Homebase enhances customer journeys with CoreMedia's Experiential Commerce capabilities

LONDON, HAMBURG, Germany and SAN FRANCISCO, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- CoreMedia, a leading digital experience (DX) company, today announced that leading UK retailer Homebase has deployed CoreMedia LiveContext 2.0 - a next-generation digital engagement application - to help provide a more visually engaging and immersive customer experience for its online store.

Homebase is a leading home enhancement retailer in the UK and Ireland that sells over 38,000 home and garden products to more than 60 million customers a year. The announcement is part of Homebase's ongoing programme to accelerate its multi-channel capability and deliver a differentiating online experience that provides its customers with more guidance in their home improvement projects. Combined with the IBM Commerce platform, Homebase deployed CoreMedia LiveContext to provide its online marketing team with enhanced control of its digital content – such as promotional pages, inspirational guides and microsites. This enables Homebase to deliver content-driven, personalized customer experiences that are integrated seamlessly into its online store.

"With a growing number of Homebase customers either shopping online or going to our website for ideas before visiting one of our stores, it's essential that our website (www.homebase.co.uk) provides our customers with as much inspiration, advice and support for their home and garden projects," commented Siobhan Fitzpatrick, Director of Multi-Channel at Homebase. "Combined with IBM WebSphere Commerce, CoreMedia LiveContext 2.0 provides the flexibility to respond to our customers with richer and more engaging online experiences. It also allows us to dynamically adapt our online presence to meet evolving customer requirements."

CoreMedia LiveContext leverages pre-built integration with IBM WebSphere Commerce to enable Homebase to blend its e-Commerce and content development activities while providing marketing and online teams with greater creative freedom in how they visually present and augment their online stores with engaging content. CoreMedia LiveContext, an IBM WebSphere Commerce Validated Technology Partner solution, gives Homebase business users the power to blend their marketing and product information with pre-built site templates that make it easier for online teams to rapidly extend and enhance their online offering without needing further IT involvement.

"Homebase has revamped its digital channels to take their customers on a highly personalized shopping experience that can strengthen brand loyalty and help drive increased online sales," said John Mesberg, General Manager, Offering Management and Strategy, IBM Commerce. "By deploying CoreMedia LiveContext in combination with IBM Commerce solutions, Homebase can take advantage of advanced capabilities to present customers with the most relevant and engaging experiences that will inspire shoppers in their home improvement journeys."

"Customers today increasingly expect an online experience that goes far beyond traditional transactional commerce, and that's why it's so important for organisations such as Homebase to leverage technologies such as CoreMedia LiveContext to help personalize and visualize their brand and product stories to create a much more integrated digital experience," added Gerrit Kolb, CEO at CoreMedia. "Thanks to our close integration with IBM WebSphere Commerce, we have been able to provide Homebase with the necessary tools to ensure they can build a strong emotional connection to their customers while delivering an intimate shopping experience."

CoreMedia LiveContext 2.0 is a next-generation digital engagement application that allows businesses to leverage experiential commerce to connect customers through the seamless blending of brand, content and community. The CoreMedia solution has three core components:

• Visual Engagement: Great design elements, exciting layouts and a mobile-first responsive and adaptive approach enable e-Commerce and marketing professionals to design experiences that attract and engage shoppers.
• Immersive Content: Through product-aligned storytelling e-Commerce professionals can deliver inspirational, content-driven stories that are seamlessly embedded with product information.
• Incremental Innovation: A grow-as-you-go approach ensures that operations won't be disrupted while evolving to experiential commerce. A fixed price rapid deployment offering, aligned with tangible business value and delivered within as little as 10 weeks, is provided.

Additional Resources

• Web page: CoreMedia LiveContext 2.0
• Web Page: CoreMedia Live Context 2.0 white paper and product brochures
• Video: CoreMedia LiveContext: Experiential Commerce
• Blog Post: Experiential Commerce: The Vision and Value for Unifying the Customer Experience
• Blog Post: The Role of Product-Aligned Storytelling in Experiential Commerce
• Blog Post: Create Cross-Channel Consistency for Every Touchpoint
• Blog Post: Experiential Commerce: 3 Goals and an Incremental Approach

About Homebase

Homebase is a leading home enhancement retailer with around 60 million transactions a year, selling around 38,000 products for the home and garden.  It has 304 large, out-of-town stores throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland and a growing internet offering at www.homebase.co.uk. In the financial year to February 2014, Homebase sales were £1.5 billion and it employed some 18,000 people across the business.

Homebase is part of Home Retail Group, the UK's leading home and general merchandise retailer. 

About CoreMedia

CoreMedia has been delivering online platforms for leading enterprise brands across varied industries for over 17 years. The company's software solutions seamlessly integrate digital and social media assets, increase editorial productivity and accelerate time to market. CoreMedia LiveContext for IBM WebSphere Commerce removes the barrier between the shop and brand experience by enabling e-Commerce professionals to infuse compelling and relevant content into the online customer experience resulting in increased engagement, sales and loyalty.

Established in 1996, CoreMedia is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, with offices in San Francisco, Washington, London and Singapore. CoreMedia's clients include global brands, such as the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Bertelsmann, BILD, CLAAS, Continental, EPCOS, Deutsche Telekom, Internet Broadcasting, JD Group, Tchibo, Telefonica Germany and ZDF.

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Media Contact:
Ben Jolley
Connect Marketing
+1.801.373.7888
[email protected]

SOURCE CoreMedia

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