By Kymberly Martin
An eGift Card and two promotions are taking the Christmas message to shoppers at The Good Guys this Christmas as sales for the eGift Card launched last week sell at a good clip. with a little help from online advertising and promotions.
“We expect the card will get busier and more popular closer to Christmas but we are very pleased with the first week,” eCommerce manager, Bevan Morris, told RetailBiz.
The retailer took a soft sell approach with display advertising on websites and the home page. While some customers still purchase the plastic gift card, Morris believes the e-card will eventually replace it. The Good Guys is giving in-store and online shoppers an added incentive to buy, offering a $1 delivery fee across Australia on portable appliances including microwaves, vacuum cleaners and laptops while customers who click-and-collect in- store can receive up to $75 towards their next store purchase.
“There are two groups of shoppers, those who buy online and have the item delivered and those who prefer to shop at the store. We are giving both a Christmas bonus no matter what they choose.” Morris said research from Roy Morgan showed that internet access via mobile phones has increased over 150 per cent in the past year and this is having a positive influence for online sales.
“We are certainly seeing evidence of that growth in our stores.” As to whether men shopped more than women online, he said studies indicated that men spend more in a single transaction but women make more transactions online.
“While we have not commissioned any data this seems to be the trend.”
Asked if overseas online business had subsided since local retailers got their online act together, Morris believed it would slowly reduce as the online offering in Australia increased. “From The Good Guys point of view hopefully we will continue to grow and deal with any external threats. Again, Roy Morgan research suggests that almost two-thirds of consumers who purchase online prefer to buy from a retailer they know.”
He expects tablets will be a big tech seller this Christmas. “Any type of tablet is popular and there is also a big range of mini solutions available in the market this year. These are being picked up for children, grandparents and families.”
And, as the food revolution continues, anything to do with kitchen and cooking is likely to be in demand, especially coffee machines, he said.
As for challenges in 2013, from an online perspective it means keeping up with the changes in technology. “Last Christmas we had a mobile site this year for the first time there are digital catalogues. It’s all about making the technology work for your customers.”
This article first appeared on TTmag.com.au