After hearing on the BBC News channel that Waitrose spent £10 million smackeroonies (pounds sterling) on its new website, I decided to take a look then blog it. Then a friend said “what?” (or words to that effect) and I felt that I should make some attempt to verify this information, so I googled about for a bit and found the press release from Waitrose in which they talked about their mammoth investment. Here it is.
20 Feb 2011 10:33.
Waitrose has today announced the launch of a new platform, costing more than £10m, that will transform customers’ experience of its online grocery shopping and greatly enhance the retailer’s multi-channel offer. As well as providing the foundation for an immediate step change in Waitrose’s online business, the investment will equip the retailer for rapid expansion in e-commerce sales over the next decade.
The new website launches in the second week of March – and on 22 February Waitrose will start to email over a million customers to let them know what they can expect when the switchover takes place. As part of the move, the online grocery service formerly known as Waitrose Deliver will be rebranded as Waitrose.com
The site is contemporary and intuitive and has been designed to give customers the same high standard of service for which Waitrose shops are renowned. Customers will be offered a seamless, consistent shopping experience across all Waitrose online channels – click and collect, wine, flowers and gift ordering, HomeDirect, Waitrose Entertaining.
One thing that won’t change – Waitrose will continue to be the only major online grocery retailer offering all-year-round free delivery for all orders over £50.
Grocery ordering will be easier and quicker. In addition to popular staples, such as a full range of Essential Waitrose items, and well known branded products – 1000 of which are price matched with Tesco – customers will be able to simply and quickly navigate their way around cheese, fish, meat and delicatessen service counters.
More delivery slots are being added for the times when customer demand is high, such as Fridays and weekends – and delivery drivers will carry shopping right into the kitchen, if that’s what the customer would like.
There will also be “personal touch” features to replicate the service that customers get in a Waitrose branch, for example they can make specific requests to the personal shopper responsible for picking their shopping:
- opt for specific numbers of items rather than a standard pack size – for example, a single onion needed for a recipe – to cut down on cost and waste
- requests for, say, green bananas or extra-thick slices of ham from the delicatessen counter.
Mark Price, Waitrose Managing Director, said:
“This investment in our online platform will dramatically enhance the customer experience so that shoppers receive the unrivalled standards of service and the personal touch they associate with our branches.
“With more investment planned, this new platform acclerates our progress as a truly multi-channel retailer.”
So there you go, the new Waitrose website really does cost that much money. In fact, possibly over £10 million pounds.
