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A local retailer is at the forefront of the revolution of our shopping habits with a fusion of digital and physical presence.
Mypad.je launched the first cash-free retail outlet in Jersey 18 months ago. The business is now expanding with a new website which will operate in Guernsey as well as Jersey.
Mypad.je the local online furniture retailer has proved the fusion of Internet and traditional shop is what customers want, with almost 30% growth in sales since merging the two together.
Managing Director Paul Clark, who has almost 30 years experience in local retail, said he believes the High Street can continue to flourish if it embraces the concept of ‘the shopping experience’, connecting both its online and on-street presence.
He said: "The internet allows us to research online with mobile devices, whenever we want. In an Island where choice can be limited that can mean that our internet pounds are leaving the local economy.”
Despite Jersey’s retail sales statistics still not including online sales estimates, the latest internet retail sales figures from the UK’s Office for National Statistics show that the value of online sales there more than doubled in the five years to 2014, reaching an annual average weekly spend of nearly £719 million. While figures for Jersey are not collated, internet sales in the UK represent more than 11% of the total spend.
Mypad originally launched online in 2013 at a time when the High Street was experiencing difficult times and many retailers were closing their doors. The showroom at West’s Centre, St Helier opened in March 2014, where there are no tills in the store; customers can browse and order from the website via tablets and two large 55” LED screens. In 2015 they enlarged their floor space by doubling the size of its first floor.
Mr Clark added: “What we have found is that people want to choose online, view the quality of physical products in our showroom and then order from an extensive website inventory that no retailer can afford to carry in stock. This means we are able to offer customers exclusive designer ranges, such as our new Italian dining range, at an affordable price. A traditional bricks-and-mortar shop would simply not be able to afford a showroom large enough to carry the ranges we sell.”
Mypad is able to offer a seamless 24/7 online shopping experience from its recently re-built new website following a similar concept to some of the world’s largest retailers. By focusing on the local market, Mypad can compete with UK operators by offering unique selling points that UK stores cannot deliver locally, such as providing an excellent service with free delivery and assembly of all furniture, a 0% finance option, an interior design facility and peace of mind from knowing the company is local.
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