House of Fraser is ramping up its multichannel logistics services as it aims to make delivery ever more convenient for time-pressed customers.
The department store will next month launch a national ‘next evening’ service, so that customers who order online up to midnight can receive their goods at home the following evening, between 6pm and 10pm seven days a week. The service, which House of Fraser says is the first flexible delivery solution based around standard working hours, will be available in mainland UK from August, at the cost of £6 per order.
The company also aims to launch same-day delivery in stores, through its Buy & Collect service, by Christmas 2013. Customers will be able to order online up to 11am and collect their order from a store from 5pm that day.
Both services add to a range of delivery options that already includes a Buy & Collect service that enables 10pm ordering for collection from store before noon the next day. They will all be accessible online, via mobile and at Order in store terminals.
Andy Harding, executive director for multichannel at House of Fraser, said: “We’re extremely proud to be the first online retailer in the UK to launch a delivery service which allows customers to order up to midnight for next evening delivery, seven days a week, nationwide, as well as launching the first same day Buy & Collect service.
“We listened to customer feedback which suggested a need for a more flexible delivery fulfilment based around standard working hours. There is a myth that home delivery is convenient but customers actually resent waiting at home all day for a delivery, even if they are offered a vague but unreliable indication of the time it will arrive.
“Based on this, we felt it was necessary to bridge the gap between ‘Buy & Collect’ and our ‘standard next day delivery’ service and to offer customers the opportunity to receive their purchases at a time convenient to them. A four-hour delivery window, post standard working hours, seemed like the most logical and convenient time. It was also important that customers had the opportunity to shop late and receive their goods the next day.
“The same day Buy and Collect service is similarly designed around ultimate convenience – particularly supporting our order in store capability. Customers will be able to pop into store and order something on their way to work, and collect it on their way home.
“Overall, we believe we now offer the most comprehensive online shopping experience available; offering our customers over 1,300 brands to shop from, across the device of their choice with delivery to their home or local store in less than 24 hours, seven days a week. We’re constantly investing in our multi-channel business and these changes demonstrate our determination to be the destination department store for customers. We will continue to listen to our customers’ feedback to further develop our offering.”
