John Lewis finds mobile and social media success

Tuesday, October 27, 2015 - 08:46 by Graham Miller

John Lewis is not only one of the UK’s most powerful high street brands, but it's also a retailer that has managed to embrace digital services like safe shopping online with greater aplomb than some of its rivals. And the latest figures from the firm show that it is continuing to make waves via m-commerce and social media in 2015.

The company confirmed that the number of people visiting its website from mobile devices including smartphones and tablets now account for 60 per cent of all internet traffic it receives. In turn, this has translated into a 68 per cent year on year growth in mobile revenues, since people who browse on portable devices are also happy to use them to carry out purchases.

Another interesting trend that John Lewis has noted in the past 12 months is that nine per cent more people are using both its online shop and its bricks and mortar stores to buy items. This means that the multichannel approach is not forcing people to choose between platforms, but instead, lets them combine them in a way that suits their habits.

On the social side of the spectrum, John Lewis has seen a massive 338 per cent growth in the number of subscribers to its Instagram feed, with Pinterest and Twitter sharing 68 per cent growth apiece and Facebook expanding by just 14 per cent. Facebook is still its strongest social following, with almost 900,000 people registered as fans of the retailer.

This need to appeal to mobile users, not only with a suitable website but also via a presence on the biggest social media platforms, is one faced by all retailers. And engaging via safe shopping online is just part of the digital spectrum, which can in turn lead to an uptick in physical store visits.