kikki.K forecasts 100 per cent growth in online sales for Christmas
International fashion stationery retailer kikki.K is forecasting a 100 per cent increase in online sales this Christmas, despite reports of a slowing retail market.
The Melbourne-based business made the announcement as the Nielsen Company releases new findings that show four in five Australian internet users now shop online.
kikki.K founder Kristina Karlsson says kikki.K online appeals for its convenience and simplicity.
“Our online sales year-to-date have grown 102 per cent on the previous 12 months, and we expect the same level of growth over Christmas,” says Karlsson.
“Many of our customers are time poor, so being able to shop from home or work at any hour, day or night, is an easy solution,” she says.
“We’ve seen a huge increase in online gift shopping and as Christmas approaches more people will shop online in order to avoid crowded shopping malls.
“We’re also seeing strong growth in online corporate gift purchases, which saves time for busy businesses.”
One in five kikki.K online customers live outside major cities, away from kikki.K boutiques, however the 500 products available on the website make the online experience similar to that in kikki.K retail stores.
“For these customers our online store provides access to products they normally wouldn’t have, which is especially relevant at Christmas. And to have them delivered anywhere in Australia within days is a real convenience,” adds Karlsson.
The trend towards online shopping has bolstered the success of kikki.K online, but the business has also experienced huge growth; having nearly doubled its chain of privately owned retail boutiques from 18 to 31 in the past 12 months, creating 300 new jobs in the process.
“We see our range like chocolate and lipstick; little everyday luxuries that are affordable and make people feel good, even in challenging times,” says Karlsson. “There’s just something about beautiful stationery!”
Karlsson opened her first kikki.K boutique in Melbourne in 2001 just a few years after arriving in Australia from Sweden and today kikki.K boutiques can be found in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth, Gold Coast Auckland and Wellington.
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