Tesco.com
Encyclopedia
Tesco.com is an electronic commerce
website
operated by Tesco
. As well as being the world's largest online grocery retailer, it offers a wide range of other products, including electronic goods, books, broadband and financial services.
Tesco has operated on the Internet since 1994 and started an online shopping service named 'Tesco Direct' in 1997. Tesco.com was formally launched in 2000. It also has online operations in the Republic of Ireland and South Korea. In 2003, tesco.com's CEO at the time, John Browett, received the Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Award for the innovative processes he used to support this online grocery service.
In 2001 Tesco.com invested in GroceryWorks, a joint venture with the American Safeway Inc.
(who had long since sold-off their UK subsidiary and Tesco's former rival, Safeway plc
), operating in the United States and Canada. GroceryWorks had stepped into the void left by the collapse of Webvan
, but did not expand as fast as initially expected and Tesco sold its stake to Safeway Inc in 2006.
Concerned with poor web response times (in 1996, broadband was virtually unknown in the UK), Tesco offered a CDROM-based off-line ordering program which would connect only to download stock lists and send orders. This was in addition to, rather than instead of, ordering via web forms, but was withdrawn in 2000.
Tesco claimed in its 2005 annual report to be able to serve 98% of the UK population from its 300 participating stores. In the financial year ended 24 February 2007 it recorded online sales up 29.2% to £1.2 billion and profit up 48.5% to £83 million, with over 250,000 orders per week.
Tesco launched its first home shopping catalogue in autumn 2006, as another channel for sales of its non-food ranges. This is integrated with the internet operation, with both channels being branded as "Tesco Direct".
Tesco launched an advertising campaign for its internet phone, marketing the service to customers by offering free calls to all other Tesco internet phone customers.
On 1 October 2006, Tesco announced that it will be selling six own-brand budget software packages for under £20 each, including office and security suites, in a partnership with software firm Formjet
. As Formjet is exclusive distributor for Panda Software
and Ability Plus Software
, packages from these companies are likely to feature.
In June 2007, Tesco.com became the first home delivery company in UK to provide customers the option of delivering shopping in green boxes without carrier bags in a bid to reduce the amount of carrier bags used as part of Tesco's green commitment, in return for customers going bag free they will receive green clubcard points.
In July 2009, Tesco became the first supermarket in the world to offer an API . This feature will potentially pave the way for smart appliances such as networked fridges that can automatically order food.
Electronic commerce
Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce, eCommerce or e-comm, refers to the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. However, the term may refer to more than just buying and selling products online...
website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
operated by Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
. As well as being the world's largest online grocery retailer, it offers a wide range of other products, including electronic goods, books, broadband and financial services.
Tesco has operated on the Internet since 1994 and started an online shopping service named 'Tesco Direct' in 1997. Tesco.com was formally launched in 2000. It also has online operations in the Republic of Ireland and South Korea. In 2003, tesco.com's CEO at the time, John Browett, received the Wharton Infosys Business Transformation Award for the innovative processes he used to support this online grocery service.
In 2001 Tesco.com invested in GroceryWorks, a joint venture with the American Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
(who had long since sold-off their UK subsidiary and Tesco's former rival, Safeway plc
Safeway (UK)
Safeway was a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores in the United Kingdom. It started as a subsidiary of the American Safeway Inc., before being sold off in 1987....
), operating in the United States and Canada. GroceryWorks had stepped into the void left by the collapse of Webvan
Webvan
Webvan was an online "credit and delivery" grocery business that went bankrupt in 2001. It was headquartered in Foster City, California, USA, near Silicon Valley. It delivered products to customers' homes within a 30-minute window of their choosing. At its peak, it offered service in ten U.S...
, but did not expand as fast as initially expected and Tesco sold its stake to Safeway Inc in 2006.
Concerned with poor web response times (in 1996, broadband was virtually unknown in the UK), Tesco offered a CDROM-based off-line ordering program which would connect only to download stock lists and send orders. This was in addition to, rather than instead of, ordering via web forms, but was withdrawn in 2000.
Tesco claimed in its 2005 annual report to be able to serve 98% of the UK population from its 300 participating stores. In the financial year ended 24 February 2007 it recorded online sales up 29.2% to £1.2 billion and profit up 48.5% to £83 million, with over 250,000 orders per week.
Tesco launched its first home shopping catalogue in autumn 2006, as another channel for sales of its non-food ranges. This is integrated with the internet operation, with both channels being branded as "Tesco Direct".
Tesco launched an advertising campaign for its internet phone, marketing the service to customers by offering free calls to all other Tesco internet phone customers.
On 1 October 2006, Tesco announced that it will be selling six own-brand budget software packages for under £20 each, including office and security suites, in a partnership with software firm Formjet
Formjet
Formjet plc is a UK software vendor, specialising in exclusively distributing and marketing software that is alternative to the mainstream.This includes products from:-...
. As Formjet is exclusive distributor for Panda Software
Panda Software
Panda Security SL, formerly Panda Software, is a computer security company founded in 1990 by Panda's former CEO, Mikel Urizarbarrena, in the city of Bilbao, Spain...
and Ability Plus Software
Ability Plus Software
Ability Plus Software is a software development company, founded in 1991for the purposes of developing and marketing the Ability branded products:Ability Office, an office suite for Microsoft Windows and, earlier,...
, packages from these companies are likely to feature.
In June 2007, Tesco.com became the first home delivery company in UK to provide customers the option of delivering shopping in green boxes without carrier bags in a bid to reduce the amount of carrier bags used as part of Tesco's green commitment, in return for customers going bag free they will receive green clubcard points.
In July 2009, Tesco became the first supermarket in the world to offer an API . This feature will potentially pave the way for smart appliances such as networked fridges that can automatically order food.