Perfume Direct is heading for its biggest ever Valentine’s Day, as growth in online sales of fragrances and grooming products shows no signs of slowing down for the North-West based ecommerce business.
The record Valentine’s Day prediction follows a 50 per cent year on year growth for PerfumeDirect in 2021, boosted very much by the 2021 Christmas period.
Over the Christmas period alone, the retailer saw a 81 per cent increase in December 2021 and shipped more than 45,000 orders in the two months leading up to Christmas Day. It has now reported a stronger year on year start to 2022 as consumers put perfume and aftershave at the top of their Valentine’s gifting list.
Commenting on the business’ growth Jonny Webber, Head of Ecommerce for Perfume Direct said:
“Consumer confidence to buying fragrance online has undoubtedly risen in the past two years and is driving significant increases in sales. We’ve bolstered this shift to online purchasing with new digital technology and onsite features introduced last year, including a new interactive Fragrance Finder that personalises perfume and aftershave choices around an individual’s answers to questions submitted via the site.
“The tool has been a real hit with shoppers looking for that extra bit of help and guidance, especially in the lead up to a gifting occasion such as Christmas and Valentine’s with more than 2,000 users every month.
“While a 80 per cent rise in web traffic during the Christmas period 2021 has driven stronger sales our returning customer rate has also risen by 20 per cent. We’re seeing equally strong results for Valentine’s Day.”
Jonny added: “During the past year we’ve continued our investment in the digital experience we offer alongside data-led marketing with a ‘customer-first approach’. Stronger relationships with suppliers also enables us to continue to bring the very best brands on to the site and offer exceptional savings on high street prices.
“Consumers have adjusted their fragrance shopping habits and this is set to stay as an ongoing trend. What was once a sector that was slow to respond to the digital opportunity, today buying online is fast becoming the first port of call when it comes to fragrance shopping, and at Perfume Direct we have very much been leading this charge with digital innovation and investment in the shopping experience.”
