Harvey Norman chairman Gerry Harvey has finally announced the retail giant will begin expanding its online presence, saying now is the right time for the company to be getting on board.
Here at SmartCompany we believe it’s better late than never for Harvey. But here are a few things we think the company needs to consider before getting stuck into an online retail war.
Creating an online store is a big undertaking, even for a giant like Harvey Norman. The business will need to hire new staff and buy more IT equipment – but clearly much of the focus needs to be put on creating a great retail experience.
Shopping online needs to be smooth. It isn’t like walking into a retail store, where they may walk around for a few moments before leaving – you’ve only got a few seconds to grab a user’s attention.
That means an online Harvey Norman customer needs to be able to find what they want, click “buy” and then go immediately to a clear and concise shopping cart that doesn’t require any useless information or burdensome security checks.
Customer service also needs to be front and centre. If a user has a problem, they immediately need to get in touch with someone who can help – even if that person is available through an online chat service.
Harvey Norman has the ability to create a simple, fluid eCommerce experience with a good customer assistance component, but it needs to devote the time and effort into making it a real competitor – online consumers don’t reward the lazy.
The front page of Harvey Norman’s website is solid, but at the moment you wouldn’t know if you could actually buy products on there. Online retailing is a call-to-action game, and prices need to be front and centre.
If you consider David Jones’ online store – which has only been given a significant upgrade within the last 12 months – the first words the customer sees are “shop online” in big, capital letters.
Harvey Norman’s website is a good start, but the front page will need a revamp if they want to start selling products online.
Online retailing in the 21st century is all about socialisation, and user reviews are a big part of that – just look at sites like Amazon or Yelp, which depend entirely on the reviews of customers.
Plenty of online retailers now, including JB Hi-Fi, Kogan and Deals Direct now allow user reviews. These are an incredibly opportunity for a business, as data shows more customers will respond to user reviews and comments more than they would an advertisement.
Currently, the Harvey Norman site does a good job of displaying all the information available on a particular product, and gives a good array of pictures, but users aren’t able to post reviews. This should change.
Australian retailers are starting to become more savvy about online retailing, and those in front are realising that a website isn’t a separate channel to the bricks-and-mortar store.
Harvey Norman needs to start giving online customers the ability to purchase a good, and then pick it up in-store. They should also be able to see how many of a particular item are in stock before they head down to a location.
This is all focused on the element of personalisation. When users visit a store, they should be able to see where their nearest store is, and how they can get there.
The Good Guys is a prime example. When customers visit, they’re prompted to enter their location and are given information including a phone number, and the name of the manager at their nearest store. They can also purchase goods online and then pick them up on the same day.
Harvey Norman has great potential in the online space, but it needs to integrate its website with its vast network of bricks-and-mortar sites.
Harvey Norman has a solid social networking presence, but you wouldn’t believe it if you went to their website.
If Harvey Norman is going to add a lot of complexity into its already large business by adding an online sales component, then they’re going to be getting a lot of social media inquiries. As a result, they need to pump their Twitter and Facebook pages as alternative methods of communication.
All it takes is a little marketing – links to the Twitter and Facebook pages should be displayed prominently on the main website.
And while they’re at it, a blog wouldn’t hurt either.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
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