Retailer upgrades IT infrastructure to compete online

ChoicesUK expands products and promotions online

DVD retailer upgrades infrastructure

Home entertainment retailer ChoicesUK has upgraded its e-commerce infrastructure to increase its product range and compete with online retailers such as Play.com.

The movie, music and games retailer, which has more than 200 shops nationwide, wanted to expand to offer new products and improve online sales.

‘Our systems were no longer adequate or scalable to meet future demand,’ said information services director Graham Lyden.

‘The entertainment market is incredibly competitive and we needed a platform that could allow us to expand into new areas.’

Suppliers Charteris and Snow Valley installed Microsoft’s Commerce Server 2002, while Microsoft SQL Reporting 2005 gives a single view of customer data.

Promotions software allows the pricing and promotion of more than half a million products and 200 new releases a week.

‘We have been able to increase sales and react to changes in the market more quickly,’ said Lyden.

‘Our Christmas sales were very good and this allowed us to assess any problems, which led to improvements in our search tools and user interface.’