Marks and Spencer 2008 Annual Report Download - page 28

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The Autograph
brand is about
effortless style
and luxury and
the new range
of Autograph
Flowers reflects
this perfectly,
either as a
gift, or as
an amazing
centrepiece
in the home.
Claire Broomhead
M&S Flower Specialist
26 MARKS AND SPENCER GROUP PLC
M&S Direct
A new website and an extended range
of products are just two of the reasons
behind M&S Direct’s strong growth.
M&S Direct is an important part of our
commitment to becoming a multi-channel
retailer. In addition to providing our
e-commerce website, it also includes our
home catalogue, flower and wine delivery,
Christmas hamper delivery, in-store food
ordering service and Lunch to Go, which
delivers lunchtime platters.
Spoilt for choice
Each year we move closer towards becoming a true multi-channel retailer, by offering our customers
more ways to shop. For instance, a customer might see a sofa they like in our home catalogue, and
decide to try it out in-store. They then have the choice of visiting our website, where they can see
every sofa, in every fabric, size or colour combination – as many as 10,000 variations.
Sales were up £60m in 2007/08 to £220m,
with M&S Direct growing faster than the
market, and putting us on course to achieve
our target of £500m in sales through M&S
Direct by the end of 2010/11.
Visits to the website were also up by
nearly 60%.
A new site, a new experience
Relaunched at the end of March 2007, our
website was designed and developed in
partnership with world leaders in e-commerce,
Amazon. Our customers tell us they find the
new site much easier to use; a fact reflected
in an independent online shopper survey
by Forsee ranking the ‘Top 30’ UK online
retailers. We came sixth overall and were the
best performing high street retailer, ahead of
competitors like John Lewis, Tesco and Next.
Blooming
good idea
We continue to extend not
just the breadth, but the
quality of our online offer.
For instance, we’re now
bringing the luxurious quality
and style of the Autograph
brand to a bouquet, with the
launch of Autograph Flowers
in-store and online. Just
like our Autograph fashion
and home collections, this
exclusive range of flowers
will change seasonally,
offering extra-long stems
(60-80cm) and larger blooms
in striking arrangements –
from £35 for a dozen and
£45 for two dozen.
Each flower is individually
selected by M&S Flower
Specialist Claire Broomhead,
so they are as competitive as
those you’d buy in a florist.
63%
Sales increase