Asda is putting the emphasis on connecting its stores with the internet as it develops its multichannel services. Both mobile and click and collect are to the fore in its strategy, unveiled this week.
Asda says its multichannel services have doubled in size in the last two years – and are delivering a profit.
By listening to shoppers who include smartphone-wielding ‘mobile mums’, the supermarket has come up with what it says is not the “most techy” solution but one that enables shoppers to move seamlessly from web to store. It says online commerce is now moving towards a “post-PC world,” where mobile will grow “exponentially”. A year ago none of its online shopping orders came via mobile. Today, 16% do.
In response, the supermarket is currently installing free wi-fi across its estate, and says more than 15,000 people have registered for and used the service.
Over the coming year Asda plans “significant growth” in the expansion of its click and collect points. Shoppers will be able to collect their grocery orders from 100 Click and Collect points by the end of this year and that number is set to grow during the course of 2013. As well as expanding grocery collection points in supermarkets, Asda is also trialling them in an Asda Living store, a business park and a standalone petrol station. Meanwhile its George clothing range can be Click and Collect-ed from all 558 Asda stores, along with general merchandise purchases.
Asda’s chief operating officer Judith McKenna outlined its multichannel strategy as Asda unveiled its third-quarter financial results. The results showed a 0.3% rise in like-for-like sales, taking its share of the market to 17.5%. “We’ve listened to our customers and have created practical solutions to make shopping at Asda even easier and more convenient,” said McKenna. “Our strategy isn’t based on being the most ‘techy’, it’s focused on enabling customers to move seamlessly between the store and the web.
She added: “Just like all areas of our business we are prioritising what we do based on what matters most to our customers. They are short on cash and even shorter on time, so anything we can do to help is extremely welcomed by our customers.”
