
Woolworths, which only six month ago closed it’s doors, has been given a second chance online (as promised by new owners Shop Direct).
Woolworths.co.uk is actually three shops:
At the moment, each shop has a separate checkout. If you move from one store to another with a filled basket, the website will prompt you to checkout before moving on. Apparently, there will be an integrated checkout by the autumn.
Anyway, the main question is whether there is a place in the market for a pure play Woolworths. Matthew Hardcastle, the head Woolworths, obviously thinks so:
“There has been a vacuum created by Woolworths’ disappearance, especially in the entertainment, toys and party areas.
“This venture is firmly focused on the family and will enable people to find everything under one roof but because it is now online we’ll be able to sell bulkier things and more products than you could get in a bricks and mortar store.”
Shop Direct seem to believe that nostalgia for Woolies and the Ladybird clothing brands is strong enough to bring the punters in. They want to challenge the likes of Amazon.com for entertainment and be a “destination site” for families.
Furthermore, Mark Newton-Jones, Shop Direct’s chief executive, says:
“This is about quality, value for money and great service. We’re not trying to compete to be the cheapest in any of our product categories.”
I was about to write that this was all ridiculous but, you know what, I’m going to throw the community card down. There may be something in this family market niche. So, this is not the Woolies that I knew. Woolworths on the high street wasn’t a destination per se but you always knew it was there and could wander in for a random browse or to satisfy your sugar craving with some pick n’ mix. The Woolies I knew clearly couldn’t survive on my impulse custom!
Creating a destination for families could work. I can see a community formed around parents of young kids. Sure, it’s not going to be a parenting site but even just sharing tips around party ideas and keeping the kids entertained is enough. Keeping on the party theme, there could be online tools that help you organise and plan an event.
What doesn’t quite work is thinking that the shopping experience is a family affair. I still don’t see families huddling around the PC after their Sunday lunches. Similarly, I don’t see parents letting their young children loose on the current website. There needs to be something cleverer here for kids (although the “click n’ mix” was quite fun). Perhaps bringing this experience around the TV could work better. I’m trying to imagine what the shopping experience would be like with four Wii controllers.
The current reincarnation of Woolworths isn’t much of a gamble for Shop Direct. I believe that there are possiblities to grow the business and breathe life back into the brand. However, the answer is definitely not a run-of-the-mill ecommerce offering, especially when you cannot compete on price.
From miso,’s photostream | Flickr
A collaboration with the amazing BuffDiss in Centre Place, Melbourne.
Nice use of tilt-shift photography. UNIQLO are always experimenting with wacky viral advertising that get people to interact with the brand. If like me you can’t get over the weird effect of miniature faking, here are some more examples in Smashing Magazine.
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