Kilkenny Design Group, the craft and design retailer owned by the O’Gorman family, has made a “significant investment” of €400,000 in a new ecommerce platform set to launch this week. Chief executive Evelyn Moynihan said the group was gearing up for growth in its online business, where sales have increased by 400 per cent since 2019, and international sales have doubled in the past year. Marking 60 years in business this year, the retailer is embarking on an “ambitious” growth plan, which Ms Moynihan described as a “new era for the business”.
“Our ambition overall is to grow and be the champion of Irish design and craft globally, and investment in a new ecommerce platform is a big part of our strategy,” she said, adding that the group was “confident” that the new online store would boost its internet sales both domestically and abroad.
Ms Moynihan said the retailer already had strong sales in the US and UK, as well as growing markets in Canada and Australia, where there is “a real appetite for Irish craft and design”. The new platform will provide a faster, improved customer experience, with more artificial intelligence built into the site to tailor what shoppers see based on their interests. In addition, it will include more video and digital content.
Ms Moynihan said the group had also invested in its warehousing facilities and picking and packing technology to gear up for expected growth. “It’s a big investment so we’re going after significant
growth in this space,” said Ms Moynihan. She said the group was also investing in bricks and mortar, with a new store opened in Kildare Village in recent weeks, and another launching in Liffey Valley in Dublin at the end of September.
With retailers facing increasing competition from online giants such as Amazon, Ms Moynihan said it was up to business owners to “step forward and to innovate”, to provide a complete shopping experience both online and in store.
As well as investing in online sales, the Kilkenny group has launched a new lifestyle collaboration with Irish fashion design label Lennon Courtney, and invested in customer experience with in-store “meet the maker” events and demonstrations.
“We know the customer is doing their research online and then going in store to buy, or they’re going in store to touch the product or see the piece of art and will buy later online. “We believe in bricks and mortar [STORES], we continue to invest in it, but it’s about all the channels working together to drive our business forward,” she said.
Article by Ellen Regan, The Irish Times.