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Thailand: Central revamps website
Central Department Store Co has relaunched its online business aiming to raise its online sales to over 10 billion baht in four years, up from only 250 million last year.
Natira Chirathivat Boonsri, the company’s president, said the company invested 250 million baht in redesigning the company’s website, central.co.th, making it more modernised to respond to customers’ changing retail demands.
She said retail customers have changed their behaviour as more of them access the internet. Half the global population has internet access, said Mrs Natira.
Some 82% of the Thai population has access to the internet, with online shopping a top five internet activity. Thailand’s e-commerce market grew by 14% in 2018, with growth estimates of 20% in 2019.
She said the concept of the renovated website is “My Central is NOW”, aiming to meet the ever-evolving needs of digital-generation customers while bridging the department store with online shopping.
“The move will consolidate Central as Thailand’s No.1 omni-channel department store and double sales via all social media channels to 1.5 billion baht in 2019,” Mrs Natira said.
A major shift is the website is expected to be the biggest revenue contributor, beating out the Chidlom branch, she said.
Stephane Jubert, the company’s senior vice-president of online and omni-channel customer relations management director, said new generations of shoppers mostly look for an immediate shopping experience, finding the brands they desire and buying without waiting to secure their transactions.
Mr Jubert expects the new website to increase online’s sales contribution to 15% of Central Department Store revenue in 2023, or over 10 billion baht, up from 2% or 250 million in 2018.
Some 36.9% of revenue in 2018 came from the beauty category, while home and kitchen products made up 24.2%, travel and luggage 8%, and the remainder came from products for mothers and kids, toys, and watches. Some 68% of online shoppers were women.
Mrs Natira said consumer spending power in the first quarter this year was stable, but the situation should improve in the second half.
“We would like the new government to boost the IT knowledge and skill of Thais,” she said.
The company expects revenue growth of 6% to 45 billion baht this year, driven by the online rejig, store growth and opening a branch in Patong.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1655556/central-revamps-website