HomeChoice's digital sales up 30%

Shirley Maltz, CEO of HomeChoice Holdings.
Photographer: Hetty Zantman

Image source: BDlive

Sales via digital channels grew 30% in the year to December and were the group’s fastest-growing platform.

HomeChoice sells a range of households goods including bedding, furniture, and appliances. Its products are also sold through call centres, sales agents and mail order catalogues.

"Around 85% of our customers are women," HomeChoice CEO Shirley Maltz said on Tuesday.

"These women are (mostly) moms who are time-pressed, like myself. They get from work late, but the digital platform allows them to shop at any time of the day," Maltz said. The group had marked its digital platform — which now accounted for 11% of retail sales, from 9% previously — as a major area in which it would pursue growth.

HomeChoice said it also planned to roll out its financial services offering, where margins are higher than in retail, to a wider customer network.

Previously only existing customers of its retail unit could access credit at FinChoice, but the group said new customers would also now be able to apply for loans, provided they met the right lending criteria.

The mobi-site for new customers would be launched next month, according to Maltz.

Finance charges and initiation fees earned from loans at FinChoice increased 27.6% to R401.4m, higher than the 14.4% jump in fees earned from offering credit in retail.