Farnell has a strong online presence in Europe and has seen a surge in online transactions since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting the evolving needs of engineers and designers working and purchasing products from home. The proportion of online orders in some European markets has increased by over 90% in the last twelve months. Recent enhancements to Farnell's website allow customers to expedite their project design and product purchasing processes.
Among the new improvements to Farnell's website are:
Access to up to five years of order history allows them to streamline these inquiries and easily repurchase products they've used in previous projects. Filtering the data in this list is even simpler with additional search options by manufacturer reference, order code, customer reference, product details, dates, and shipping addresses.
• Enhanced technical documents provide essential product data and technical information to help customers research and purchase products online. Farnell has added more than 25 new search categories for technical documents, such as application notes, documentation, user and maintenance manuals, certificates, and data sheets, which can be downloaded directly from Farnell's product pages.
• Featured popular products give professionals working from home greater confidence when selecting components and products. Remote work has been one of the biggest effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and has created a greater need for better digital services that help customers in the product selection process.
• The attribute selector on product pages simplifies browsing products within a range. Now all attributes and values are available and can be modified directly on the product page, making it easier than ever to switch between product lines.
Website speed has always been a priority for Farnell, who strive to offer one of the fastest sites in the industry. Changes made over the past twelve months have resulted in a reduction of more than one second in page load times, and there's much more to come.
Ian Baxter, Global Head of eCommerce at Farnell, comments: “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant effect on customer purchasing patterns. With more professionals working from home, we are seeing increased demand for products, components, and solutions outside of normal business hours. We have invested in the functionality of our website to ensure customers continue to receive excellent service at every stage of their journey from design to production, regardless of where they are working. These new website enhancements provide customers with greater flexibility and ease of use when designing and purchasing products from Farnell.”.
Farnell offers a wide range of customer support services, including free access to online resources, application notes, videos, and webinars on the Farnell website, as well as 24/7 technical support. Farnell customers also have access to the extensive Avnet ecosystem, ensuring support at every stage to save them time and money by accelerating their design and production timelines.
