Liz Randle, Vinnies Victoria’s head of merchandise and retail innovation, has been with the company for over 13 years and has witnessed the op shop’s evolution from a network of bricks-and-mortar stores into an e-commerce platform. After a year and a half of website development, Vinnies has joined the digital age and is eager to cater to the 77 per cent of the population who shop secondhand. “We knew that our customers were saying to us, ‘Not only do we want your offer onli
r online, but we want to shop 24 hours a day and we want to do it from the comfort of our own home’,” Randle told Inside Retail.
“We needed to create our own online presence that represents who we are, that represents a great offer and one that the customers expect to see,” she added.
Since launching its online offering, e-commerce now comprises 22 per cent of Vinnies’ retail sales and is already transforming its business model by setting a new direction for corporate partnerships.
Better platform, bigger donations
Not only has the launch of Vinnies’ online platform facilitated an increase in sales, it has also increased the volume of corporate donations.
Now, when a large volume of donated product arrives at its warehouse it can easily be uploaded to its website – minimising the need to distribute the products to disparate store locations.
“I do believe that online is here to stay and I do believe that online will become a larger part of the landscape of Vinnies,” stated Randle.
“Online will also open us up now to a different, more expensive type of donation as well,” she continued.
Not only does the expansion into e-commerce allow the sale of bulk donated items like sunscreen and pet food, it can also sell one-off collectables.
Vinnies’ online store has been able to facilitate the donation and sale of big-ticket items like a hospital bed and camper van – items that wouldn’t fit on a shop floor and struggle to find the right customer without the power of the internet.
“In this way, we’re responding to the needs of our customers and staying relevant to the ever-evolving retail landscape, this way everyone can enjoy the Vinnies shopping experience anytime, anywhere,” said Randle.
Bricks-and-mortar forever
While the introduction of its online store is a game-changer for the charity organisation, Randle maintains that there will always be a place for shopfronts.
“We know that it’s very much a part of that op shopping experience to spend time in the shop – the customer loves to come in and put in the effort to find what we call ‘gold nuggets’,” shared Randle.
Vinnies’ footprint of physical stores is essential to its brand DNA and acts as a hub for its community work.
Since joining Vinnies, Randle has worked with the op shop’s employees and volunteers to elevate the customer shopping experience.
“We have created an environment that heroes our values and honours the donation,” said Randle.
“And as a result of presenting and caring about our stores and how they look, the quality of donations goes up,” she followed.
“Therefore we can find all these gold nuggets amongst these donations because there’s more of them.”
The pride Vinnies takes in its stores to create a positive shopping experience that benefits its customers, donors and charity is now transferring over to its e-commerce business.
“We are bringing those standards to the online shop, to present to the community a very well-oiled machine that looks professional, that is easy to use, and it’s highly functional,” Randle concluded.