From spare car parts to fast fashion and kitchenware, Australian retailers across different sectors are working hard to provide solutions tailored to their customers
Supercheap Auto
The idea of RetailX researchers singling out an automotive spare parts retailer for its expertise in the Merchandising Dimension may seem strange at first glance. This is an area of the market where customers often have no choice but to buy items that, frankly, they would rather not spend money on; we’re talking about things like a windscreen wiper, an engine part or a spare bulb. Yet it’s also an intensely competitive sector of the market, in which retailers need to work really hard in order to stand out from their competitors.
Supercheap’s homepage – complete at the time we visited for this case study with a link to a kinetic, petrolhead-friendly video and pictures of trucks in motion as a way to promote oil – works hard to make functional purchases seem fun and exciting. It’s not subtle but it does grab the attention. The homepage also has links to a loyalty card scheme – Club Plus – and, presumably based on research suggesting customers may not always have easy access to high-speed broadband, printable catalogues.
Get beyond the initial public face of its homepage and the retailer also shows sophistication in other areas. Customers can Like products, a website search never produces a blank page and, on mobile, product images are zoomable. Supercheap also offers a store finder facility, especially useful if you need a spare part while far from home. www.supercheapauto.com.au
