot has used a mobile advertising campaign with a commerce element.

The company also recently ran mobile ads as part of a holiday-themed promotion last year.

Home Depot also recently signed on as Paypal’s first retail partner to test PayPal-enabled payments at five stores in the United States (see story).

“A home improvement retailer fits in with mobile the same way any company that has commerce would,” Ms. Troutman said.

“Everyone is on a mobile phone and it only makes sense that retailers leverage this space for higher visibility and greater conversion,” she said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York