Harvey’s Hire US Guru To Boost E-Comm

Harvey Norman hired US based digital gurus in a bid to grow its online trade.

Harvey has drafted California based Lyris, a digital marketing platform “to increase online conversions and lead generation” for the company’s 180 retail stores, it was announced today.

The platform will help the retailer, who recently announced an 11% sales slump in Australia, “dramatically increase” the quality of customer engagement across digital channels and increase customer loyalty.

Harvey Norman needed a digital platform “to better understand customer behaviours and use that knowledge to deliver superior customer experiences” Lyris said in a statement.

The move comes just 12 months after Harvey launched its first e-commerce site, after Chairman Gerry Harvey once famously said there was no money to be made from online.

Lyris’ “intuitive” interface will help the retailer set up automated trigger campaigns and respond to critical conversion opportunities, such as online cart abandonment, the US company said in a statement.

Additionally, Harveys will also be able to capture customer interactive data including social, email, mobile and hundreds of enterprise applications, “Big Data”, which will help it develop digital marketing campaigns.

 The platform will help Harvey Norman drive both online and in-store sales.

“In retail we are constantly trying to reach customers with relevant, timely and valuable information,” said Dan Hosford, Digital Marketing Director at Generic Publications, Harvey Norman’s internal Advertising Agency.

“It made perfect sense for us to build out our digital marketing program with a respected technology company like Lyris. “

“We have been very impressed with the team’s professionalism, the rapid and seamless implementation, and the capabilities of the platform to manage the scale of our digital marketing programs,” said Hosford.

 “We are delighted to be working with one of the world’s top retailers to help them reach their varied customer base with the right message, at the right place, and at the right time,” said Wolfgang Maasberg, CEO of Lyris.

Harvey shares fell -1.63% to $1.815 today.