Freenet launches new shop concept – com! professional

Freenet had already introduced the new APS concept at the beginning of the year. At the time, CEO Christoph Vilanek explained: “In the future, there will only be one separate channel with completely identical offers.” The concept aims to minimize the differences between online and offline sales and to offer customers a uniform product selection and identical conditions regardless of the channel. This approach, according to Vilanek, is intended to reduce hurdles and simplify the purchasing process for customers.

The APS concept focuses on more personalized customer advice. Customers should be given needs-oriented advice by employees on site in the shops, with the number of demonstration devices and products being increased. This gives them the opportunity to test a larger selection of devices directly. At the same time, on-site storage is reduced. Products can be ordered via a central inventory management system and either delivered to the home within 24 hours or made available for collection in the shop.

According to Constanze Grunwald, Head of Retail Transformation at Freenet, the new concept brings with it numerous operational advantages: “Using a central system for online and offline sales enables better product availability, as all sales channels can access a common range. This reduces bottlenecks and optimizes product availability.”

Another element of the new concept is the increased use of digital processes in the sales area. For example, so-called co-browsing is being introduced, where employees navigate through the product range together with the customer using a tablet PC. This is intended to intensify customer interaction during the ordering process and support the consultation process.

APS will now be gradually rolled out in the Freenet shops and at the partners.