Bangkok--2 Apr--Central Department Store
Piyawan Leelasompop, Executive Vice President for Marketing, Central Department Store, said that Central is ready to offer full services via its social platforms to meet the needs of digital consumers today. As technology becomes an integral part of daily life, the company has accordingly transformed its business by doing online and offline business alongside one another. Marketing will also be transformed as the company aims to facilitate both online and offline shopping. Meanwhile, Central on Demand allows customers to shop at their convenience, whether they are in Bangkok or other cities, even if there's no Central Department Store present in that city.
The plan is in line with Central Group's business strategies for 2018-2022 in order to become New Central, New Economy, and to emerge as the leader of the digi-lifestyle platform in Thailand. Only this month Central wins 3 Awards such as YouTube Ads Leaderboard of 2017 with Heartbeat จังหวะจะรัก [Official MV]. These were the top ten ads that Thais chose to watch on YouTube in 2017, "Thailand's Most Admired Brand 2018" This is Central's twelfth consecutive win of the award. Awarded by Brandage Magazine, this great recognition is a result of nationwide research on consumers of all ages conducted by universities throughout Thailand. And "The Best Brand Performance 2018" in the "Shopping Center" category from Thailand Zocial Awards 2018. This is Central's second consecutive win of the award.
"Central Department Store is the first in Central Group to offer full scale services through omni-channel platforms before the model is extended to other businesses within the group," said Piyawan.
At present, Central Department Store offers services on every social media platform - Facebook, Twitter, Line and Instagram, with 1.2 million, 0.98 million, 5 million, 38 thousand followers respectively. Central On Demand, after a full year, now has 65,000 followers with a total order over 10 million baht, and the number is expected to reach 100 million baht this year.
"We are the leader of every digital platform and we offer a seamlessly connected omnichannel experience to respond to our custromers, especially millennials. We've seen a 20% increase of this group in the past year, from 12% in 2016 to 30% this year," said Piyawan.
Central on Demand is a new shopping experience which brings together the strengths of offline and online shopping. Central Department Store is the first department store in Thailand to offer this convenient service. Customers who do not reside in a province in which a Central Department Store is present, or do not have time to come shop. Piyawan said that Thai people mostly use LINE and spend 5-6 hours on the application. Therefore, Central on Demand was fully launched in January.
"Thanks to our strong offline and online base, we are growing forward and ready to build a new chapter. We will focus on our omnichannel business to offer a great shopping experience to everyone," she said.
Central on Demand makes shopping easier with only three steps - Chat–Shop–Ship. Simply download the application and scan the QR Code available at Central Department Stores or search @CentralOnDemand for Thai and @CentralOnDemandEN for English. You can chat with the staff to ask about the products you are interested in. The staff will help you look for the products, which may be available at any Central Department Store. The products will be sent to your home or you can choose to Click & Collect at any Central Department Store.
Central on Demand is different from e-commerce because e-commerce only offers products available on the website and customers have to wait for delivery. With Central on Demand, it's like the customers are shopping at Central, and the staff is ready to assist them. Moreover, the customer will get the same promotion as what the store has to offer.
Currently, customers of Central on Demand are 53% Bangkok residents and 47% residents of other provinces. About 83.9% are female and 16.1% are male. The majority, at 65%, are 30-44 years old. The top three categories in September 2017-February 2018 are 1. Ready To Wear 2. Home and 3. Accessories.
The company expects that there will be 250,000 followers. Piyawan also added that Central's strategies contribute to Thailand's tourism. Adding new department stores in Phuket and Patong will increase the company's growth to exceed this year's GDP. In the past year, Central's sale reached 40,000 million baht, a 4% growth from the previous year.