Q&A: Independent Jules B on making a success of e-commerce

Independent retailer Jules B was founded in 1984 and offers premium men's and womenswear from its stores Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Kendal and Yarm and via its website. It has just launched a new app taking it into the m-commerce arena. E-commerce manager Tom Jeffrey, talks to The Industry about how it is possible for independents to succeed in the omnichannel market.

You are known as one of the most successful and respected independents in the country, how did you find the move to adding an online offer to your business? What were the biggest challenges/rewards for you?

The largest challenge has to be delivering a service that mirrored our in-store offering, from product to customer service, we have always made sure that the experience is seamless for the consumer.

Is your online customer very different from your bricks and mortar customer, do they buy the same things, are they a similar age/demographic profile?

We cover a lot of different demographics both in-store and online. We naturally have certain brands that perform stronger online however, likewise with the stores. Ultimately, what is key here is ensuring that we buy stock that appeals to both our retail and e-tail customers.

Your online offer is established now and now we are seeing the shift to mobile. You have just launched an app, what encouraged you to do that and what key functions does it offer?

The app was the next natural progression for Jules B to enable our customers to have a truly seamless shopping experience in app form. Major benefits include quicker browsing, app specific promotion and notifications as well giving our customer another channel to shop through.

The new Jules B app

How is your digital/mobile offer integrated with your stores?

All of our pricing is dynamically mirrored both in store and online so that the customers experience is cohesive. In addition, we have an option for 'click and collect' that enables customers to both shop online and collect instore.

Digital and mobile services require very different skill sets from your team, have you employed people in-house to do this for you and/or are you working with external agencies?

We use an agency to support the infrastructure that drives our website however, we adopt a very hands on approach to the look and feel of our website and online / digital offering.

You have seven retail stores, can you see yourself adding more or is future expansion focused on digital?

Our focus is to drive expansion online whilst also concentrating on brands that meet our brand ethos and ultimately drive growth.

Has having a digital business changed the way you buy? And has it changed the way you merchandise (new-in being a big driver for digital sales)?

Yes, "New In" is a key focus for us with our "New Arrivals" pages receiving approximately 15% of the online page visits. With this being such a key area of focus, it has made our buying become more geared towards product that works both online and in store.

How many brands do you offer each season and roughly what percentage do you refresh each season?

We offer over 120 brands a season and refresh around 15-20% depending on the collections.

Which new brands have you introduced that you are most excited by and which ones always perform well for you?

Introducing new brands is the most exciting part of the business as it refreshes the look both instore and online. This season we have bought Self Portrait, Toga Pulla, Vivetta, Peperosa to name a few.

What advice would you give other independents who are trying to crack digital?

Investment in digital channels including pay per click advertising (PPC), partnering with external websites and affiliates, along with selective staffing, I believe to be the key to success. It is vital to have a strong and passionate team that are able to balance commercial goals against creativity.