Sainsburys reports strong online growth

Friday, July 7, 2017 - 15:04 by Sarah Collinson

Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has enjoyed a 2.7 per cent uptick in sales across all platforms in 2017 so far, with its acquisition of Argos helping to expand its portfolio of offerings available online.

Its e-commerce grocery activities have been especially successful, with an eight per cent increase in online food sales over the past three months. Meanwhile, its bricks and mortar sales have been boosted by a slightly more modest three per cent, showing that the web is still leading the way in terms of growth.

Sainsbury’s spokesperson, Mike Coupe, said that Argos was continuing to exceed expectations and outpace its competitors, with innovative e-commerce services and delivery options giving it the edge, according to Internet Retailing.

He drew attention to the Fast Trak service, which combines home delivery and in-store click and collect, as being one of the catalysts of online growth at Argos. Giving customers the opportunity to pick up items they have ordered online within hours rather than days is seen as being especially advantageous during the summer months when impulse purchases are more common.

Coupe also admitted that the retail market remains competitive at the moment, both on the high street and online. He said that this had led Sainsbury’s to keep a close watch on pricing and make attempts to manage the pressures of the market without excessively impacting customers.

Argos has long been seen as a leader when it comes to embracing the digital marketplace and capitalising on the popularity of safe shopping online. Since Sainsbury’s was an early entrant into the e-commerce grocery market, it is no surprise that the two firms have made a good match for one another following the takeover, while rivals are having to work hard to keep up the pace.