Lakeland to offer new multichannel services

Homewares retailer Lakeland is set to introduce new multichannel services linking its store and online channels.

The company is also developing a mobile version of the website, optimising a segment of the existing website for viewing on mobile devices. It soon to introduce buy or reserve online, collect in store, while it will also start experimenting with the use of QR codes, allowing in-store shoppers to download online product demonstrations.

Tony Preedy, marketing director at Lakeland, revealed the new developments at this week’s Internet Retailing 2011 conference for online and multichannel retailers. He said the use of QR codes would satisfy customer interest. “People are interested in finding out about our products and it’s a relatively cheap way to give them more information,” he said.

The new developments follow the launch of a new-look Lakeland website earlier this year, where features include product reviews and more than 500 demonstration videos.

All of this was part of answering the need, said Preedy, for websites to improve the way they sell to customers. Web traders had benefitted from the trend to buy online, without necessarily understanding how to sell online – but that had to change now that times were harder.

“In our stores we’re very effective at selling,” he said. “We need to take that knowledge and apply it to our websites too.” Thus, he said, it was necessary to take what works well offline and apply it to the store.

Just as might be possible in a store, the online trader had to know the customer well. “One day we will get to the stage where actually the website is so attuned to what you’re doing that it is ultimately a one-to-one experience,” said Preedy.

Lakeland was among a wide range of retailers and suppliers speaking at the event.

Source : Chloe Rigby – InternetRetailing.net
www.internetretailing.net/2011/10/lakeland-to-offer-new-multichannel-services/