APPLIANCES ONLINE WINS TWO ORIA AWARDS
October 4th, 2011
Appliances Online won two highly coveted Online Retail Industry Awards held on Tuesday, September 27:
· Best Customer Experience
· Best Site Optimisation and Design
28 September 2010: Appliances Online was awarded for having the best customer experience of any website in Australia for the second year, and was also recognised as having the best site optimisation and design, at the annual Online Retailer Industry Awards (ORIAs) held at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre Parkside Ballroom last night.
John Winning, founder and CEO of Appliances Online, said being awarded with the best customer experience trophy for the second year in a row is the most important award his business could win last night.
“Our aim is to impress every customer. Even though we are an online retailer, our model is one that builds old-fashioned customer service into every aspect of the shopping experience. We listen to customer feedback and offer things such as free delivery, phone service available 16 hours a day, seven days a week, next day delivery to most metropolitan areas, and 360 degree camera imaging technology. Being online doesn’t mean you don’t have to deal with our customers, in fact we want to create loyal relationships that last into the next generation,” he said.
Appliances Online is Australia’s largest online retailer of appliances, delivering to 98% of the population and stocking more brands than any other online appliance retailer. Between 2005 and 2011 more than 150,000 unique customers have purchased from the company. The online retailer increased its customer base by 50% and its total revenue by 100% in 2011. Appliances Online delivers nationally, and has a Facebook community of more than 170 000.
Winning said his business has grown exponentially. “Over the past year we have increased the number of employees by 300%, now employing 80 staff. We have expanded across Australia – moving further into Queensland, Western Australian and South Australia to complement our existing presence in Victoria and New South Wales. This growth has been extremely exciting, but has also brought its own challenges. Despite our increasing size, we remain an agile company and our core business proposition remains unchanged – we provide our customers with the highest quality, unbiased customer service available, and a large range of products at guaranteed best prices.
“When we started selling kitchen and laundry appliances online six years ago, many thought selling large items – such as a fridge – online would never take off. Yet today the Australian online retail industry is booming – we have a new competitor launching online every other week and consumers now have access to a vast array of online retailers at their fingertips. It’s a fantastic, growing industry to be a part of and it is a huge honour to be awarded by our peers,” Winning said.
John Winning has put together five tips for online retail success:
1. Embrace technology to improve your business – use available technology to monitor customer feedback in real time and give customers what they ask for. For example, Appliances Online developed a bespoke 360 degree camera imaging system because our customers told us they wanted to view every possible angle of the product.
2. Think about the customer experience – the most important aspect of running an online business is to impress every customer, no matter the mode of communication, be it via Facebook, Twitter, Email, on the phone, or at delivery. Just because you’re an online company doesn’t mean you don’t have to deal with customers – we aim to look after, and communicate with our customers long after the sale has been made.
3. Design the site for your customers, not for you –Appliances Online’s focus is on maximising customer utility and conversion but not letting form impede function. There is no appetite to re-invent the wheel of successful e-commerce website design, however, there is a need to provide consumers with the online shopping experience they expect.
4. Empower your staff – staff are the biggest asset of any business – we encourage all employees to own their role and change it wherever possible to benefit the company. We trust our staff to use their initiative and have created a fun work environment where every door is open.
5. Stay agile and innovative – no matter the size of the company, being able to adapt quickly to the changing online retail landscape is a necessity. Our business has increased the number of employees by 300% in the past 12 months, and we have had to work hard to help ensure we remain agile and innovative.
For media enquiries,
Sally Killoran
02 9735 5479
0400 927 003
skilloran@appliancesonline.com.au
About Appliances Online: Appliances Online was started by John Winning in 2005 with a laptop, a rented truck, and a 1300 number diverted to a mobile phone. Appliances Online now employs upwards of 80 people. The company is Australia’s largest online retailer of appliances, delivering to 98% of the population, and stocking more brands than any other online whitegoods or appliance retailer, at extremely competitive prices.
Leave a Reply