Earlier this week, BHS announced it will be making a comeback as an online retailer just one month after the brand closed its last remaining high-street store. The department store will relaunch on Thursday, with a focus on home furnishings and lighting to begin with, and expanding to cover clothing, kitchen and dining in the coming weeks.
Here is an exclusive comment from Vice-President Retail and Brand Solutions at RetailMeNot, operator of VoucherCodes.co.uk, Severine Philardeau:
“BHS’ move to becoming an online retailer is not surprising and is reflective of the ongoing boom in the ecommerce industry. Online has become an integral part of the shopping experience and over the past year retailers have continued to see a rise in online spending, growing by 15% in the UK this year alone.
As a result, expectations are no longer the same – shoppers want convenience at their fingertips, and this is often translated in being able to shop on-the-go.
Online only retailers are becoming increasingly successful and have found their loyal customers– just look at Shop Direct who recently reported a sharp rise in profits after investing in mobile apps.
Forward-facing retailers are now rethinking the shopping journey by making the ecommerce experience as smooth and frictionless as possible and they see the broader potential of technologies beyond the transaction.
There’s no reason why BHS cannot prosper as an online only retailer – they have a strong brand and growing digital expertise.”
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