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April 2019 ertonline.co.uk


29


included binoculars and tablets; shoppers make the most of online- beating prices along with the retailer’s ‘Double the Difference’ promise. If the same item was found cheaper on Amazon, at John Lewis, Argos or Jessops (third party sellers excluded) consumers receive an instant discount of double the difference. The thing that came to mind


when I was browsing the displays and talking to Francis is that customers buying from this store at advantageous prices, are your customers. Do people really go on a cruise to buy a new tablet or a Dyson Supersonic hairdryer? Probably not, but the part of my trip to this outlet that surprised me is that you can walk in and order kit that you can pick up or have delivered when back in the UK. And I am not just talking about products that you see in the store. Francis told me: “Guests register


their interest in a product, and we will then confirm a cost (if we can sell it cheaper than the high street). The customer decides if they want to purchase and then we help guests find their local Currys PC World store and contact the store manager to organise. If this is confirmed and stock is available in store the sale is processed. “The customer then goes and


picks up the product from their local Currys PC World store with proof of purchase when they return home.” When pushed on what products


customers are opting to buy that are not on the ship, Francis said: “It can vary, but we have taken orders for fridge-freezers, ovens and tumble dryers on-board Ventura since we opened.”


A booming market The cruise market is growing rapidly, I know that from work I do in the travel and tourism industry. The market is expected to be 50 per cent bigger in 10 years’ time, and I have no doubt that companies, such as Dixons Travel, will try and capitalise on this with their proposition. Heidi Woodhouse, Managing


Director, Dixons Travel and Concessions at Dixons Carphone, told ERT: “We are also looking at other opportunities within the Carnival Cruises portfolio and may well extend the P&O contract when the current agreement ends. “We found there was a different


type of customer to the airline customer, but in terms of the proposition, training and all that kind of thing, it was the same. “We also found there was a


slightly different product mix, but for the most part it was very similar. It worked really well for us and really well for Carnival. That is why we signed the contract extension.” For independent electrical retailers,


now is the time to use social media, including picture-sharing apps and


“We found there was a different type of customer to the airline customer, but in terms of the proposition, training and all that kind of thing, it was the same.”


Heidi Woodhouse, Managing Director, Dixons Travel and Concessions at Dixons Carphone


community groups on Facebook, to spread your message. The message does not have to be about price, it has to be about playing to your strengths of service and longevity. Ahead of the summer market, why


not take a swipe at the big boys and have a holiday sale, where consumers can buy all the tech they need for their holiday – headphones, tablets, smart speakers – rather than risk them going away and buying the tech there! In these challenging times for the high street, it is key that retailers


do all they can to turn browsers into spenders, and Facebook likes or shares into footfall. The recent demise of Superfi shows how difficult it is surviving on low margins, but the benefit of doing all you can to promote your wares, whilst having staff at the top of their game, should be clear, maybe even obvious. Anything you can do, as captains


of your own destiny, will mean that your customers remain your customers, whether they are on land or at sea.


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