Palmer & Harvey is set to offer independent retailers 24-hour ordering with the launch this month of a new transactional website.
The new site, which will replace the limited online service P&H currently operates, is accessed via its company website and allows independent retailers to order from the full range of 7,000 chilled, ambient and frozen lines. The service will initially be rolled out to 500 customers but P&H said it expected up to 6,000 customers to eventually use the site.
The site includes functions allowing retailers to store their favourite items and previous orders and search for particular products by category or type. Independent retailers using the site are sent an invoice after ordering, although P&H is also considering credit card transactions.
The site was similar to popular consumer online ordering sites such as Tesco.com, said P&H director of marketing Richard Hayhoe. "We have had an online ordering system for some time, but with a limited capacity for a small group of customers in the south west," he said. "We have always maintained that one-to-one telesales contact is best, and this remains a real USP for us, but our customers are looking for more flexibility."
The new site had been tested for three months on 60 to 70 customers, who ordered more frequently, spent more and ordered outside P&H's telesales opening times, he said.
Hayhoe insisted the site had been launched in response to customer demand and not because rivals such as Booker were enjoying success online. In October, Booker revealed internet sales had soared 88% to £180.8m in the six months to 11 September.
"It has been well reported that our competitors are having varying degrees of success online, but the key for us was to launch when customers required the service," Hayhoe said. "We wanted to do it at the right time and make sure we offered added value."
He would not reveal the investment put into the site, only commenting that it was "very low".
The new site, which will replace the limited online service P&H currently operates, is accessed via its company website and allows independent retailers to order from the full range of 7,000 chilled, ambient and frozen lines. The service will initially be rolled out to 500 customers but P&H said it expected up to 6,000 customers to eventually use the site.
The site includes functions allowing retailers to store their favourite items and previous orders and search for particular products by category or type. Independent retailers using the site are sent an invoice after ordering, although P&H is also considering credit card transactions.
The site was similar to popular consumer online ordering sites such as Tesco.com, said P&H director of marketing Richard Hayhoe. "We have had an online ordering system for some time, but with a limited capacity for a small group of customers in the south west," he said. "We have always maintained that one-to-one telesales contact is best, and this remains a real USP for us, but our customers are looking for more flexibility."
The new site had been tested for three months on 60 to 70 customers, who ordered more frequently, spent more and ordered outside P&H's telesales opening times, he said.
Hayhoe insisted the site had been launched in response to customer demand and not because rivals such as Booker were enjoying success online. In October, Booker revealed internet sales had soared 88% to £180.8m in the six months to 11 September.
"It has been well reported that our competitors are having varying degrees of success online, but the key for us was to launch when customers required the service," Hayhoe said. "We wanted to do it at the right time and make sure we offered added value."
He would not reveal the investment put into the site, only commenting that it was "very low".
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