E-commerce success for John Lewis

Monday, March 12, 2012 - 09:56 by Mike Price

John Lewis is one of a number of high street retailers that is taking advantage of safe shopping online in order to win over more customers, as it is expected to have enjoyed strong growth during the first financial quarter of the year.

A 26.3 per cent rise in e-commerce sales, compared with the same period during 2011, indicates that online customers have a growing hunger for John Lewis' services.

The firm managed to increase its online revenues by £141.7 million, with annual income generated by e-commerce topping £680 million last year.

Shopping online now accounts for 20 per cent of John Lewis' entire annual sales and if current rates of growth continue, then it could soon be even more important to the company.

Spokesperson, Charlie Mayfield, said that the retailer was pleased that it had been able to avoid much of the impact of the economic turmoil which is proving to be problematic for so many other businesses.

He also said that there will be significant developments in the retail market over the coming months and years, with many more companies choosing to invest in e-commerce expansion, in order to take a multichannel approach and offset dwindling sales on the high street.

Mr Mayfield said that online shopping was beneficial for both retailers and consumers, because it was possible to sell almost any product or service via the net. However, he emphasised the fact that John Lewis will be looking to sustain its bricks and mortar presence on the high street and so it will be focusing on delivering convenience, which combines the best of both worlds.

For many customers, it seems the main issue is scheduling, because they want to be able to enjoy e-commerce and high street retail on their own terms.