News


Go In store, HP and Currys PC World join forces to drive online growth


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Go Instore, a provider of immersive omnichannel retail experiences for personalised ecommerce, has announced the success HP has had in providing human-led digital user experiences for its retail partners’ online customers. Go Instore is providing HP’s online shoppers with authentic, physical in-store experiences. Following an immersive live one-way HD video and two-way audio conversation with a HP in-store sales expert, Currys PC World has realised an increase in HP product purchases and the company is seeing an uplift in average order value (AOV) against the standard. The Go Instore partnership is enabling


HP to recreate the emotional appeal and informative nature of the in-store


shopping experience for its online customers by connecting them with the best suited HP in-store sales expert via video. This establishes positive emotional connections and builds trust, which allows the store professional to recommend products based on the customer’s interests, as you would in store. Go Instore and HP have further


confi gured the service to prioritise the location of the customer’s nearest HP in-store expert, ensuring future in-store customer visits benefi t from a continued conversation, that was started online. “We understand the power of our HP


in-store sales experts in building trust and brand loyalty – we wanted to deliver the same sensory experience to online shoppers!” said Brian Chavrimootoo,


EMEA Trade Marketing Manager at HP. “The Go Instore deployment with


Currys PC World has delivered impressive results. Customers quickly embraced the initiative and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with over indexed customer satisfaction metrics.”


Rising demand of online engagements Since going live last summer, Currys PC World − one of HP’s major European retail partners − has seen a steady increase in the number of HP ‘live’ video engagements. Online customers receive a call-to-action button on HP product web pages, giving online shoppers fast and easy access to in-store HP experts. “Working with Go Instore, we handled


a record number of online interactions for HP products,” said Simon Swanborough, Senior Project Manager - Connected Channels at Currys PC World. “Across the stores that are active with the Go Instore service, store experts spent an average of 34 per cent of their time engaging with online shoppers, with our Bristol store in particular, spending 70 per cent of their available free time in a call. The success with HP has resulted in switching on the partnership to cover a greater proportion of the country.” The Go Instore service intelligently


appears on the retailer’s website, giving online customers two-click access to in- store expertise for a human-led live video consultation.


STEEP DROP IN FEBRUARY FOOTFALL


Footfall in February fell by two per cent, a signifi cant decline compared to the previous year, where it only fell by 0.2 per cent. This is the fi fteenth month of consecutive decline and the weakest February in fi ve years. New data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard shows that high street footfall declined by 1.9 per cent in the four weeks from 27 January to 23 February 2019, marking seven consecutive months of weakening for this shopping location. This was a deeper decline relative to the previous year, when footfall fell by 1.2 per cent. Elsewhere, while retail parks footfall grew in the same period


last year by 1.4 per cent, this year levels declined sharply by 0.8 per cent. The East Midlands and Wales saw notable growth in this shopping location of 3.0 per cent and 1.4 per cent respectively. Shopping centre footfall declined by 3.4 per cent.


Helen Dickinson OBE, Chief Executive, BRC, said: “Consumers have been cautious in their spending, leading to the biggest drop in February footfall for fi ve years. These fi gures echo the month’s poor Retail Sales fi gures, which saw weak growth, particularly in bricks-and-mortar stores. While real incomes have been rising over the last year, the uncertainty surrounding Brexit appears to be driving a needs-not-wants approach top shopping.” Diane Wehrle, Springboard Marketing and Insights


Director, added: “Footfall declined in all but one geography and in all but two areas the drop was greater than -2 per cent with a fall of just -1.4 per cent in Greater London. “What would have seemed highly unlikely this time last


year, is that there was a more modest decline in footfall during day time hours of -1.5 per cent compared with -3.3 per cent post 5pm.”


Smeg new supplier for KBBG


The Kitchen Bathroom Buying Group (KBBG), part of DER KREIS, one of Europe’s leading kitchen and bathroom groups, has welcomed Smeg as a new supplier of appliances available to KBBG members. Smeg has been supplying


premium domestic appliances across the UK for more than 20 years. The brand is widely regarded for its iconic appliances. KBBG members will now benefi t from Smeg’s extensive range of premium products, including built- in hobs, ovens, extractor hoods, refrigerators, dishwashers and laundry appliances. Freestanding range cookers, cooling and washing appliances, together with Smeg’s very popular collection of small appliances, will also be available to KBBG members. Bill Miller, Managing Director,


KBBG, said: “With the increasing popularity of premium appliances that make a bold statement in the kitchen, the addition of Smeg to our portfolio is an exciting opportunity for our members. This world- famous brand provides KBBG members with appliances that make a true statement and exp ress individuality. Members will benefi t enormously from being able to increase their sales and, of course, margin too.” Paul Barker, Sales Director, Smeg


UK, added: “We are delighted to join forces with KBBG at an exciting time during the evolution of the buying group. Smeg has a huge built-in and freestanding appliance collection to offer the group across a range of co-ordinating aesthetics to suit every kitchen scheme, including exclusive products accessible to members. We look forward to nurturing the relationship and working more and more closely with KBBG.”


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