The Carphone Warehouse sees sales from multi-channel promotions grow by 20%
The sales increase is following the roll-out of promotions management software across 820 UK stores and its online shop.
The mobile phone retailer recorded the year-on-year increase after appointing multi-channel provider IVIS Group to implement its Sonetto technology, as it diversified its offering to sell laptops, netbooks, tablets and music and gaming products.
While sales in promoted product categories rose by a fifth, The Carphone Warehouse also reported an increase in average transaction spend and saw a time-saving of 20 seconds per customer in-store.
“Our decision to diversify our offering presented us with an immense challenge,” said Steve Borg, Programme Manager in The Carphone Warehouse’s global business services division. “Pretty much every product we sell has some form of promotion attached to it – we have tens of thousands of combinations, for example when a consumer buys a laptop, they might be able to find a promotion which gives them broadband too, or vice-versa. By using IVIS Group’s technology we’ve ensured that our promotional activities meet our customers’ needs and translate into more sales for the company.”
IVIS Group’s Sonetto technology hosts a powerful decision management platform designed to automate business decisions for retailers with multiple supply and sales channels. The company also counts Tesco among its clients.
Borg continued: “We have a complex web of products and services, so this is one of our biggest IT projects. IVIS Group’s commitment to understanding the dynamics of our business allowed us to realise a return on investment within six months.”
The Carphone Warehouse has expanded geographically, with a further 1,700 stores trading under the Phone House brand across Europe. The retailer also launched a joint venture with BestBuy, the world’s largest consumer electronics retailer, opening the first UK store in spring 2010.
“The Carphone Warehouse needed to find a system which would help it react quickly to the market and present customers with a consistent interface, whether they purchased in-store or online,” said Paul Bolton, Director of Product & Strategy at IVIS Group. “Automating the process to make sure staff across the store estate have all the information they need at the point of sale to offer the right promotion without delay, is helping The Carphone Warehouse excel through its sales execution and customer service.”
