E-tail sales have never reached the levels anticipated when retailers first took to the web. Now sellers are integrating online efforts with a presence on the ground.

BRW Magazine (p.24-25), 2-8 July 2009

The chief executive of online retailer dStore Australia, Andrew Cooper, says his main challenge has been in accessing brands, and that brand owners are often reluctant to work closely with retailers that only have an online presence.

“Online retail in Australia is particularly price-focused, and a lot of the merchants are pitching themselves at that low-price, high-volume space,” Cooper says.  “We are more like traditional retailers: we’re looking to build a strong retail brand, and a reputation for customer service.”

Source: BRW Magazine (p.24-25), 2-8 July 2009 (PDF)

dStore.com.au managing director Andrew Cooper explains why the best of the internet is still to come for retail operations

Wealth Creator Magazine (p.30-31), July 2009

Source: Wealth Creator Magazine (p.30-31), July 2009 (PDF)

In a city with few successful online entrepreneurs, Andrew Cooper stands out. Now he’s turning virtual into reality with a string of stores set to open.

Brisbane News (p.12), 17-23 June 2009

Many major retailers are getting serious about online business although, in Australia, few of the major traditional retailers have done that.

Brisbane News (p.13), 17-23 June 2009

Source: Brisbane News (p.12-13), 17-23 June 2009 (PDF p.12, PDF p.13)

High profile online retailer, dstore, will open its first bricks and mortar store on Brisbane’s fringe before Christmas.

dstore CEO Andrew Cooper said the move to couple its online presence with traditional retail outlets was driven by dstore’s interest in forming relationships with its customers across channels.

“People shop online, they research online, they shop offline and sometimes they research offline and then go and buy online. What we’re providing is an additional channel for customers.

“It will be a test of the multicahnnel shopper theory and will be more of a destination where you can pick up a product you’ve ordered online, make a return or buy the product you saw available online,” Cooper said.

dstore is only the second major foray of an Australian e-tailer into traditional bricks and mortar retailing, following the failed EzyDVD.

The first store, Homewares@dstore, will focus on homewares only and will house a warehouse facility and internet kiosks at which customers can purchase from the internet or browse dstore’s online catalogue. Cooper expects to have up to six differently focused stores trading in the next year.

“We’ll have people helping customers through the kiosk purchasing behaviour so we can educate them. We’re looking at quite a different retailing concept and we know behaviours are sometimes hard to change and we’ll be devoting a fair bit of energy to that.

Cooper said Australia was well behind the US and UK markets when it comes to online retailing, and that these two markets were dstore’s benchmark.

“There’s an argument that the US is more open to catalogue purchasing because of their historical preference, but the UK doesn’t have that and they have at least double the penetration we have here in Australia.

“The online market in Australia hasn’t been stirred up by launches by traditional merchants. We’ll become a traditional merchant by going offline to fill that gap out there. We’d be happy to take the leadership position in that whole multichannel marketing space,” he said.

In terms of dstore’s online presence, Cooper said the company would be rolling out new technology in the personalisation space in the next 12 months, however, it was too early to discuss details.

Source: eTailToday.com.au

Clicks and mortar retailer dstore.com.au is about to become a bricks and mortar store as it launches a bold move into high street shopping precincts.

CEO Andrew Cooper told Media the decision to open the retail outlets to operate in conjunction with the online store was the culmination of a vision originally planned when dStore was launched a decade ago.

The decision by dStore to expand from virtual to reality comes as online retailers continue to enjoy a surge in popularity as cash-strapped consumers look for better deals on the internet.

Mr Cooper said dStore would initially open a number of stores in southeast Queensland to test the market before potentially taking the strategy national.

“We expect to have the first prototype open before Christmas and plan to have 12 stores in the Brisbane metropolitan area,” Mr Cooper said.

“We’ve found that certain customers research online but still buy on the high street.”

The retail stores would stock a selection of the total inventory available on the website, while items not stocked in store would be available from the shop the next day or would be shipped to customers’ homes.

