New research from Retail Week assesses the multichannel capabilities of 45 retailers in the UK home and leisure sector

Consumption of product and the route to purchase – via discovery, search and engagement – is increasingly playing a key role in the way people live their lives, for example through social and mobile.

That makes the home and lifestyle sector one that is growing increasingly relevant within the wider retail space.

The Retail Week Multichannel Benchmarking report, in association with multichannel retail solutions business K3, audits the customer-facing multichannel capabilities of 45 retailers in the UK’s home and leisure sector against 59 different criteria.

Understanding these considerations for this lifestyle-based segment of retail is imperative for industry leaders in a changing landscape.

The retailers ranged from leading department and mixed goods stores such as John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, to specialist retailers such as AGA Rangemaster and Bathstore.

Top level findings show House of Fraser ticks the most boxes in terms of its multichannel capabilities, followed by Argos and M&S.

Department and mixed goods stores score highest, most likely owing to their scale, their financial resources and the ultra-competitive nature of the sector.

Homewares retailers score less highly, unsurprisingly perhaps since many are specialist, independent retailers operating in relatively niche markets.

Sandwiched in between the two groups are DIY and home improvement retailers such as B&Q and Homebase, and furniture groups including Ikea UK and Sharps Bedrooms.

Online offerings

For all of their differences there are several capabilities that the majority of the retailers share in common. All but three have physical stores of some description while all have an online presence.

Although a dedicated website has for some time been a must-have for almost any retail business, all but five of the retailers now boast a mobile-friendly website too, while in all but eight cases customers can purchase directly from the retailer’s website.

The field becomes more divided when it comes to mobile apps. The majority of retailers do not have a smartphone app, while tablet apps are even more rare. Even among the more mainstream retailers a tablet app is by no means guaranteed. M&S and Wilko are among the high-profile names without one.

In almost all cases, customers are unable to log in to the retailers’ websites using a social media login, with the notable exception of Magnet.

For more insights into the multichannel capabilities of UK home and leisure retailers, download the full report here.

Department and mixed goods storesJohn LewisM&SArgosWilkoHarrodsHouse of FraserFenwickLibertySelfridges
Does the retailer have a mobile-friendly website? YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
Does the retailer have a smartphone app? YES YES YES NO YES YES NO NO NO
Does the retailer have a tablet app? YES NO YES NO YES YES NO NO NO
Can you purchase items via the website? YES YES YES YES YES YES NO YES YES
Does the retailer have a store locator on the website? YES YES YES YES NO YES YES NO NO
Can you log in to the retailer website using a Facebook login? NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
Are the following delivery options available?                  
90 minutes or less NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
Same day NO NO YES NO NO YES NO NO NO
Next day YES YES YES YES YES YES NO YES YES
Standard post YES YES YES YES YES YES NO YES YES
Named day YES YES YES NO NO YES NO NO YES
Evening delivery NO NO YES NO NO YES NO NO NO
Weekend delivery YES YES YES YES YES YES NO YES YES
Early morning YES NO YES NO NO YES NO NO NO
Does the retailer have a loyalty scheme? YES YES NO NO YES YES NO YES NO
Can you earn loyalty points from both an online and in-store shop? NO YES NO NO YES YES NO YES NO
Do you get personalised recommendations on any page of the retailer website? YES YES YES NO NO YES NO NO NO
Can you access Facebook via the retailer’s website? YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
Can you ‘like’ the retailer on Facebook? YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
What payment options are available on the website?                  
Cash NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
Debit card YES YES YES YES YES YES NO YES YES
Credit card YES YES YES YES YES YES NO YES YES
PayPal YES NO YES YES YES YES NO NO YES
Coupons/vouchers YES YES NO NO NO YES NO NO YES
Other YES YES YES NO NO YES NO NO NO