Leading European maternity
retailer: Staying Connected to
the Customer with an End-toEnd E-commerce Solution
Client profile
The leading European maternity
retailer has more than 400 stores
globally.
Opportunity
The retailer identified an
opportunity to reinvigorate its
brand and marketing image in
existing markets and expand into
new markets using a multichannel
strategy. The first step would be to
establish a closer connection to its
customers through a new online
sales channel integrated with the
retailer’s robust loyalty program
and customer care services. The
new channel would provide a
single place for customers to shop,
socialize in chatrooms, discover
product and store information,
and contact customer service
representatives from the comfort
of their homes.
Solution
The retailer selected Accenture
to provide an end-to-end service,
encompassing analysis, user
interface design, development,
implementation, configuration
and maintenance of its new
online sales channel. Drawing
upon its relevant e-commerce
skills, the Accenture team worked
closely with the retailer to design
a scalable online platform that
can readily incorporate increased
customer visits, other brands or
divisions within the retailer’s parent
company, and additional countries
and languages. Accenture developed
the new e-commerce platform
using Oracle ATG technology for the
front-end and back-end within an
ambitious time frame.
In addition, Accenture provides
online and phone-based customer
care services to help the retailer’s
customers with a range of queries,
from online orders and returns to
technical questions about the site.
The initial three-year contract has
been extended for another year.
The website featured the retailer’s
full catalogue of 24,000 products.
In addition, customers can register
their children’s details in their
personal profiles, ensuring that
the most relevant information can
be used in marketing materials/
promotions.
With Accenture’s help, the retailer
now has an e-commerce solution
across multiple countries that
allows it to stay connected with
customers. The solution has also
helped boost loyalty and improve
the customer experience thanks
to the same high level of support
that they have come to expect in
its stores. The new online channel
also sets the stage for personalized
web content, when the retailer
chooses to do so.
The team worked closely with the
retailer to roll out the solution in
four countries, each requiring a
different language and catalogue.
The new solution was integrated
with third- party companies, such
as payment providers, and internal
legacy systems for orders and
deliveries.
Results
Since its launch, the retailer has:
• Increased customer visits to
the site by 103 percent (across
all countries), with 23 million
visits per year
A cost-efficient Accenture team
•
Increased e-commerce
helps to maintain and improve the
transactions by 160 percent
solution, with an initial three-year
over a two-year period across
maintenance contract extended
all countries
a further five years. During this
• Improved the e-commerce
long-term relationship, Accenture
customer conversion rate by 30
helped the retailer to:
percent across all countries
•
Registered about 400,000 users
• Completely redesign the website
(approximately 130,000 each
to improve the customer
year) across all countries
experience and site usability
• Implement new features and
functionalities like “Pick Up in
Store” to help improve customer
convenience
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With some technical adaptations
and localization, the scalable
platform could be rolled out to
new countries in just one-to-two
months. Similarly, the outsourced
application maintenance and
customer service makes it very
economical and efficient to add
a new country. This allows the
retailer’s executives to devote
their energies to the complicated
logistics, organizational and
process changes required when
launching the site in each new
market. The online solution
provides a solid foundation to
further expand the retailer’s reach
with social and mobile channels to
achieve its multichannel strategy
goals and high performance.
About Accenture
We are one of the world’s
leading organizations providing
management consulting,
technology and outsourcing
services, with approximately
319,000 employees; offices and
operations in more than 200 cities
in 56 countries; and net revenues
of $30.0 billion for fiscal 2014.
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manage key assets central to the
development of integrated services
and solutions for our clients.