H.Samuel Ecommerce Review
From the Retail Inventory: Expectations vs Reality report series
H.Samuel the jeweller opened its first retail stores in 1890 and today operates over 300 nationwide stores and an ecommerce website – launched in 2005.
The jeweller offers many customer-facing services, including, repairs, omnichannel delivery and returns and an online booking service for in-store appointments, including ear piercings – ouch!
Why is stock control important for the company?
Excess stock is something jewellery retailers want to avoid, it doesn’t make sense to stock large quantities of expensive items, which is having real-time access to data and stock is crucial to the running of the business.
Booking online for an in-store appointment is a must for jewellery retailers and something that H.Samuel offers. Using geolocation or postcode lookup, a map appears with a list of local stores for shoppers to select; however, as the system isn’t real-time, you can’t book a same day time slot.
Will it fit?
On the product listing page shoppers have a clear view of the item selected and can see if it is in stock online. Unfortunately, shoppers don’t have the option to check in-store stock availability, which is crucial to the omnichannel shopping journey today’s consumers expect.
One cool feature the website does have is a ‘will it fit’ view. This shows the size of the item on a model so the shopper can see what it looks like on a real person, which is perfect for people who may be worried that an item may be too big or small to wear.
Room for improvement?
Overall, H.Samuel offers a good customer experience for browsing online only, but there is much room for improvement in providing the desired omnichannel retail experience, including:
- Offering a view of which stores have the selected items in stock will potentially drive more customers in-store to view and purchase items.
- Showing real-time stock availability by store would help give customers confidence in the data on the website.
- Offering same day appointments for items available in-store would help
- Showing quantities available could help provide urgency for purchase or visiting
To learn more about H.Samuel and what other retailers are doing with their multi-location inventory, download our free Retail Inventory: Expectations vs Reality report.
See the customer’s side of the story when stock data goes wrong
Rachel is passionate about retail and the ever-changing retail technology environment, with a keen eye for upcoming retail trends that are set to shake up the sector.
