Case study ChoicesUK
ChoicesUK plc is one of the largest and most successful home entertainment groups in the UK, with over 200 stores nationwide. The ChoicesUK Direct division, which includes their website ChoicesUK.com, sells DVD, music, games and games hardware via telephone, mail order and the internet and also provides fulfilment services for third party companies wishing to have their own entertainment offering.
The Challenge
ChoicesUK had recognised that it needed to re-engineer its entire e-commerce application architecture in readiness for its next strategic move up the home entertainment value chain. The company had grown dramatically in the last five years and its existing web systems were no longer adequate to manage the business.
The Solution
Snow Valley, together with business partner Charteris, addressed a number of areas of the ChoicesUK business in a project that grew in scope and complexity, embracing not just e-commerce, but the contact centre, business intelligence and back end integration.
The company now has a single product file which can be sold across multiple channels – website, mail order and telephone sales. In addition, there is one service policy so that returns are managed more efficiently, and the configurable design allows new white label partners to be added easily to the system. The new infrastructure can also cope with demand peaks, such as Christmas, because third party hosting offers ChoicesUK the flexibility to grow its business and invest in new infrastructure.
The Results
Following the integration of products, services and systems by Snow Valley and Charteris, ChoicesUK no longer needs different systems to manage them, and has achieved better operating efficiency, reduced operating costs and improved customer service.
Richard Whalley, commercial director for ChoicesUK, commented, "The new systems give us great leaps forward in the speed of product through the business and increase sales potential for both us and third parties."