ATLANTA - Quarterly results from Home Depot reveal that the nationwide retailer saw a 4.2% increase in the total number of customer transactions (for a total of 409.7 million transactions) in the quarter ended August 3. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that “big-ticket items are driving big gains for Home Depot.

“The do-it-yourself chain posted strong foot traffic and growth in sales of higher-end items in the most recent quarter, making the company one of only a handful of retailers to raise its full-year profit forecast so far this quarter,” writes Shelley Banjo and Michael Calia for WSJ. “The gains came as Home Depot continues to plow investment and advertising dollars into an unlikely bet on e-commerce, with the Internet becoming an important source of sales growth even for a chain that actually sells bricks and mortar.”

Home Depot reportedly continues to draw greater store traffic as well, making it an anomaly in a retail industry where shopper visits have fallen by 5% or more from a year earlier in every month for the past two years, according to data firm ShopperTrak.

Shoppers came in to make big-ticket purchases of appliances, windows, and laminate flooring. They also spent heavily on home-installation services, for things such as countertops and windows, where the average buyer spends $1,500. Online sales rose by more than 38% in the quarter and accounted for 4.2% of total sales. A third of all items ordered online at Home Depot are picked up in stores.

Of particular interest to Patio and Hearth retailers is the store’s decision to reallocate space in its physical stores. “It has reduced space allocated to patio furniture—items for which its customers are shopping online, where they can customize their own furniture,” writes the WSJ blogger.

According to Banjo and Calia, the growth in e-commerce is changing the way the company is investing. For example, this year the company plans $1.5 billion in capital expenditures, “tilting investments more toward interconnected retail and technology as we try to meet the needs of our changing customers,” said a Home Depot executive.