He said the design of the store would aim to reflect the online experience of shopping at dStore, while online kiosks giving access to the full range of products would also be available.

While dStore plans to move into the mainstream retail sector, Mr Cooper said online sales would remain at the core of the business.

“We’re not going to bet the house on this,” he said.

He said that dStore had seen solid revenue growth of 10 per cent over the past year, even as traditional retailers were reporting falling sales.

“I would call it a challenging environment but we’re expecting 10 per cent growth this year,” he said. “The main thing for Australia is that habits take time to change and maybe a generation of time.”

Mr Cooper said he expected a presence in shopping malls and main streets would create further awareness of the brand, and a tipping point for the online retail industry was not far away.

“In the UK, for example, three years ago the market suddenly grew by 70 per cent in just a year,” he said.

dStore now has about 250,000 to 300,000 online visitors a month buying products ranging from electronics and household appliances to fashion.

Source: The Australian (p.34), 8th June 2009

Cash-strapped and time-pour?  Cassandra Laffey finds a Brisbane-based online department store where you can get your beauty fix 24/7 for a fraction of the price.

Style Magazine, June 2009

Source: Style Magazine (p.24), June 2009 (PDF)

Where can you save $50 on a luxury face cream or buy a dozen bottles of wine at a $100 discount to the recommended retail price? The internet – that’s where.

Money Magazine, May 2009

Source: Money Magazine, May 2009 (PDF)

With experts touting the economic crisis as an opportunity to grow, businesses are turning to online retailing as a cost-effective way to promote their activities. One company that has found much needed success through their internet strategy is dStore, Australia’s largest online shopping store. dStore CEO Andrew Cooper spoke to Jessica Stanic about the benefits of online retailing and why more companies should be jumping on the web.

The uptake of online retailing has been quite steady in recent months, with consumers looking for cost-effective and convenient solutions for their shopping needs. Research released by online marketing and business solutions company Coremetrics, has shown that online retail spending experienced a significant boost in March of this year, with consumers purchasing 12 percent more items online, compared to the previous month.

Similarly, the average dollar value increased by more than four percent, suggesting that not only are consumers buying more items online, they are actually spending more money on average than they had the month before.

John Squire, chief strategy officer for Coremetrics said that the results signal consumers are seeking out alternative retailing options.

“We’re seeing online purchasing behavior that is strongly tied to consumer attitudes about the bigger economic picture, and the best retailers out there are finding ways to appeal to consumers who are spending their money more thoughtfully.”

Cooper believes that the appeal of online retailing comes down to three simple concepts: convenience, price and availability.

“Online shopping is growing in popularity because it is convenient. We all lead busy lives and don’t have time to race down to the shops and trawl through every aisle in the hope that we find what we are looking for. With online, you can find what you are looking for with the click of a button.”

dStore has grown from strength to strength since Cooper bought the business in 2001. They were recently awarded the Best Online Shopping Website at the prestigious NetGuide Web Awards held in Sydney last month, and can now lay claim to the fact that they are the largest online shopping store in Australia.

However, Cooper stresses that they had to work hard to get the business to where it is today.

“The business model was failing when we took over the company. We had to work very hard to make the business model viable, while at the same time convincing the major retailers and the Australian press that we were a legitimate retailing business.

“Major retailers in Australia and the press don’t take online retailing seriously. Online retailing is somewhat under the radar in this country.”

Cooper believes that while this could be seen as a disadvantage, they turned it into a fantastic opportunity to capitalise on the market.

And capitalise they did, with dStore offering over 800,000 products to consumers, carrying more stock than any individual retailer. According to Cooper they have an advantage over their competitors through their broad range of stock, speedy delivery and exceptional online customer service.

“We try to be very clear about who we are. We offer an incredibly broad range of products for customers who are time poor, speedy product delivery, and most importantly, exceptional customer service.

