Supermarket giant puts its Christmas Gift Guide online for 2012 to further multichannel strategy

Supermarket giant puts its Christmas Gift Guide online for 2012 to further multichannel strategy

As part of its ongoing commitment to multichannel marketing, Asda has announced plans to create a digital version of its Christmas Gift Guide (2012) to run alongside its traditional printed catalogue.

The new online catalogue has been designed, built, deployed and supported by Group FMG. It went live on 22 October 2012 and will remain in operation until 24 December 2012.

Initial launch to enhance development

The move follows research by Asda’s multichannel marketing team, which identified a need to provide an online capability (accessible from desktop PCs, laptops and tablets) for its customers to view, access and purchase products available in its 2012 Christmas Gift Guide.

While the ultimate aim of the digital Gift Guide is to inspire customers, strengthen the brand, attract new customers and increase product sales, its digitisation will also enable the retailer to learn what works best online in order to enhance future releases. The technology will also provide a framework that can be extended to future Christmas Gift Guide releases, as well as other catalogues within the Asda portfolio.

To create the new digital catalogue, Group FMG is using assets from the existing printed version and optimising them for web and mobile platforms, then linking them directly into Asda’s existing e-commerce system, in addition to building in a range of social media links to enable people to share their selections and purchases.

Responding to changing browsing habits

Glyn Williams, a representative of Asda, said in a statement: “The Christmas Gift Guide forms a hugely important role in providing inspiration for our customers to buy. With people’s browsing habits changing and online and mobile becoming increasingly important channels for us, it’s only natural for us to look at targeting our customers in the places we know they spend the most time – online.

“We chose to work with Group FMG as they offered a simple and cost-effective solution, enabling us to transfer our existing printed catalogues into a new digital format without having to go back and start from scratch.”