Primark website crashes on first day of click and collect trial
Primark’s long awaited foray into online shopping hit a hurdle on Monday morning as the retailers website crashed.
After years of resisting internet shopping, the fast fashion retailer launched the trial service on Monday for customers to pay for kids’ clothing, toys and nursery goods that they can then pick up at 25 stores across the north-west of England, Yorkshire and Wales.
However, many shoppers trying to use the new “click and collect” service on its first day found they could not place an order. The help service also appeared to have crashed.
“We’re working hard to address this to ensure that everyone can access and browse the site easily,” the company said on Monday morning.
Primark was hammered hard during the pandemic, when lockdown store closures led to £1bn in lost sales.
While Primark is yet to announce any plans to start delivering clothes to shoppers, its venture into e-commerce has been welcomed as a positive, albeit slightly overdue, step for the business.
“With several online fast fashion retailers providing rapid next-day delivery services, Primark’s ability to give the customer the option of purchasing and collecting on the same day should help boost sales,” Nick Drewe, founder of online discounts platform, Wethrift, said.
Earlier this month, the chairman of Primark’s owners Associated British Foods (ABF), Michael McLintock, said the firm had “encountered the most challenging economic conditions for many years. Bosses pointed to “sharply rising and broadly based inflation,” plus “highly volatile” input costs and exchange rates.
