Bunnings finally launches online option for DIY fans

BUNNINGS devotees will finally be able to shop online next year — but if you’re hoping to stock up on hammers and pot plants online, you’ll be disappointed.

BUNNINGS Warehouse has finally joined the online revolution — but there’s one catch.

From 2018, DIY devotees will be able to purchase items from Bunnings’ special orders range online.

There are currently more than 20,000 items in the special orders range, including products such as playgrounds and taps.

At the moment, these products aren’t available in-store but can be ordered in to your local branch. From next year, customers can order the items online instead of visiting a store in person — although products from the store’s regular range won’t be included in the online offering.

The news of Bunnings’ online launch follows the announcement that JB Hi-Fi will now offer same-day delivery, which retail experts believe is part of a wider e-commerce trend.

Brian Walker from the Retail Doctor Group said Bunnings and JB Hi-Fi’s latest initiatives would ensure they remained competitive against online retailers such as Amazon.

“We all know that retail is undergoing a rapid transformation — it’s much more about bringing products to customers, not customers to shops,” he said.

“A new retail ecosystem is being built. Retailers can now do business anywhere in the world 24 hours a day, and the integration of physical stores and online, which is what we’re seeing with Bunnings, is a step in that direction.

“In order to build that ecosystem, retailers need a great physical environment that inspires, educates and entertains, as well as complementary channels to market.”

Mr Walker said that online retail currently made up less than 10 per cent of overall retail sales, but that it was growing at an unprecedented rate.

“You can see retailers are joining the dots and using [online] stores to compete with the likes of Amazon. We won’t see as many physical store openings [as we have in the past] and we’ll see more of a focus on online channels to supplement core retail offerings,” he said.

“No retailer can afford to lose a channel to the market that is worth up to 10 per cent of sales and growing at double digits.

“Setting up an online website will be an enormous task, but I congratulate Bunnings for starting. I think they’ll be successful as the vast majority of DIY people know what they want, so knowledge is high.”

Bunnings managing director Michael Schneider said the move to e-commerce would give customers “more convenient access to thousands of products”.

“Over many years Bunnings has built a digital ecosystem to provide customers with information and inspiration for projects around their homes,” he said.

“We continue to evolve our digital offer, and from early 2018 customers will be able to purchase our special orders range online.

“This will give customers more convenient access to thousands of products from our suppliers that are currently only available to order in-store.

“We remain focused on helping and inspiring our customers both on digital channels and instore, whether it be through our DIY workshops or videos, our upcoming in stock website feature or advice from our team members at their local store.”