Dunelm Plans £7m Web Boost

Dunelm is planning to launch a new website by September to support the 'next phase' of its multichannel growth.

The company has already invested £2 million in the plan and up to £5 million more will be spent as it prepares to launch the new site. It follows the opening of a new online fulfilment centre last year.

The company said in a statement: 'We believe the next phase of multi-channel growth will demand the development of a new website and associated systems to deliver a smoother, more integrated multi-channel experience for our customers.'

It said: 'This development will enhance the front end customer journey and will allow future website developments to be achieved over shorter lead-times. Complementary investments to be made at the same time to key back end processes such as customer service and handling systems will further enhance customers’ end-to end experience.'

In the past six months the company has linked its internet site to in store stock information helping boost web sales in the past six months by half.

The change to its availability monitoring allowed customer to see instantly updated information on whether specific products were available in local stores. It said it was one of a number of improvements to its Reserve & Collect service encouraging shoppers to pick items up from shops.

'R&C is the most profitable element of multi-channel and importantly represents approximately a third of our multi-channel revenues,' the company said.

The retailer said it was one of a number of improvements that helped lift sales by more than 50 per cent in the 26 weeks to December 28. Its website, which received 26 million visits in the period, now accounts for 6 per cent of Dunelm's total revenues.

It said it has also reduced the lead time between ordering and collection to three hours. It also opened a new fulfilment facility last year which it says holds about 14,500 skus of stock - all of which are available for next-day delivery - improving the speed and choice of ordering.

The site allowed Dunelm to take orders much closer to Christmas, it said.