Bunnings Group to re-platform its e-commerce sites

Bunnings Group is re-platforming its e-commerce sites and enhancing support systems and infrastructure in its supply chain in order to sustain ongoing demand for digital shopping.

But as important as its digital channels have been during Covid, the company had not lost sight of the fact that while many customers engage digitally, they still prefer shopping in-store, Wesfarmers managing director Rob Scott told iTnews.

Scott said there is still "an enormous amount of work going on in the digital side" of the Bunnings business.

Bunnings introduced e-commerce capabilities in Australia in 2019 and then in New Zealand in early 2020 as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic became apparent.

It has since built upon these digital foundations, and it was clear from the company's half-year results that this work is continuing.

"We're undertaking a replatforming of our e-commerce sites and also doing a lot of work around better developing our supply chain systems to support the fulfilment of online orders," Scott said.

The retailer is also using digital to augment the in-store experience.

“Our product finder app has had really good take up, and it's really loved by customers," Scott said.

“There's also a lot more rich content online around, not just on products but about do-it-yourself videos and educational tools.

"That is all part of the digital engagement Bunnings is seeking to seeking to achieve with its customers.”

Scott said that the pace of digital change at Bunnings, whether for online or in-store experience augmentation, would continue to accelerate.

“If I go back five years ago, we probably looked at digital as an area where we were very concerned about the risk of disruption if we didn't move faster," he said.

“You can't be complacent. But I see that there's more opportunity for us through what we're doing to be quite disruptive and value adding for our customers, and to drive new and positive change for our customers for our suppliers.

“I see the tempo and the focus accelerating."

Bunnings Group reported $9 billion in revenue in the six months to December 31 last year, 24.4 percent up on the previous corresponding period.