milk&more, a Dairy Crest group company focused on free doorstep delivery is improving the traditional daily milk and grocery delivery by developing a mobile optimised site.Customers were able to use their smartphones to set up and manage the delivery of their daily essentials.
The site was developed in partnership with leader in mobile and multichannel technology, Usablenet.
Customers can create a bespoke delivery schedule, which can be viewed across all devices, that clearly indicates date and content of each delivery. Customers can order on their smartphone up until 9 pm on the night before their next delivery day.
Ben van Pelt, Marketing Manager, Dairy Crest, comments: “2014 is the year in which the number of mobile devices is set to eclipse the number of desktop and laptop personal computers, and we are responding to customer expectations that they should be able to access and manage retail accounts whenever and wherever they are.”
When signing up to the site, customers entering their postcodes will be shown tailored delivery options depending on their location. Once registered, customers can set up a regular payment method, which shortens the purchasing journey and removes the need to re-enter details. Customers can also choose to make a one-off purchase.
The site is optimised for ease of use, featuring image-based category menus and a global navigation side bar that allows users to move between product categories and access their account details. Unnecessary page reloads have been eliminated to speed up the browsing and purchase process.
Results
Since the launch of the mobile site, new visits as a proportion of the total have risen to almost 36 per cent. Users are viewing more pages on mobile than previously, the average duration of visits to the site has increased to 04:36 and bounce rates have dropped.
The site launch was supported by an integrated marketing campaign. The reaction to this campaign demonstrates the importance of mobile to milk&more customers; nearly half (47 per cent) of all launch emails opened were viewed on a mobile device, with almost 20 per cent of these coming from iPhones.
milk&more has also included a “refer a friend” functionality in the optimised site. Customers who refer others to milk&more will receive a discount of £5, and referred new customers will be given £10 off their first shop. Discount codes can be shared via social media to encourage brand engagement.
Ben van Pelt comments: “We have always been focused on ensuring that our customers are delivered their choice of 250 of the highest quality daily essentials in the way that best suits them – there is no delivery charge, so customers can purchase something as small as a single pint of milk. We know that people value the friendly local milkman, so we aim to give them the same personalised level of service with more flexibility.”
“The mobile optimised site means shoppers can leave the digital equivalent of a note in a milk bottle, but wherever and whenever is easiest for them.”
Carin van Vuuren, CMO, Usablenet, comments: “This mobile optimized site demonstrates milk&more’s commitment to bringing the best of traditional services in line with what today’s shoppers expect. We live in an “age of impatience,” and by allowing customers to control the entirety of their interaction via mobile, milk&more differentiates itself by showing that it values customer priorities.”
