Toys R Us expands e-commerce business
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Toys R Us is expanding its e-commerce business to keep up with the swift rise in online shopping.
The nation’s largest toy retailer said it was enhancing its buy online, pick up in store service that it launched a year ago. Now shoppers can designate an alternate person, such as a friend or family member, to pick up their order through ‘family and friends pick up.’
Toys R Us also opened a new distribution center in McCarran, Nev., dedicated solely to the fulfillment of online orders. The company will also begin using store inventory from about 760 Toys R Us and Babies R Us locations to help complete online orders. ‘This ‘ship from store’ program will not only improve the speed with which customers receive their items, but will also provide an additional option to fulfill online orders, should online inventory for a particular item run low,’ the company said in a statement.
The latest e-commerce programs are in addition to existing services at the toy chain. Like many retailers, Toys R Us has a ‘find it in stores’ feature, which enables online shoppers to search the inventory of Toys R Us stores to see whether a product is available. It also enables shoppers to receive free home delivery if a product is out of stock in stores.
Retailers have been boosting their online efforts to meet escalating demand; many have been reporting double-digit year-over-year Internet sales increases as shoppers turn to their laptops and smartphones for convenience.
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-- Andrea Chang
