JoJo Maman Bebe casts a wider net with store openings

Nursery products retailer/cataloguer JoJo Maman Bébé is seeing its mail order database grow following the opening of more retail stores. Far from cannibalising online sales, the company’s 36 stores contribute to the increase in home shoppers, says founder and managing director Laura Tenison. “When we open stores our home shopping customer base grows too,” she says. In February, JoJo opened a store in Colchester, Essex. Although JoJo does not have a strong mail order following in the area, Tenison is confident of the new location, commenting that “we convert retail to online and vice versa.”

According to Tenison, JoJo’s top 10 percent of online customers shop six times a year. Meanwhile, she estimates that the company’s top 10 percent of retail customers shop more often, with some local customers visiting a store once a week. “As we open more stores we introduce more customers to the brand—and they’re not all new parents.” Tenison says that sales of gift items are higher in-store, whereas online the focus is more on practical products.

In recent months, JoJo has also seen a resurgence in telephone ordering. Tenison puts this down to customers checking their emails via a mobile phone and calling in with an order rather than heading for a computer to key in their details. To better serve those customers, Tenison says a mobile-optimised website is in the pipeline. JoJo is also planning other website enhancements including the ability to accept multiple currencies.