real,- launches online shop - Shopping in your pyjamas

real,- launches new online shop with selection of over 2,000 products in six categories: Electrical & Photography; House & Garden; Baby & Child; Health & Wellness; Toys; Sport & Leisure. Range to be extended to 5,000 products by 2011.

As of today, customers can shop from home around the clock in the new real,- online shop. real,- is building on its regular in-store range by adding special promotions as well as items that are only available online. So regardless of whether it’s Sunday, a public holiday or the middle of the night, whether you’re still in your pyjamas or haven’t got your makeup on, you can browse and order from www.real-onlineshop.de where real,- has opened up an additional sales channel to complement its nationwide chain of stores. “Internet shopping has become part of our modern way of life. In launching our online shop, we are acknowledging the changed shopping habits of our customers,” says real,- non-food manager Jörg Kramer.

What sets the real,- online shop apart from so many other internet platforms is its direct connection with one of the largest chain stores in German retail. Integration with the national network of ‘bricks-and-mortar’ shops ensures customer-friendly processing of delivery and returns. Customers can do their pre-purchase research online and then pick up the item in person on their next visit to their local store. But customers who do not have a branch of real,- nearby can now also benefit from the huge range of products on offer. Payment can be made by credit or debit card, cash on delivery or on account. Customers who have registered for PAYBACK can use the points they have accumulated on their card. There are a number of delivery options: purchased items can be despatched to the customer’s home address, to a Deutsche Post PACKSTATION or to the local real,- store. The customer can then collect the item on presentation of their order confirmation and proof of identity.

Should the customer need to return an item for some reason, this can also be done at the service desk in the local real,- store. The returned item is then passed over to partner operator arvato systems and the customer’s account is credited with the purchase price.

Four weeks before its official launch, the online shop was tested for user-friendliness by all of the 50,000 staff working for real,- in Germany.