House of Fraser is the first online retailer to announce that more than 50 per cent of its online traffic now comes from touch screen devices. In light of this landmark, the department store has confirmed a shift in its design strategy which will see House of Fraser building and designing its website for mobile and touch devices before working on its desktop version; with a new site due to be launched late 2013.

The department store already has imminent plans to roll out key features from its app to its desktop site. Following the success of the ‘stock locator’ on the iPhone app, House of Fraser is about to launch a replicated version on its main website; enabling customers to check product availability in their local stores. Whether on a mobile device, at a PC or in store, customers will have visibility of stock which offers more flexibility and the choice to buy online or in store.

As House of Fraser continues to develop its Multichannel business, the department store has also confirmed that it has extended its cut off point for ‘Buy & Collect’ purchases to 8pm for pre-noon next day delivery, and plans to further extend this to 10pm within the next few weeks.

Andy Harding, Executive Director for Multichannel at House of Fraser, said: “We’re increasingly becoming a nation of ‘on the go shoppers’ and as one of the largest online retail destinations, we need to ensure we’re providing our customers with innovative solutions to suit their busy lifestyles. Designing for mobile and tablet devices before desktop versions will soon become the norm and is a change we’ve already implemented. Having initially launched the ‘stock locator’ on the app it was a natural progression to offer this popular feature on the main website."

Share Story: