UK home improvement retailer B&Q has unveiled a new ecommerce strategy, with the launch an expanded online marketplace.
The B&Q marketplace, built in partnership with marketplace platform Mirakl, expands on existing ranges and adds new categories. Within the first six months of launch, 100,000 more home improvement products will be made available to buy at diy.com via third-party sellers, in addition to the 40,000 products already currently sold at B&Q. Initial third-party partners include Osram, Black & Decker, and Breville.
All products on the platform will be available for home delivery, with a Click + Collect option being introduced in future.
“At B&Q, we’re focused on improving shopping experiences for our customers to make shopping with us even more convenient. Around 85% of our customers’ shopping journeys start online. With the launch of marketplace, customers can now access an even bigger choice of home improvement products online, with the convenient option to return many products at their local store, with Click + Collect options coming in time,” said Graham Bell, B&Q CEO.
“Marketplaces are a rapidly growing retail phenomenon around the world and we’re excited by the potential this model brings in combination with the convenience of our fulfilment capabilities. The unique multichannel combination of this online marketplace, along with our network of 300 stores, means we can offer customers a level of choice, speed and convenience that pure play retailers cannot match.”
All third-party sellers at diy.com will be selected by B&Q experts. Each has to undergo a verification process to ensure they would be a good fit for B&Q.
The B&Q marketplace is available now at diy.com, and on the B&Q app.
“B&Q truly understands the value of the marketplace to quickly, meet customer demand for a wider product range to improve their home. Our wealth of experience in launching and scaling a marketplace has enabled B&Q to achieve a completely seamless integration of the marketplace into their existing eCommerce platform on diy.com. We look forward to seeing the growth of the platform in the months to come,” said Adrien Nussenbaum, Co-founder and Co-CEO at Mirakl.
