Richer Sounds has implemented a new multichannel platform to help it improve customer service. The hi-fi and home entertainment retailer, ranked Top100 in IRUK Top500 research, will be able to offer click and collect services, as well as managing returns, repairs and customer service in store via the new Sanderson multichannel retail system, which has now gone live. Julie Abraham, CEO at Richer Sounds, said: "As a brand that prides itself on customer service, choosing a technology partner that could ensure we continue to improve our customer’s experience was paramount. We use the system to manage stock, deliver customer service and handle in-store sales which is fully integrated with our ecommerce platform to deliver a true multi-channel experience for customers." Richer Sounds, founded by Julian Richer in 1978, now sells via 52 stores around the UK, online and through telesales. • Express Gifts has seen its conversion rate improve after using AI to show customers the products that are most relevant to them. The retailer, which sells online via the Studio.co.uk and Ace.co.uk retail brands, uses Apptus eSales to power automated and relevant search results. Some 70% of all visitors come to the websites via search, but the solution that Express Gifts previously used was unable to handle the volumes of traffic. "The search we had in place simply couldn’t cope with our 50,000 product, multi-category catalogue," said Craig Elwell, head of ecommerce. "The manual nature of the solution, which relied on rules to govern everything, was simply not scalable or showing the right product at the right time and limited our ability to provide the best customer service and react to trends." The problem was made more acute since 70% of the customers who use search to arrive at the website, also shop online using mobile devices. "In that context," said Elwell, "it’s even more important for us to deliver a superior search experience. There’s less screen real estate to play with so relevance is very important. It’s vital in the limited screen space available to show shoppers the right products at the right time, every time. ‘We looked at a number of options but most only offered a temporary fix; we needed a solution capable of transforming search, not just fixing it.” The retailer opted for Apptus eSales, implementing it from April 2018. “AI-powered automation guided by high level business goals would mean no more rules to manage, greater trend sensitivity and the opportunity to redeploy resource to more strategically valuable tasks," said Ewell. "The business case was compelling.” So far, says Elwell, it’s early days. But, he says, “Apptus has absolutely smashed the projected uplift target. Search conversion improvement is well above the 5% projected and expected to drive significant annualised sales increases.” Image: Fotolia
Express Gifts' has improved its sales conversion rate since implementing Apptus eSales in April. The AI-based tool streamlines searches of the company’s 50,000 products and automatically identifies and displays items relevant to individual customers. The improvement has exceeded Express Gifts'' 5% projected conversion uplift and is expected to result in a significant increase in sales, said Craig Elwell, head of e-commerce.