Canadian Retailer - Store 2014 - 53

2014 ERA AWARDS E-COMMERCE (MID-SIZE RETAILER)

AWARD WINNER

HENRY'S CLICK AND CONNECT-AN
OMNICHANNEL SUCCESS
Connecting bricks and mortar and online to create a truly
seamless customer experience
IN 2010, Henry's re-launched its flagship store

to much acclaim. The follow-up act presented
a different kind of problem for this retailer of
cameras and accessories-how to marry the instore experience with online shopping to provide a more complete omnichannel strategy?
As the store examined how to improve the
overall experience of shopping with Henry's,
the company discovered an opportunity to increase web conversions by merging in-store
and online strategies. The end result of the
store's research was Click and Connect, a program designed to optimize the omnichannel
shopping experience at Henry's.
At the heart of Click and Connect is a simple
premise: allow customers to reserve products
online and pick their purchases up in-store.
Part of the success of this initiative has to
do with what Henry's sells-cameras. Most
customers are tentative about buying cameras
because it's easy to become overwhelmed with
the technology and the choice. The service also
tells customers the inventory of each store and
sends them an email to alert them when their
product is ready for pick-up. This feature lets
customers research product online and know
with certainty whether or not they can find the
camera they want in the store closest to them.
"We wanted to give the customer the assurance that we value their time and give them a
tool that can cut out wasted journeys and disappointment," says Carainn Buchalter, Director of Marketing.
A Range of Success

Henry's has seen a range of success generated by Click and Connect. They have seen high
customer engagement in the program, with an
average of 20 in-store reservations per day. In
fact, in the first month of the initiative, 24 per
cent of online orders were reserved online and
picked up in-store. The store has also seen reduced return rates, quicker check outs and reduced shipping costs for price-conscious con-

Click and Collect makes buying cameras even easier.

sumers. The initiative is available through the web and mobile
devices and connects customers to 33 stores across Ontario.
Henry's is a family-owned business that has been operating
for more than 100 years. The initiative demonstrates Henry's
vitality in the changing digital camera space and offered the
company other paths to build the business. The first relates to
customer service. Store staff can investigate online reservations
and prepare to upsell customers when they come to the store.
The program also delivered another huge win-it helped to
breakdown the intra-company competition that sometimes exists
between a web store and brick-and-mortar store.
"We found that it was a great opportunity to illustrate to the
store staff how the web can drive traffic to their stores rather
than eat into sales. The service integration has been a huge win
for our e-commerce and store business units, our customers
and our staff," says Buchalter.
Click and Connect has delivered results for Henry's. The big lessons the company learned about retailing have a universal appeal.
"Keep it as simple as possible," says David McPherson, VicePresident of Logistics. And even though technology can solve
many problems, it isn't a cure-all. Click and Connect leverages
the web store and inventory management system as much as it
uses the in-store staff to service, educate and upsell customers.
"Use technology where needed," says McPherson, "and
policy, procedure and compliance will go a long way to completing the experience."

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