Kitchen e-tailers

wrenkitchens.com

In a series of virtual health checks, our web doctor monitors the pulse of one company's online offering. This month, it's Wren-so what's the diagnosis?

It may seem like only yesterday, but it was actually 10 years ago that consumers first got their grubby paws on broadband in the UK, and since then what we can do online has exploded in a way that no-one could have predicted. According to the Office of National Statistics, less than 5% of all retail sales take place online, but the real story is that over half the adult population shop online regularly, and since 2000, the value of UK shopping has grown by more than 6,000%.
So, convinced that online e-tailing is the future, John Lewis has thrown off its Grace Brothers image and is aiming to be the first £1bn online retailer. Last year it increased its online clothing inventory from 20,000 items to a whopping 101,000. The steep growth curve at JohnLewis.com is the holy grail of e-tailing and this Easter laid a golden e-egg: John Lewis saw a year-on-year jump in online sales of 57.1% compared to 2009. Its success resulted in competitor Dixons resorting to an advertising campaign that suggested its customers go into JL for expertise, then hop on the bus home to buy their goods discounted online from Dixons. But the KBB industry doesn’t need a lesson in the perils and pitfalls of internet price structures.
With such rewards on the table however, it is little wonder that KBB retailers have grasped the nettle to create extra revenue avenues. Online shopping may once have been the sole preserve of the big brands because it was seen as niche, with the perception being that online equated to high risk. But that tradition went the way of the bleeping modem a long time ago.
WREN Kitchens has made an excellent job of it, all in all its online shop is a vision of
white and green crispness, with high-profile deals, a browser-side online 3D planner –
so no downloads – making sure customers don’t go elsewhere to create a snazzy plan.
It’s the Quick Order Form that takes top plaudits: simple, clean and yes, quick. Enhanced by a progress bar, helpful price bands and clearly laid out delivery and payment options, this feels like a big brand at work and not a company
with six showrooms.

What makes the perfect store?
» Show and tell: clear pricing, sizes, specs, delivery and returns details are vital. I still have nightmares about the time I bought a bottle of ketchup which was so large it required its own shelf. Perhaps there should be an idiot button for first timers?

» Has madam considered?Like a breadcrumb trail, offering complementary product ideas is standard practice for the likes of Amazon, and harks back to the days supermarkets would surround the tills with kiddie treats.
Too many hoops to jump through?Leave the hurdles to Colin Jackson.

» Allow visitors to create their own passwords from the get-go so when they go back to review their order they are not halted by a bad memory.

» Is there anybody there? A speedy confirmation email with all the details offers reassurance with little outlay on your end. Let the technology hold your customer’s hand and your back office can mop up the worry-guts. WREN’s live chat widget makes this fuss-free.

» Reviews must be moderated: yes the internet is a democracy, but sometimes the shouty people need to be toned down.

» Money talks: however it is managed on the business side, online buyers want discounts as per WREN’s 50% offer – whether it is for the latest Dan Brown or a fully planned kitchen. Sad but true.

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