Getting The Interface Between Real and Internet Shopping Right!
I recently bought some towels from John Lewis, as most of mine are rather tatty and frayed. I also wanted all of them to be the same dark blue colour. C had bought numerous ones over the years and we had purples, reds, green and yellows to name but four colours.
I needed to buy some more to match my new ones, but they don’t have any serial number on the tag, so that I can order the right ones. The only way to do it, is to keep the packaging or take the towel back to the store. I can’t even login to my John Lewis account and get the details that way.
In this instance it isn’t that serious, but it does mean I’ll have to take one of my towels back, so that I can get the same colour. If it was properly tagged with a stock number or this was available on-line from my account, it would mean that all I would need to do is repeat the order on-line.
Other shops like IKEA and I think a few others have a consistent internet and real shopping numbering system that works. Surely getting it right would mean they got more repeat sales. I know ranges change, but I suspect that a lot of the stuff stocked in John Lewis hasn’t changed at all in years.
The Anonymous Widower 
The towels probably havent, at least the main range of them, the one they do in lots of different colours
Comment by liz | July 3, 2011 |
Don’t throw in the towel on this.
Comment by Marc | July 3, 2011 |
Most items you buy in shops have an SKU (stock keep unit) number. This is a code used internally by the shop to identify one item from another. This code is often printed on the receipt but I do not know offhand whether JLP do. If you quote this to the shop, then you should be able to get the same item again. SKU numbers are internal to the company and should not be confused with the EAN number that is shown on the barcode. This number however can often also be used to reference and item. An EAN code is unique across suppliers as it has the country of origin and the supplier embedded within it. EAN numbers are managed by GS1 formerly known as ANA (article numbering association). EAN numbers are similar to the UPC numbers used in the USA but are European.
Comment by John Wright | July 4, 2011 |