Kingfisher launches smart phone app for White Van Man

Kingfisher chief executive Ian Cheshire is striving to weld together the slightly incompatible worlds of social networking and DIY.

The owner of the B&Q and Screwfix chains in the UK is planning a smartphone app designed to appeal to White Van Man, who is much more likely to place internet orders via mobile phone devices.

The initiatives come as the new “send us your pictures” function on the Screwfix website is already causing much merriment in the boardroom at Kingfisher.

“Customers have been uploading photos to our forums, typically pictures of problems, asking ‘What do you think of this?’,” Mr Cheshire explained.

One went up a few weeks ago stating: “I’ve got a problem with this pump I’ve installed on a central heating system. Can anyone help?”

Fifteen minutes later another tradesman posted the following reply: “Your main problem is that is not a pump.”

Source : FT.com