Japan Photo wins with pick-up points

8th March 2016

Since Japan Photo in 2013 began offering pick-up of all online purchases via pick-up points in their own stores and Pick-up Stores, their revenue, customer traffic and customer service levels all have increased. They share their experiences here.

Delivery via pick-up points is getting more and more popular with consumers. Chief Responsible for japanphoto.no, Espen Hauge, says that this is also the case at Norwegian photoshop, Japan Photo:

Espen Hauge (left) and Eric Spydevold (right) explain that the business has gone from being a chain store with an online shop to today being an online shop with many physical stores and Pick-up Stores.

“Since 2004, our customers had the possibility of ordering photos online and pick them up in our stores, but after we opened up for pick-up of all online orders in our stores and established so-called Pick-up Stores the number of pick-up orders has increased to 22%. This figure continues to rise, which of course affects the customer traffic in our stores positively.”

Japan Photo offers pick-up via their own conventional stores as well as their Pick-up Stores, which are pure showrooms with great location where customers can pick up their online purchases. Japan Photo displays photo books and the like at the Pick-up Stores inspiring customers in what they can do with their photos.

Read more on how Stores are the new black in e-commerce here

“Our pick-up points contribute in increasing the customer service levels, because they allow us to guide customers in products and how to take a good picture, when they pick up their online purchases. Besides that, the pick-up points works really well in connection with complaints, as customers feel better when submitting product complaints in a physical store than online.” Eric Spydevold, E-commerce Responsible at Japan Photo, says.

Japan Photo has also increased upsell and reduced inventories by offering pick-up points.

Pick-up points and omni-channel strengthen market position
A survey shows that 44% of customers, who pick up online purchases in a physical store, make additional purchases at the store, whilst waiting to pick up their online purchase. This trend is also apparent at Japan Photo.

Pick-up-Store at Lambertseter Center in Oslo. Photo: Japan Photo.

“Many of our customers use the opportunity to buy accessories and other products in our stores when they pick up their online orders. At the same time, we have reduced the total inventory in the chain by having selected products in the shops and a full range of products via the online shop from our main warehouse. The customer thereby gets the full range of products in the online shop via the pick-up points.” Eric Spydevold 

Espen Hauge concludes:

“Overall, pick-up through our conventional stores and Pick-up Stores has led to increased sales in a market which is currently marked by sales decline. By relying on pick-up points as part of an omni-channel strategy, we want to appear as a more serious player than what pure online shops will be able to.”

As one of the few remaining shops in the photo industry in Norway, Japan Photo succeeded in strengthening its place in the market through an omni-channel strategy focused on attractive delivery options.

Facts

• Japan Photo was established in Denmark in 1985, and the first store in Norway opened in Oslo in 1990.
• Japan Photo in Norway has 30,000 shipments from the hardware department per year, of which shipments to pick-up points constitutes 22%.
• Japan Photo has 19 conventional stores with pick-up points and three Pick-up Stores in Norway.
• Japan Photo is owned by CeWe Color, Europe’s largest photo lab chain with laboratories and companies in 14 different countries.
• Read more about Japan Photo at www.japanphoto.no

Text by: Consignor, news@consignor.com