PLUS-SIZE RETAILER EVANS is an Elite retailer in the Mobile and Cross-channel Dimension because its mobile app supports easy buying on the move. Its cross-channel functionality enables shoppers to buy and collect items not only from its own branches but those of fellow Arcadia Group companies.
Shoppers who download the Evans app, available for both iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, can find products and check whether their own size is in stock before clicking to add to the basket for payment or to a wishlist. The app has a built-in barcode scanner: shoppers can use it to scan an item of clothing they see in store and find out if it’s available online or in other branches of Evans. An in-app shape calculator helps customers decide what size will fit them best. They can also view account information from the app.
When it comes to convenient delivery options, seven-day click and collect is free, but customers who need an item in a hurry and order by 7pm can pay £2.95 for next-day pick-up from store. Not only can customers placing an order on Evans.co.uk collect it from any Evans store, they can also nominate branches of Wallis, Dorothy Perkins, Burton and BHS.
See the feature on the six KPIs of mobile apps for more information
Evans is one of the seven Arcadia brands – stablemate Topman is also recognised in this dimension as a Leading retailer. In the year to the end of August 2014, Arcadia turned over £2.7bn, and saw its online sales grow by 13.4%, well ahead of UK like-for-like growth of 0.2%. Arcadia owner and chairman Sir Philip Green said in its 2014 results statement that the company was “investing heavily” in multichannel systems in order to adapt to new ways that shoppers now buy. “The retail industry continues to be fast-changing,” he said, “as the number of channels through which customers choose to purchase and engage with us continually evolves, thus increasing the complexity of our operations.”
It’s a complexity that Arcadia group companies have dealt with by introducing supply chain management systems that enable accurate stock checking through the mobile app and other interfaces. Arcadia sells online in more than 100 markets and 40 websites, as well as through around 1,500 UK stores.
Related: Arcadia Group opts for new supply chain technology
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