B&Q launches their own marketplace
B&Q today announced the launch of a new online home improvement marketplace.
Choice is vital for customers when it comes to home improvement and B&Q’s new marketplace proposition will both expand existing ranges and add new categories, with products available for home delivery and Click + Collect options coming in the future.
Within six months, 100,000 more home improvement products will be available to buy at diy.com from third-party sellers, in addition to the 40,000 products currently sold by B&Q – more than tripling the range customers can choose from – with the ambition to offer unparalleled choice with millions of products available.
At launch, customers will be able to choose from an expanded selection of wallpaper, lighting, and power tools, as well as a new range of small domestic appliances – a new category for B&Q. Over the coming weeks, third-party sellers will bring thousands more new products from a broad range of brands, including Osram, Black & Decker and Breville, while offering competitive prices and fast delivery options.
Marketplaces are growing in popularity, with nearly half (48%) of online product searches now starting on marketplace platforms in key markets including the UK and US [survey by Inriver].
B&Q’s new marketplace in partnership with Mirakl will accelerate its e-commerce growth. It will be hosted online at B&Q’s website (diy.com) and the B&Q app, offering the convenience of a ‘one stop shop’ for home improvement products, hosted by a brand they know and trust.
Graham Bell CEO, B&Q, commented: “At B&Q, we’re focused on improving shopping experiences for our customers to make shopping with us even more convenient. Around 85% of our customers’ shopping journeys start online. With the launch of marketplace, customers can now access an even bigger choice of home improvement products online, with the convenient option to return many products at their local store, with Click + Collect options coming in time.
“Marketplaces are a rapidly growing retail phenomenon around the world and we’re excited by the potential this model brings in combination with the convenience of our fulfilment capabilities. The unique multichannel combination of this online marketplace, along with our network of 300 stores, means we can offer customers a level of choice, speed and convenience that pure play retailers cannot match.”
To support the operation of the marketplace model, Kingfisher has partnered with marketplace platform Mirakl, who offer an enterprise marketplace SaaS platform.
B&Q marketplace launches at diy.com and on the B&Q app from today, Thursday 10 March 2022.
