The Primark online sales service are here: Primark starts testing online sales: it will test the 'click and collect' service in the United Kingdom.
Primark is entering the online world and will do so by testing the Click and Collect service (buy online and pick up in store) in the United Kingdom, according to the British media The Guardian.
The textile group, which has already announced a price hike, will launch the functionality in twenty-five stores in the northwest of England by the end of the year, aware of the unstoppable rise of the online channel in the fashion world. A paradigm that the source Spain will tackle, next Wednesday 22, in its Smart Business Meeting XXIV.
However, it has specified that it would only cover children's clothing and accessories, since the company, owned by Associated British Foods (ABF), has a firm attempt to attract more families.
Primark online sales service
"We have chosen a much wider range of children's products for this test because we believe that it has the potential to cover unmet demand, while driving the passage of new and existing customers to generate sales," explained from ABF.
Customers will be able to purchase around 2,000 items online, just 40% of the range, including nursery furniture, clothing multipacks and licensed products such as Disney T-shirts.
The retailer considers this to be "particularly attractive" for customers who do not regularly shop in the largest stores. George Weston, chief executive of ABF, explained that the test is about "giving more customers more reasons to come to our stores".
Primark online sales service comments
The executive added that the company would test the idea for several months and, if it proved to generate additional sales, it could take it to other places or add other product categories.
He has also assured that buyers will be able to immediately try on the items they have ordered online and pick up additional items from the store if they wish. Both functionality and material returns will be offered free of charge as part of the trial.
Until now, the retailer had only used its website to give customers a preview of the clothes on sale and, more recently, to give shoppers information about stock levels in local stores.
Primark's announcement comes with its sales rising by 81% in the first quarter of the year, to 1,700 million pounds sterling (almost 2,000 million euros). The turnover is also 4% above the pre-pandemic level, when it was forced to close its stores.
Primark online sales service presentation
Weston explained at the presentation of the latest results that Primark was benefiting from an uptick in purchases of products for the summer, with a 50% increase in suitcase sales compared to 2019, and an increase in sales of other essential items such as beach towels and swimwear.
Downtown stores are also doing much better as tourists and people in offices return, although sales in those stores are still below pre-pandemic levels.
“The return of tourism and more office work combined with an improvement in the weather in all our markets was reflected in a strong customer reaction to our fashion ranges,” the company said.
John Bason, chief financial officer at ABF, argues that inflation was taking a toll, but that Primark was “well positioned" to weather it. “I would be surprised if we didn't get more people to come to Primark than we would have done before,” he said.
However, Primark is about to raise prices in the coming weeks, as it first announced in April. Given this, Bason has not ruled out that they will do it again due to the prohibitive cost of fabrics such as viscose and cotton, as well as energy and transport.
