Annual Report 2012/13 - Clas Ohlson

Marketing
Our marketing communication proceeds from a shared platform, but the messages
and offerings are adapted to the needs and conditions of each country.
We launched our new e-commerce platform during the year and added several
new sales and communication channels to enable online purchases via computers,
tablets or mobile phones. We also improved our social media services and
communication in all markets. Clas Ohlson’s first loyalty programme, Club Clas,
was launched in Sweden to create an attractive club for all hardware customers
throughout the country.
Clas Ohlson’s sales strategy is to offer customers a variety of
complementary sales and service channels with high availability,
and to help customers find fast and simple solutions
for their practical problems. Regardless of whether purchases
are made in one of our 174 stores, from our online store
on a computer, tablet or mobile phone, via our catalogue
or by calling our customer service representatives, we want
customers to perceive Clas Ohlson as easy-to-access,
competent, friendly, positive and solution-driven.
Marketing adapted to local conditions
Awareness of Clas Ohlson depends on how long we have
existed in each market. As a result, media initiatives and
marketing are adapted to the needs and conditions of each
market. We consciously promote our origin and the core of
our offering in all communication, in all of our markets.
In Sweden and Norway, 98 per cent of people aged
between 18-69 recognise Clas Ohlson and know what the
company offers. In these markets, the primary objective
is to increase visitor frequencies, the average number of
purchases, loyalty and customer satisfaction.
In Finland, almost 80 per cent of the population recognise
Clas Ohlson, compared with less than 60 per cent five years
ago. Here, we mainly focus on activities that drive foot traffic
to our stores, strengthen the brand and raise awareness of
our concept and offering.
We are still in the establishment phase in the UK,
which requires a slightly different focus from our marketing
initiatives in mature markets. Among UK consumers,
awareness of Clas Ohlson rose from 16 to 23 per cent
during the year, and we will continue using clear and costefficient
marketing to drive foot traffic to our stores, increase
sales and raise awareness of the Clas Ohlson brand and
offering.
Web camera. Communicate with your friends all over the world.
Resolution: 640x480 pixels. Built-in microphone and Face Tracking.
Still image capture.
38-4754
Multi-channel strategy
In addition to a broad product offering, Clas Ohlson offers
generous guarantees, long opening hours, high availability
and competent and dedicated customer service. During the
financial year, we extended our return/exchange period to
90 days and our guarantee period with up to ten years to
provide extra re-assurance.
Our customers can shop 24 hours a day through a range
of channels. Our sales strategy is based on new store establishments
alongside continuous store-concept refinement,
an e-commerce platform, catalogues and calling customer
service. All channels are integrated, and the significance of
individual channels depends on the customer segment.
Our stores should primarily be centrally located in
shopping malls, along pedestrian streets and in major
shopping centres. This means that we can reach customers
in the places they frequently visit.
Via our e-commerce platform, customers can make fast,
safe and efficient purchases using their computers, tablets
or mobile phones. The web store contains all of our 15,000
products, thousands of spare parts, buying guides and inspirational
videos. We also offer opportunities to chat with
us, ask questions, save shopping lists and other features
that make life easier for our customers.
We no longer mail out the classic Clas Ohlson catalogue
to customers for environmental reasons, but it can be
borrowed or picked up from our stores. The catalogue has
been published since 1918 and is still widely popular.
Operations 13