Honor Sets Up Shop at Walmart in New Market

A West Coast in-home care provider that recently secured a funding round of $42 million has branched into the Dallas-Fort Worth market and is trying a new approach to reach the communityopening storefronts in Walmart.

Technology-forward home care company Honor has opened two pilot store locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth market where customers can learn about home care and sign up for care assessments on the spot.

The idea is to meet people where they are and be a resource to the community, according to Kathryn Parsons, who was recently named to head the Dallas-Fort Worth expansion.

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“It’s an opportunity to help provide a service and let people know about Honor’s options to stay at home longer by receiving care support at home,” Parsons told HHCN. “It’s an education opportunity about safety and how to stay well. We have products on display that people may want to know about and trained staff are there to help support people in finding out about home care and home safety.”

Photo courtesy of Honor

The storefronts are staffed by brand ambassadors who answer questions about home care, home safety and care assessments for customers who are interested. The storefronts come as the company is continuing to ramp up its presence in Texas, including hiring “hundreds” of care professionals.

“Our brand ambassadors are the first line,” Parsons told HHCN. “They can answer the basics of home care and the Honor difference and all about care pros. We have an in-store mini initial assessment, where people can ask questions. They can walk people through that free initial assessment and indicate if they need support or if there’s more we can do. Our brand ambassadors are there to help sign people up for a care assessment, but also to provide information.”

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The storefronts have been open for a week, and so far, the results are promising, according to Parsons. The storefront offers, in addition to Honor’s home care services, products that can improve safety at home and build wellness and health.

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Photo courtesy of Honor

“We’ve seen dozens on a daily basis who have come up to us,” Parsons said of the progress thus far. “We’re here to support and let the Walmart shoppers come to us. We get dozens on a daily basis. We’re thrilled with that reception so far.”

Dallas is just the second state for San Francisco-based Honor, which opened its doors in 2015. The company claims to have captured significant market share in the Bay Area, although like other similar startups in the home care space, it has not released hard data on this. Skeptics say that these startups are good at securing capital and at marketing themselves, but that are better at hype than actually disrupting the home care status quo.

While the Walmart storefronts are another example of Honor attaining visibility for the brand, they also are a strategy for making in-person connections with potential clients.

“What I find unique and compelling about Walmart is meeting people where they are, in a way they can have control over the process,” Parsons said. “We get them the info when they need it at their fingertips, or at their shopping cart. We have products there to help them, and we can help them find the products in the store.”

Written by Amy Baxter

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