Badcock.com Reaps Benefits of eStoris Website During Pandemic

June 30, 2020  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

The global COVID-19 pandemic shifted the home furnishings retail landscape. Those retailers well-positioned with e-commerce websites were ready with a viable selling channel for their customers. Traditional brick and mortar home furnishings retailers took advantage of this opportunity to accelerate their e-commerce performance. These websites collectively hit performance levels not anticipated to be achieved for 3-5 years.

Badcock.com launched into e-commerce in 2019. In 2018, Badcock chose their decade-long retail technology partner, Storis, for their venture into e-commerce. The Badcock and Storis teams partnered on their eStoris website launch bringing a national web front to the 375-store operation.

Badcock President, Rob Burnette commented, “Storis’ Unified Commerce Solution delivers seamless click-to- brick integration that has proven to be extremely beneficial. This functionality has allowed customers to find and purchase the same products online as they could in a physical store. From the inventory integration to the pricing and product offerings, customers know that they can get the same great value and experience online as they can in-store without having to leave their homes.”

Badcock was fortunate that the “&more” portion of their product offering, including appliances and electronics, enabled them to retain essential status and keep many of their stores open. However, some of their 375 stores were closed due to varying local government mandates. Further, many of their customers made the personal decision to shop online rather than come in store, even in markets that remained open.

Burnette commented, “Having an eStoris e-commerce enabled website has been extremely beneficial to the Badcock organization during the pandemic. For those stores that were closed, and for customers who felt safer shopping at a distance, our e-commerce store was the lifeline for our community members.”

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, families have transitioned to remote working, online learning, and social distancing, making the home the heart of everyday life. Customers shifted their focus to online shopping where they could have products delivered straight to their homes via contact-less delivery or participate in a Buy Online, Pickup Curbside transactions.

Barb Scherer, vice president of marketing for Badcock commented, “customers have always trusted the Badcock brand to help transform their houses into homes, and now they can do so conveniently online with the same great experience and service Badcock is known for. As a company, we have witnessed sales spikes in essential products throughout the pandemic, and in other categories as customers are upgrading their furniture and purchasing add- on pieces to help complete the look. Our customers are viewing products and are engaging with our website to fulfill their furniture needs. We are grateful for our partnership with Storis and their technologies to support these shifts in consumer shopping behavior.”