Woolworths has seen its focus on digital sales bear fruit, with the company’s\u00a0online clothing sales increasing over 100% between July 2016 and June 2017.<\/p>\n
This is part of a continued focus on online sales with further digital moves already on the cards, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
“Results such as this demonstrate a fundamental shift in consumer behaviour, specifically for Woolies. This kind of growth in a strained trading environment is remarkable,” said Liz Hillock, head of online at Woolworths.<\/p>\n
The company said that mobile would be a key part of the digital strategy, with over half of the traffic to Woolworths.co.za coming from mobile devices.<\/p>\n
Woolworths recently launched its updated app on Android and iOS with new functionality and added security benefits.<\/p>\n
At launch, it trended in the top 10 for over a week in app stores and resulted in a 166% growth in app registrations for this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no doubt that mobile will lead the way towards an omni-channel retail experience,\u201d said Hillock.<\/p>\n
\u201cWoolworths was one of the first brick and mortar retailers to embrace e-commerce in South Africa. The investment has resulted in a strong food and fashion business online, and one which continues to grow rapidly,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n