“The struggle with online is that you lose that interpersonal connection. We find that the customers prefer to help themselves and dig for information first and only then if they can’t find what they are looking for they can call us up. We have a team of staff who handle customer enquires and are always available to field calls. We don’t keep our customers on hold, as we realise they are time poor and looking for speedy service.”

So what type of people visit dStore? According to Cooper the client base is quite varied, due to the nature and reach of online, however he has found that 70 percent of their customer base are female working mothers, from middle to affluent households; while the remaining 30 percent are time poor executives who don’t have the time to invest hours into shopping.

Cooper stresses the importance of knowing your market and implementing effective marketing strategies to target your customer base, whilst being able to differentiate yourself from the competition at the same time.

“ Most of our products online are heavily discounted and the average discount for some items is 65 percent off the regular retail price. We also stock a number of clearance items that come directly from the suppliers so we can afford to pass those discounts directly onto the consumers.”

Such strategies have paid off as their sales are up, despite the current economic situation.

“Online is not immune to the recession, but it is the best place to be during tough times. It is a fantastic medium to market a unique product, across a variety of niche markets.”

For any small business looking to invest in an online store, Cooper provides the following advice:

• Market your brand correctly. It is easy to set up an online website, the challenge is providing a point of difference and establishing your brand in the marketplace.
• Be clear about your objectives and strategy
• Have a good business model in place
• Find out who your customers are and what they want
• Execution is key. Consumers don’t experiment in tough times and they tend to gravitate towards the brands they can trust. Make sure your marketing strategy will bring the customers in and keep them.

To find out more about dStore, please visit www.dstore.com.au

Source: Dynamic Business

While industries brace for impending economic gloom, online retailers like Brisbane-based dStore are proving more resilient to recession.

Acquired in 1999 by e-business platform developer HotShed, dStore is reporting an increase in both customers and sales despite an economic rut.

Reports from December 2008 show a spike in Christmas sales thanks to cash-bonus splurging, with average spending increasing from $88 to $113.

Four-months on, CEO Andrew Cooper says profits are still up year-on-year, and regular web shoppers are continuing to spend more.

“We predicted a 20 to 30 percent increase from last year, and in reality it’s more like 10 to 15 percent,” he says.

“So we are growing, but not as much.”

Cooper says dStore is always acquiring new customers, but it has been noticing some interesting trends over the recent months.

“New customers now are not spending as much as new customers from one-year ago,” he says.

“However, our regulars are spending more, which tells us that people are shopping with trusted brands.”

Cooper insists online retailing is not recession proof, but is more resilient to the financial crisis and weakening economy.

“If we did go into recession, we are glad to be online,” he says.

While some companies are culling workers and instigating pay-cuts, dStore is employing different strategies to ride out the downturn.

“We are not spending as much on marketing. We’re trying to take care of our existing customers,” Cooper says.

Cooper’s expectations are that the next 18 months will see difficult times.

“It will be interesting to see what happens,” he says.

Source: Queensland Business Review

Brisbane City News 26/03/2009

Love a nifty bargain at a time when money is too tight to mention?

Get in line, sister.

Now, with the simple click of a mouse, you can shop at wholesale prices, getting more bang for your buck on everything from books and games through to top-end perfumes, such as Chanel’s iconic No. 5 fragrance.  The website of such online shopping nirvana is www.dstore.com.au.

Even better, you’ll be shopping local with dStore based in Fortitude Valley.

CEO Andrew Cooper said the leading small boutique website, which employs 10 locals was defying the credit crunch.

What’s more, it was honoured with the Best Online Shopping Website award at the Australian NetGuide Web Awards held earlier this year.

The awards were developed in 2005 to promote and recognise the quality of Australian websites.  Mr Cooper said being nominated was an honour in itself, but to have won the Best Online Shopping Website award was the “icing on the cake”.

“We look forward to continuing to serve our customers to the best of our ability; first class, convenient online shopping is all a part of the dStore shopping experience,” he said.  With more than 765,000 products online, dStore is one of Australia’s largest online shopping stores.

Visit www.dstore.com.au

Source: City News