Primark takes first baby steps into online fashion retail with a helping hand from ASOS.
A selection of Primark’s bargain fashion pieces are now, for the first time, available to buy online via fashion website ASOS.
Before now Primark had resisted selling any of its popular cut-price goods on the web, instead favouring the expansion of its physical stores.
The retailer has over 255 outlets in Europe, 161 of which are in the UK.
But the company, owned by Associated British Foods, appears to have made a U-turn on its previous stance.
Now Primark is taking its first tentative steps into the booming world of online fashion retail with a trial run as a brand on ASOS.
What you can get
Currently there is a selection of 20 Primark items available on the ASOS website including dresses, jackets and tops.
Prices range from £6 for a T-shirt dress to £22 for a parker.
And because it's ASOS you won't have to pay for delivery or returns. So shoppers won’t be forking out more for opting to go online for their affordable fashion fix.
Gaining an insight
By launching a ‘very limited trial’ collection with ASOS, Primark is hoping to test the water to gain an insight into online retailing.
As a latecomer to the online fashion retail world it makes sense that Primark would turn to an expert for its debut.
ASOS launched in 2000 and started off selling celebrity inspired products under the name: As Seen On Screen.
Now the website is one of the stars of retail, attracting nearly 20 million unique visitors every month and bucking the trend by reporting a 49% increase in profit after tax last year.
Why now?
Primark has certainly teamed up with the right company for the job of fact finding about its online desirability. But why now?
Total sales rose by 24% in the six months to the beginning of March, so the store is hardly in trouble.
One reason might be that the benefits of selling products online are too hard to ignore.
Back in April, John Lewis reported that its online arm brought in nearly £1 billion in 2012 and made up a quarter of sales. Debenhams reported a 46% increase in online trading over the last six months to the beginning of March.
Most analysts agree that the move from Primark is a good way to test the water without making a massive investment.
High street defender
[SPOTLIGHT]Despite its foray into the digital world Primark has reaffirmed its priority is the success of its stores on the high street.
A spokesperson for Primark said: “The company’s priority remains to push ahead with the roll-out of physical stores in high street locations on the continent and in the UK.”
As part of its expansion plan into Europe, Primark recently announced it would be opening two stores in France; one in Marseille and one in Dijon.
Not so different
Although responses have been largely positive to the news that ASOS and Primark have teamed up, some have found the partnership between the two a strange mix.
Primark has in the past been accused of unethical practices, while ASOS seems to escape any criticism. But they're not so different. Primark, like ASOS, is part of the Ethical Trading Initiative and as such has to adhere to the same practices.
However, the collapse of a factory building in Bangladesh earlier this year, killing workers of suppliers to companies like Primark has made some shoppers uneasy.
ASOS stands by the partnership though. A spokesperson said:"As an online fashion destination, ASOS delivers an edit of the brands and product that are relevant to its twenty-something target market. Primark is part of that mix."
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