Morrisons seeks to promote upcoming e-commerce venture

Friday, January 28, 2011 - 09:39 by Paul Tissington

UK supermarket chain Morrisons announced last year that it would be entering the e-commerce market in 2011 and now it is in search of an ad firm that will help it to publicise its new outlet in the coming months.

As the country's fourth largest chain, it has been making significant gains on the high street. However, it has not been able to catch up with rivals like Tesco and Sainsbury's, because at the moment it has no way of offering its customers the chance to enjoy safe shopping online for their groceries and other products.

This is all set to change later in 2011, when Morrisons' first e-commerce site will make its debut and hopefully draw in many consumers who want to get goods delivered direct to their door, rather than braving the busy aisles at the supermarket and fighting over the last can of beans.

Morrisons already has a deal with one digital ad agency but it is seeking the aid of another group in its efforts to promote the unveiling of its portal for safe shopping online.

At the moment, there is no specific date set for the launch of this site, but given that the firm is thinking about publicity, it seems that it could be in the final stages and it may open its virtual doors at some point in the first half of 2011.

In recent years, buying groceries online has become the norm for millions of UK consumers, with mainstream suppliers like Tesco also being joined by more bespoke delivery services like Ocado. It seems strange that Morrisons has taken so long to get onboard with this trend, but the firm has been focusing on growing its presence in the high street and now feels ready to make the leap online.