Despite retail’s current difficult trading environment, TFG (The Foschini Group) is reporting growth in the online retail sector.
The company’s e-commerce division experienced positive sales figures and over 40% year on year growth, after implementing changes based on feedback from online customers.
“This year TFG has focused on four new services requested by our customers. These are EFT payments, the option to collect online orders from other TFG stores, the introduction of online furniture sales, and enabling log in via social media profiles like Facebook,” says Robyn Cooke, head of TFG e-commerce, attributing recent growth to TFG online’s customer-centric approach.
“By listening to our consumers, our average order values have gone up by 17% and we are managing to grow our sales despite economic pressures in the retail sector.”
Payment via EFT
The addition of EFTs as a payment method has seen cash purchases increase and they now account for 34% of all TFG online purchases.
Collect in store
Following a request from customers unable to receive packages at work or at home during work hours, TFG are trialling the collect in store delivery option, to give online shoppers the flexibility to collect parcels at their most convenient TFG store within an eight-day period.
Customers can shop across 13 TFG stores online, check-out in one bag then choose to collect their purchases at their nearest @home, Foschini, Markham, Sportscene or Totalsports store. For example, they can buy sneakers from Sportscene online, but collect the shoes at a Markham or Foschini for Beauty store near their office during their lunch hour or during their daily commute to and from work.
The service is in the proof of concept phase with the trial having launched in the Western Cape in June this year, but current figures indicate a very positive uptake by shoppers so TFG expects the collect in store option to roll out nationwide.
Online furniture sales
Within two months of going live with furniture sales on @home online, the ecommerce store is now the most popular and most shopped @home store nationwide.
Social media sign-up
TFG added functionality to its online sites, offering customers the added convenience of using their Facebook or Google Plus profiles to sign in and shop. Within three days of going live, a quarter of all TFG online’s sign ups were through Facebook, with not one phone call received by the customer call centre to report issues with the service.