Online store boosts sales for Home Direct

MEDIA RELEASE
26 February 2013

Online store boosts sales for Home Direct

New Zealand’s leading direct selling retailer Home Direct has experienced significant sales growth since launching its online store in October last year.

Home Direct successfully provided online shopping to its customer base for 18 months before making the service available to all New Zealanders. This move saw sales increase by 200% year on year.

General Manager of Home Direct, Jodi Comrie, says the current portfolio of products are performing extremely well however what is exciting is the growth potential in product categories the company has not yet focussed on.

“International data shows that categories such as Manchester, brownware, small electrical and household products are presenting the real growth opportunities for online retailers,” she says.

Ms Comrie says an iConsumer survey of 100,000 consumers in 15 countries by research company McKinsey & Co indicates personal items including clothing, shoes, hygiene and beauty products, home goods including furniture and décor, could present sales opportunities for online retailers in Europe.[1]

“We expect similar trends here and plan on expanding our product range online. So far toys and health and beauty have been the most popular product categories with toys making up 28 per cent of total online sales and Health and Beauty 23 per cent,”
says Ms Comrie.

The study also found that for household and personal goods consumers care most about the online shopping experience, customer service and selection.[2]

“This is an area Home Direct values highly and will continue to focus on. Our online store has nearly 2,000 products. We are also the only online store to offer Kiwis a range of payment options including credit applications and approval online.”

[1] http://www.internetretailer.com/2012/06/27/online-sales-home-and-personal-goods-could-grow-europe

2 http://www.internetretailer.com/2012/06/27/online-sales-home-and-personal-goods-could-grow-europe

Ends
About www.homedirect.co.nz

www.homedirect.co.nz was established to provide convenient at home shopping where customers are able to purchase essential items such as toiletries, clothing, bedding, towels, washing machines, and furniture, to the extras that make life enjoyable such as toys, televisions, computers and mobile phones.

The website offers customers a range of payment options to suit individual circumstances. Customers that want product quickly can pay by debit card, credit card, hire purchase or revolving lines of credit. Customers who are happy to wait to receive their product and pay for it in instalments over a period of time can choose the interest free layby option.

Home Direct offers its Home Direct Lifestyle Account customers (revolving credit account holders) free delivery nationwide. For credit card or debit card customers Home Direct charges a flat $5 rate for delivery anywhere in New Zealand. Hire purchase and layby purchases will incur a freight cost depending on the product size and where a customer lives in New Zealand.

About Home Direct

Home Direct is a New Zealand owned national retailing company with a 40 year history of providing a range of products to customers seeking the convenience, affordability and payment options to suit their personal circumstances. Customers can select products via phone or catalogue and through the online store.

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