The Range, a UK home, garden, and leisure retailer, has announced its strategic partnership with Virtualstock, one of Europe's largest dropshipping and curated marketplace SaaS platforms. In its effort to boost online product sales, The Range recognises the impending changes in the function of traditional brick-and-mortar shops as the integration of offline and online sales becomes increasingly imperative for retail success.
The partnership with Virtualstock forms part of The Range's ambitious 2024 growth plans. Utilising the platform's one-to-many connection, The Range can swiftly and effortlessly expand its range of online products and categories, all through Virtualstock’s trusted supplier network. This advancement aims to enrich the consumer shopping experience, demarcating the retailer's commitment to online retail growth and adaptability.
The Range recently concluded a multimillion-pound acquisition of Wilko, another long-standing UK brand that had been employing the Virtualstock platform. This collaboration comes with a promise of scalable, profitable growth, seamless transactions and a more informed shopping journey for customers of both brands.
The reopening of high street stores alongside rapid expansion signifies the role of offline and online retail integration in maintaining retail success. The partnership with Virtualstock underlines the strategic choice to embrace this changing face of retail, where companies such as The Range and Wilko demonstrate adaptability and resilience in bridging the gap between traditional and online retail spaces.
Ed Bradley, CEO and Founder of Virtualstock commented on the evolving role of traditional retail shops and the contribution of the dropshipping marketplace management software. "Providing customers with a broader range of choices online is a key factor in maintaining foot traffic to physical stores,” Bradley said. “Forward-thinking retailers, such as The Range, recognise the evolving role of brick-and-mortar stores and are prepared to adapt their models to fuel growth in 2024 and beyond. Through our partnership, The Range is ushering in a new era of success in a fast-changing digital market."
The strategic collaboration entails multiple benefits, including improved visibility over order processing and delivery times for retailers, scalability, the elimination of upfront inventory costs and the capacity to mitigate supply chain impediments through centralised management. All these benefits contribute towards an enhanced overall customer experience.