At HSN, smartphones are the flagship store
NEW YORK: For many legacy retailers, online sales still make up only a tiny fraction of their overall sales haul.
And yet it’s a much different story at HSN, the parent company of the eponymous home- shopping network as well as brands such as Garnet Hill. E- commerce sales comprise 53 per cent of the its total haul now, and an unusually large share of those purchases - 42 per cent – are made on mobile devices.
In an interview here at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show, a trade event that attracts swarms of industry professionals, HSN’s chief executive Mindy Grossman explained the approach that her company has taken for its digital transformation.
“What I’ve been saying to people is, you need to think about mobile as your new flagship. It’s the place everybody goes to first,” Grossman said. “So when somebody wakes up, they’re going to check the weather, they’re going to check their email. What is going to make them check with you? And it can’t just be, ‘I’m going to give you 30 ( per cent) off.’”
That’s why HSN has been working to engage customers with other kinds of digital-centric offerings. If you just bought some Wolfgang Puck cookware, HSN might send you a recipe idea that uses your new gear. In September, its Frontgate and Ballard Designs brands launched an augmented reality experience in which shoppers could use the camera on their smartphone or tablet to capture a room in their home and then virtually try out furniture from an assortment of about 1,000 pieces.