Order volume soars 92.2%, online sales increase 81.3%, UK ScS develops strongly

According to foreign media reports, British furniture retailer ScS recently released its financial report data for the first half of fiscal year 2020/21 , showing its development trend in fiscal year 2020/21.

ScS had a strong first half, with total sales up 13.9% to £182.3m, as pent-up demand from last spring's lockdown was unleashed .

ScS order volumes were up 92.2% in the nine weeks to July 25, 2020. Home furnishings sellers benefit as customers divert money away from overseas holidays and leisure activities. Lockdown has led to more shoppers spending online, with online orders almost doubling during the period, meaning sales were up 81.3% in the first half .

The growth was supported by ScS's relaunch of its e-commerce website in July last year to enable shoppers to more easily browse products on mobile phones and tablets, as well as the launch of online - only products.

Focusing on online is the right choice for ScS as GlobalData consumer research shows that more customers said they made an interior decoration purchase on their mobile phone or tablet in the last six months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 .

ScS now offers consumers an online ordering process and launched MyScSLive in January, which allows customers to make video calls with store staff to discuss purchases. Such a convenient online ordering method has led to a surge in ScS's online orders.

However, once these orders have been fulfilled , retailers face the prospect of a severe depletion of orders as online gains are insufficient to offset the adverse effects of store closures. ScS has already experienced this, with online orders up 157.5% in the first seven weeks of the second half of the year , but overall orders down 87.2%.

Once stores reopen, they will likely experience a second rebound in orders as people rush outside and shop in stores.

Matt Walton, senior retail analyst at GlobalData , a leading data and analytics company, said: “ScS and other furniture retailers will face challenges in early 2021. Once the current lockdown period ends, these online orders are likely to decrease significantly . Although ScS is in a strong cash position , like other furniture retailers, ScS still faces a few challenging weeks. ”

U.K.

Order volume

Financial Report