The clothing supplier Witt Group, which is part of the Hamburg trading and services group Otto Group, achieved a solid increase in sales in online retail in the first half of the 2023/24 financial year.
According to a statement published on Wednesday, the group’s e-commerce revenues reached around 242 million euros in the months from March to August, exceeding the previous year’s level by nine percent. The online share of total group sales has grown to around 41 percent thanks to the “disproportionate” increase in this area, explained the group, which operates 22 online shops and more than 110 stationary stores.
In order to further strengthen its online business, the retailer is focusing on innovative projects in collaboration with the parent company Otto Group. According to the company, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) has already made it possible to personalize the Heine brand newsletter in a more targeted manner based on the “color and product range preferences of the respective customer”.
“It makes shopping even more individual for the customer,” explained Melanie Plank, Head of Digital Marketing & Products at the Witt Group. “For us it means an increase in efficiency – this is important so that we can continue to grow profitably in the future.” In the future, “the use of AI in online shops is also conceivable,” explained the company.
The group also promotes a “gamification approach” in its own shopping apps. This means customers can secure vouchers or discounts in integrated digital games. “Our experience in print shows us that playfulness is certainly relevant for our customers – for example something like scratch fields,” explained Plank. “We can transfer this knowledge to e-commerce.”