72% increase in online sales sign of buoyant market for AIM-listed rare stamp, coin and autograph company
Since opting for UK-based web consultancy Sceneric and multi-channel commerce software vendor hybris to build its online channel in 2010, famed stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons has seen a 72% increase in online sales in just under two years, announcing online sales of £4.3m (2010: £2.5m) in its financial results today. This increase looks set to continue to rise, showing resilience in the global collectibles market and the success of the site in becoming a prime marketplace for stamp collectors worldwide.
Realising that its existing web presence could not support the kind of global expansion planned by the business, Stanley Gibbons sent out requests for quotations to the market in 2010 and set about evaluating the best solution to meet its requirements. After a rigorous assessment process, the world’s leading rare stamps and prestige collectibles company offered the contract to develop a new website and eCommerce platform to Sceneric and hybris.
Keith Heddle, Sales & Marketing director of Stanley Gibbons, commented: “Increasing interest in alternative investments means our business continues to grow and do well, as customers realise the wisdom of having tangible assets in their portfolios. Since its launch in 2011, www.stanleygibbons.com has helped us expand our sales overseas into key markets such as the U.S. and Far East. Further development of the site is central to our ongoing evolution from a trader to a trading provider to gain a greater percentage of the global sales and activities of collectors, dealers, auction houses and others related to the stamp market.”
Jim Herbert, chief operating officer of Sceneric, the UK-based ecommerce consultancy, added: “I think the sharp increase in online sales for www.stanleygibbons.com points to strong demand for an easy to use and reliable portal for stamp purchases and investments. Adding further functionality so that the portal becomes a more immersive and community-rich customer experience is a challenge we look forward to meeting with hybris this year.”
Stanley Gibbons plans to use the hybris platform and Sceneric’s expertise in building e-commerce channels to offer online auction facilities for its customers and to offer its impressive catalogue range to a global audience via multi-lingual and multi-currency platforms. In addition, a programme of continuous improvement has been implemented to enhance customer and collector experience across the site, improve conversion rate, and ensure customers, investors and collectors can find exactly what they need.
Ariel Luedi, CEO of hybris, said: “Online presence has long been a part of an integrated multichannel strategy, but many companies, especially those dealing in areas of high market worth such as investments and prestige collectibles, see online just as a window to advertise their business, not a means of providing a more rounded customer experience. Stanley Gibbons had the vision to see that the site was an extension, and not a replacement of, the customer relationships it is rightly renowned for.”
Stanley Gibbons
www.stanleygibbons.com
Sceneric
www.sceneric.com
hybris
www.hybris.com
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