The Challenge
Robert Dyas was a traditional ironmonger with 67 shops in the south of England. Before 1998 the company had been in slow decline as shopping patterns changed to out-of-town stores.
Brent Wilkinson, ex-Managing Director of Kingfisher Group, was brought in 1998 to stabilise the company and create a new customer proposition. Robert Dyas still had an incredibly loyal customer base and was a well-known and trusted name in towns and cities that had their shops. The staff were always thought of as obliging and friendly, basically good old-fashioned customer service.
The solution
Working in partnership with Neil Whitehead and Jon Mason of Stuff, the joint project team defined a new way to shop with Robert Dyas - Robert Dyas Direct. This was defined as a 'clicks and mortar' approach with the customer having the choice to buy in store (via catalogues) or online.
The large Chiswick store was re-fitted in the main showroom for all Robert Dyas Direct products. These were not the household goods products that Robert Dyas was traditionally associated with, but high-end garden furniture and barbecues.
Robert Dyas stores would not have product but laminated colour catalogues showcasing the extended range. The customer could make a purchase in-store. Or, if needed, check specifications or consult with a family member and order online.
The new online store featured this extended range to be purchased online but also had intelligence built in that automatically placed and forwarded orders with Robert Dyas' suppliers direct. The goods were shipped direct from them to the customer with Robert Dyas branding and a central online support team set up to deal with any queries.
This way of working meant that warehousing and stock levels for products could be kept to a minimum and it also meant that new lines could be taken on and easily integrated into the online store, again at minimal cost to both Robert Dyas and the supplier.
The result
Since its launch Robert Dyas Direct in 1999, Robert Dyas Direct grew to encompass all products online. So much so that the store was rebranded simply as www.robertdyas.co.uk and has become an important revenue stream for the company, turning over in excess of £1 million each year.
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