Diversified marketing and communications operation IVE Group is launching a new e-commerce transformation platform, Nexus, following a successful pilot run, as the $700m business expands its retail offering.
IVE Group CEO Warwick Hay commented, “We are thrilled to be moving into the e-commerce space with such a solid and effective platform. Our product has been proven in this market and the results it can generate for our clients are nothing short of fantastic. This technology further expands our retail offering and forms a key part of our diversification strategy. It’s something that our clients, staff and investors alike should all be excited about.”
The new IVE platform Nexus transforms traditionally printed materials such as catalogues and brochures into interactive shoppable experiences. These can be accessed through web, mobile, email and social channels regardless of the device.
IVE Group chief marketing officer Rob Draper explained, “Nexus allows people to purchase products from online catalogues or brochures with one simple click-to-cart, rather than just showing them what’s on offer or special. It converts browsers into active shoppers. Once a catalogue or brochure has been transformed into a shoppable experience, we can push it out via social media and email channels in addition to pulling more people onto the retailer’s website.”
Draper continued, “The platform has embedded video and live enquiry capabilities that cater to the travel, real estate and financial sectors too; however, the real beauty of Nexus lies in its live analytics functionality. We can tell retailers what their shoppers are looking at, engaging with and buying, all in real time. This allows us to change content on-the-go in order to maximise sales conversion and over time provide our clients using the platform with deep shopper insights.”
The launch of Nexus, which means the link between two or more things, comes on the back of a successful four month trial with a large Australian retailer that produced impressive results. Online catalogue views, once converted to eCommerce catalogues, more than doubled to 117 per cent. Page views increased by 125 per cent. There were 44,000 product clicks on the e-catalogues piloted during the trial with a buy now conversion rate of 14.8 per cent.
“We have effectively created a new sales channel for our client,” said Draper.
When asked about whether or not this new technology would impact some of the IVE Group's traditional catalogue and printing businesses, Hay replied, “In the odd case it may, but in general this is a complementary touchpoint to traditional printed catalogues and brochures, not a replacement. Based on the trial results and initial client sentiment, we are expecting total spend to increase in this space along with our market leadership position.”
IVE is one of the country's major heatset web printers, with a battery of presses pumping out retail catalogues, as well as magazines. A year ago it opened a brand new $50m super-automated heatset web plant, Franklin Web NSW.
The Nexus platform is fully operational and as of today it is open to the Australian market for the first time. For any enquiries contact nexus@ivegroup.com.au.