House of Fraser said today that more than half its online traffic now comes from touchscreen devices – and that it is responding with a mobile-first strategy.
The department store said today that it would prioritise the building of its responsive website for mobile and touch devices ahead of work to its desktop version. A new site is due to be launched later this year.
“With more than 50% of our online traffic coming from mobile devices, it is a clear indication of how rapidly consumer shopping habits are evolving,” said Andy Harding, executive director for multichannel at House of Fraser. “We’re increasingly becoming a nation of ‘on the go shoppers’ and as one of the largest online retail destinations, we need to ensure we’re providing our customers with innovative solutions to suit their busy lifestyles.”
House of Fraser is also transferring mobile successes to its desktop site. The stock locator has proved popular on its iPhone app, as customers use it to check whether a product is in store in their local store. That will now be replicated on its main website.
“Designing for mobile and tablet devices before desktop versions will soon become the norm and is a change we’ve already implemented,” said Harding. “Having initially launched the ‘stock locator’ on the app it was a natural progression to offer this popular feature on the main website.”
The department store also said today that it had extended the cut-off for Buy and Collect to 8pm for next day delivery before noon. In coming weeks that will be extended to 10pm.
