WEB GENERATED SALES SOAR FOR COMET

WEB GENERATED SALES SOAR FOR COMET

Dated: 17 January 2008

Comet, the UK’s leading electrical retailer, today announced its best ever web generated sales performance for the Christmas Sales period* with sales value increasing over 32 per cent year on year. Popular products, like LCD and plasma TV’s were sold or secured for pick up in store (Click & Collect) up to two per minute at the busiest times on the company’s website. The strategic decision by Comet.co.uk (http://www.comet.co.uk) to launch its January Sale campaign online on 25th December resulted in sales on Christmas Day increasing by 700 per cent year on year. Subsequent days also showed very strong year on year growth. The biggest on-line sales week recorded was w/c 23rd December, the first time it has been this late. Historically, sales peak the week before, depending on the last delivery date before Christmas. Having conducted market research among 2000 of its online customers before Christmas, Comet knew that this year’s most popular service was ‘Click & Collect’ (44 per cent of those polled). Its ‘Click & Collect’ service enables customers to order products on Comet.co.uk and then collect them from store as little as 30 minutes later. During its peak trading week, over 65 per cent of its online customers opted to collect their orders from store. This included those people choosing to order products online on Christmas Day and collect them from store on Boxing Day. The top selling web generated products were the Nintendo Wii, and Tom Tom satellite navigation systems pre Christmas - and the Samsung 40” HD TV at under £700 and the HP £399 2GB Pentium Dual Core Laptop with 15 inch screen were the best sellers on Boxing Day. Commenting on its Christmas trading results, Bob Darke, Commercial Director at Comet, says: “All things considered, we are pleased with our web generated sales performance. Our strong online presence has bolstered sales performance overall for Comet. We have the advantage that we are able to offer a physical shopping environment, a dedicated after sales service network and excellent sales advisors on the ground to support our web generated business”. Darke, however, adds a note of caution: “There is certainly no room for complacency in a market that continues to be very competitive - we shall continue to build on this success to further develop our multi channel proposition in the coming months.” * 1 November to 8 January For further information contact: Karen Alden Comet Press Office Tel: 44 (0)1923 714556 Or go to: http://press.comet.co.uk http://www.comet.co.uk Editor’s Note: Comet is the second largest electrical retailer in the UK and part of Kesa Electricals plc, a pan-European group

What kind of online shopper are you?

Do you sniff, graze, ping or strike?

The Internet has forever changed the way we shop. It has increased the speed and ease of buying products and provided the consumer with a global library of information, real variety and choice. Being able to shop online is no longer the challenge as demonstrated this week, when UK online shoppers broke all previous records by reportedly spending £767,500 in just 60 seconds at 1.09pm on Monday. Meeting the needs of all online shopper-types, is.

According to Comet (www.comet.co.uk), the UK’s leading electrical retailer, to succeed as an etailer during peak shopping periods, the challenge is being able to cater for the demands of all shopper types. This means delivering products and services to the people who need them in the way they want them, when they want them.

The verdict of a recent survey Comet conducted involving 2243 of its online customers, is that different types of web shoppers have different goals and shopping strategies, with mens’ and womens’ styles varying.

Forty-five per cent use the Internet for checking out product information “Grazer-style” and doing research before rushing in. The “Sniffers” (the bargain-hunting shoppers), representing just over 15 per cent of the total polled, use comparison shopping tools and are just looking for the lowest price. Grazers and Sniffers are both more likely to be male than female (Grazers representing 61 per cent male to 39 per cent female and Sniffers 59 per cent male to 41 per cent female)

Overall, the survey indicates that while the Internet is often the first port of call for these shoppers seeking information before they buy, it indicates that nearly 16 per cent are “Combos”; the shopping elite who use the Internet mainly as a source of information. This group like taking the best of the new with the reassurance of the traditional and do enjoy the offline shopping experience too. Of this 16 per cent a “Combo” is more likely to be female than male – (53 per cent to 47 per cent respectively). Indeed, of those customers polled given the choice of all Comet.co.uk’s services nearly 44 per cent liked the “Combo” Click & Collect service best. This service enables online shoppers to order online and collect from a store 30 minutes’ later. Of those polled, women were more likely than men to favour “real” people, engineers to install and repair products, and guaranteed deliveries.

Of those polled just over 10 per cent admit to having an “SAS-approach” to online shopping, making precision strikes targeting only the areas and website they need, and then quickly logging off. They know exactly what they want before logging on and only purchase that item. SAS precision strikers are more likely to be male than female (68 per cent to 32 per cent respectively).

However, the remainder use the Internet on a “Needs Must” basis (4.5 per cent). Those shopping out of necessity, or if they are pressed for time, are more likely to be female (55 per cent) than male (45 per cent). The social “Tiddleywinkers” (nearly 2 per cent of the total polled) are enthusiastic, adventurous web users who will ping to new ideas as they are presented to them and use the Internet as a form of recreation (67 per cent female, 33 per cent male).

Commenting, Simon Rigby, Head of Direct Channels at Comet, says:

“Our challenge is to meet the needs of the greatest number of shoppers. By undertaking research on a regular basis, we learn more about our customers’ shopping needs and styles. This helps us to deliver all the necessary reassurances, product ranges and services.

“We conducted this survey during our peak selling period as we are in the process of developing our range of online interactive services, such as Live Chat and CometTV.co.uk. Powerful multi media sales tools will soon become standard in the online shopping arena. In three years, you'll be just as likely to click and watch a product related video of your intended purchase on your computer before you buy - as you are to have an email address today.”

For more information please visit:

www.comet.co.uk/services

www.comet.co.uk/christmas

http://press.comet.co.uk