News from One iota

Mamas & Papas embraces the future of retailing
with One iota.

Mamas & Papas has appointed retail technology specialists One iota to develop their eCommerce capabilities across new devices and channels to cater for mobile, tablet and Facebook shoppers.

As part of Mamas & Papas’ mission to provide customers with a fully integrated shopping experience, One iota has been tasked with providing an advanced mobile website which offers customers key functionality such as access to the entire product range on the go, locating their nearest store, reading customer reviews and ordering online. This evolution of the mobile website is the first step in a broader multichannel strategy which then also sees the introduction of a tablet optimised website, Facebook commerce and iPhone application over the next few months.

Mamas & Papas prides itself on offering customers the best possible shopping experience, having already used eCommerce intelligence to guide product development and strategy throughout the brand. With the importance of mobile and social shopping technology Mamas & Papas hope to embrace all available opportunities to stay at the cutting edge when it comes to retail and provide customers with a truly multichannel shopping experience.

Looking to the future Mamas & Papas has put in place plans that will see increased digital offerings to make the purchasing process easier for parents. With plans for Wifi enabled stores and richer information for customers via QR codes, Mamas & Papas is looking to ensure they are leading the way in terms of multichannel.

A deal with commercial Wifi provider, The Cloud, which was purchased by BskyB in 2011, will allow Mamas & Papas to Wifi enable stores. This will allow Mamas & Papas to offer customers richer information via QR codes, including the ability to watch product video, read customer reviews and view alternative colours or products which are not currently on display... or just browse the web!

Whilst maintaining the entirely traditional shopping experience, Mamas & Papas have adopted a customer-centric as opposed to channel-centric approach, putting power into the hands of the customer, putting as many tools as possible at the customers’ disposal and allowing them to take full ownership of their own retail experience.

Rob Jennings, eCommerce Director at Mamas & Papas, commented: "Technology continues to play a key part in our operations – currently twenty percent of website visitors access our site via their mobile and we expect this trend to at least double in the next 12 months. In line with smartphone growth in the UK, we know that mobile sales will form a significant proportion of our sales in years to come; particularly as it is so relevant to our industry in which busy parents increasingly want their digital experience ‘on the go’ through devices that are suited around their lifestyle."

He continued: "The Mamas & Papas brand has been built on solid family values and we pride ourselves on delivering award-winning products that parents value and trust. As a result of our partnership with One iota, we look forward to enhancing the shopping journey of our customers even further."

The first components of the multi-channel commerce strategy are expected to go live in early 2012 and will continue to be enhanced in line with shoppers’ feedback and behaviours.

Damian Hanson, CEO of One iota, commented: "Mamas & Papas is a world-class ‘superbrand’ and we’re thrilled to be working with the company. The team has a strong desire to invest in its valued customers and we look forward to supporting their customer-centric approach by fusing social, mobile and local technologies to drive loyalty and revenue."