The Situation
Based on extensive research and human-centred design, TTI was confident that its RYOBI and AEG websites were exceeding customer expectations. The navigation was intuitive and the product content and categorisation was based on substantial research.
“This is especially important for consumers who are new to DIY,” explains Pinkky Bhatia, TTI’s Head of Digital (Consumer). “They’d arrive on the site with an idea of what they wanted to accomplish, but didn’t yet know which tools they’d need or how to go about finding the right equipment. Our RYOBI website solves those questions really well. When someone comes with a problem, we direct them to the relevant products in a nicely categorised way, and with just the right amount of specs so as not to be intimidating.”
The problem? Once the consumer had decided which products to buy, it was up to them to figure out where to buy them. And that’s not great for the shopping experience. As every experienced online seller knows, the less friction there is from discovery to purchase and delivery, the more likely today’s empowered consumers will be to buy with the brand again.
“We were investing time and money in getting people onto the website and solving their problems,” Bhatia says. “It was really important for us to give them all of the information they needed, and to have a better possibility for conversion.”
In addition to sharing product details, TTI needed a way to provide detailed pricing and inventory information. “If a consumer gets all the information they need, the next step is: Great, I like this brand and the products; now I want to buy it,” explains Bhatia. “The minute someone hits that stage, the questions become: How much does it cost? Where do I get it?”
It may seem like a relatively straightforward problem to solve, but there were several complications.
For the AEG and ROYBI brands, TTI works with an exclusive retailer. That meant the websites would direct consumers to the nearest Bunnings Warehouse as well as have up-to-date store inventory information and accurate pricing. So it wasn’t a straight-forward path in shaping this most critical stage of the buyer’s journey.
“We didn’t want to give the wrong information to our customers, and then put Bunnings in a situation where its 300+ stores wouldn’t be able to deliver on their promise of ‘lowest prices every day,’” says Bhatia.
Meanwhile, the VAX website presented its own set of challenges. With more than 15 retailers selling VAX floorcare products such as vacuum cleaners, steam cleaners and other cleaning appliances, consumers should have an easy time tracking down the right product at the right price — in theory, anyway. But the website was lacking some vital information. For an actual purchase to take place, they’d need to be given a choice of retailers, based on current availability.
“We needed a solution that would give us near real-time pricing directly from Bunnings and availability from the 15+ VAX retailers,” Bhatia explains. “Most importantly, we wanted any changes to be reflected automatically without manual intervention, and in a timely manner.”
The Solution
Rithum Where to Buy Local had everything TTI needed, for the three major consumer brands in question.
Consumers can now get everything they need to make an immediate purchase decision, right down to which nearby stores have an item in stock and exactly how much it will cost. TTI knows accurate details can help transform browsers into buyers – accurate being the operative word.
“Rithum Where to Buy not only gives us all of the information required to help current customers make a decision on conversion,” Bhatia explains. “It’s allowing us to scale and future-proof the business, too.”
Bhatia says e-commerce is a key strategy for Bunnings. From research on the brand sites to purchase via retailer sites: Rithum presents solutions that will help shape the path-to-purchase journey for its customers. Should the manufacturer decide to offer VAX through more retailers or sell its products direct to consumers in the future, Rithum can help keep pricing and inventory information synced.
“Selling via a B2B2C channel requires our brand websites to deliver a frictionless experience up to the point of purchase. Rithum provides the customer with accurate pricing and stock availability, explains Kon Romios, Head of Marketing
“Rithum also provides our customers with all the information to drive sales conversions and represents a way into the Bunnings e-commerce channel as a key priority,” adds Romios.
The Results
In addition to driving more consumers toward conversion, Where to Buy provides valuable insight on TTI’s relationships with retailers, too.
“If a consumer clicks a Where to Buy button, that indicates high purchase intent,” Bhatia says. “This puts us in a position to talk to retailers about the foot traffic we’re driving to their stores through our marketing activities and the direct correlation to their bottom lines.”
That’s not all. Thanks to the level of personalisation data that comes with the solution, TTI can get even more granular with its digital marketing.
It’s been a year since TTI first started down the road of Rithum Where to Buy, but the manufacturer is far from done. The digital team is laying out an exciting roadmap for its future journey with all its retailers and Rithum Where to Buy plays an important role in delivering a successful outcome.
Based on our medium-term plans, “Rithum gives us all of the integrations and flexibility we need to achieve these so there’s no need to form another relationship with another provider,” says Bhatia.
