CHEMIST Warehouse (CWH) says its new web-based marketplace (PD breaking news) takes the company "one step closer to being Australia's one-stop digital retailer".
CWH Head of e-Commerce and Digital Customer Experience, Nick Blatt, confirmed that while the updated site will continue to build on and drive the core values of the company's brand, it also provides a huge opportunity to expand the products available.
"Introducing a marketplace allows both existing and new suppliers access to an unlimited digital shelf space," Blatt enthused, with the move opening up a "whole new opportunity for our e-commerce channel to grow".
Until now the CWH e-commerce and in-store category and product offerings had consistently aligned, apart from a few online and in-store only items, because historically the company's 450-plus stores and distribution centres across Australia and New Zealand had been restricted to physical capacity.
The new system, developed in partnership with global shopping platform Marketplacer, already offers customers a broader range of products than is currently available for in-store purchase, and offerings from additional suppliers will be added in the coming months, Blatt confirmed.
He said Marketplacer had been selected after a detailed assessment of the available platforms currently in use here.
"Marketplacer has an impressive portfolio of large retailers in Australia and met other functional and capability criteria when we were looking for a technology vendor with which to partner."
Blatt said there had been some technical difficulties with the integration, with CWH retrofitting the new marketplace into its existing e-commerce framework and technology stack.
"While this created challenges, it was the most suitable strategy for our intentions," he said.
"Not only was it important to understand how every main area of CWH operated, but also all the associated processes and workflows.
"Marketplacer has worked very closely with us for the past 12 months and the results of this effort are now live for our customers," he added.
Benefits for suppliers will include opportunities to sell more of their products to a "highly active and engaged audience", Blatt noted.
"For new suppliers, we now have an opportunity to support brands that may not have conventionally been in a position to be stocked and shelved in our stores".
The updated site, which is now live at chemistwarehouse.com.au, touts its credentials as "Australia's #1 Online Pharmacy", and offers in-store click and collect options as well as free shipping for orders over $50 along with a flat rate of $8.95 for orders under $50.
The same platform has also been adapted for the New Zealand market at chemistwarehouse.co.nz.
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