Asda says it has completed first phase of its web-to-mobile integration strategy, allowing customers to easily migrate between computer, tablet and smartphone; more than 6% of company's grocery orders are placed on a mobile device

Cindy Allen

LONDON , May 29, 2012 (press release) – As millions of customers embrace shopping with their smartphone

Asda Direct and George.com m-web sites enable customers to shop more easily from their smartphones

More than six per cent of grocery orders already placed on a mobile device

Asda leveraging its relationship with @walmartlabs to build market-leading smartphone apps and m-web sites, with iPad apps in pipeline

40 per cent of Asda Direct and George.com orders collected in store by customers – bridging gap between online and offline

Following the successful launch of online grocery apps for iPhone and Android smartphones, and m-web sites for food, general merchandise and George, Asda has today (Tuesday 29th May 2012) revealed it has completed the first phase of its web-to-mobile integration strategy.

Customers can now switch seamlessly between desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone, enabling them to shop whether they’re at home, on the move, or in one of its 544 stores.

The retailer now expects more than one-in-ten online orders to be placed via a mobile device by the end of 2012, as it sees an exponential growth in customers choosing to shop on the move with their smartphones.

Asda also revealed more than 10m customers have now registered online. In addition more than 40 per cent of all orders placed on Asda Direct and George.com are now fulfilled in an Asda store, with customers also taking the opportunity to do a ‘top up’ grocery shop at the same time. ‘Click and collect’ is enabling Asda’s customers to access more extensive ranges than its stores can, and collect at a time convenient to them, with no need to sit at home for a delivery.

The recent explosion in the adoption of smartphones and tablets in the UK has driven a huge increase in the number of online orders placed by customers on the move. Asda’s iPhone app has been downloaded by more than half a million people in the last six months, and its new Android app has attracted 75,000 downloads in just a month. As a result six per cent of grocery orders are now placed on a mobile device, with this figure set to double in the next six months.

Next Asda is to deploy in-store QR codes to enable its customers to obtain additional product information and see other customer’s reviews and ratings when they are in an Asda store.

Judith McKenna, Asda’s chief operating officer, said:

“Gone are the days when we could label a customer as either a traditional or a dotcom shopper. Customers don’t think in terms of channels or devices, they want to shop with ease, compare prices at the touch of a button, and pick up a product or have it delivered with the minimum of fuss. As a result, the world of retailing is being transformed at a remarkable rate and opening up exciting opportunities for retailers like ourselves.

“In addition social media is changing the way that we interact with our customers. Our Facebook fans are the most engaged in retail globally, which means the conversations we are having are equivalent to word of mouth wildfire. This is beginning to make a real difference to our business, in terms of what we sell and how we sell it.”

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