Blueport Commerce Passes Mobile Milestone

An eCommerce platform in the furniture retail space had a heck of a Presidents’ Day.

Blueport Commerce, which provides eCommerce technology and services for the retail furniture industry, announced yesterday (Feb. 18) that, during Presidents’ Day week, smartphone-generated revenue for companies on the platform was up 65 percent year over year and accounted for 35 percent of total revenue on Blueport.

“We’re seeing an exponential increase in revenue from smartphones, pointing to a dramatic mobile shift in shopping for big-ticket items in the U.S.,” Carl Prindle, president and chief executive officer of Blueport Commerce, stated in a press release. “The idea of purchasing a sectional on a phone was once unimaginable. Today, a responsive website that works as well on a phone as it does on a tablet or desktop is the cornerstone of a retailer’s omnichannel strategy. It’s indispensable to shoppers as they consider their purchase and move between home, work and shopping our retailers’ stores.”

“For retailers,” he continued, “it’s a critical differentiator, particularly during a sales period as competitive as Presidents’ Day. Our retailers closed smartphone orders from the parking lots of competitors’ stores, after shoppers had finished shopping around and were ready to buy. That’s a tremendous convenience for shoppers and a big win for our retailers.”

Blueport notes in its release that what makes its mobile milestone a particularly impressive achievement is that the furniture industry — by nature, often dealing in big-ticket items, which add complexity to eCommerce transactions — tends not to fare as well as other retailers in terms of digitally generated sales.

“We’re thrilled with our results over Presidents’ Day and expect this mobile migration to accelerate throughout 2016 and beyond,” Randy Goldstein, executive vice president of eCommerce, added in the release. “Partnering with our retailers to solve for these unique omnichannel challenges presents an opportunity for unprecedented growth in the coming years.”