This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37284165

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Mobile sales lift profit at Littlewoods owner Littlewoods boss says mobile 'is where the action is'
(about 3 hours later)
Online retailer Shop Direct - owner of Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com - has reported a record profit, driven by increasing mobile sales. Freed from "the shackles of the catalogue", Littlewoods has benefitted from the move to shopping online and in particular on mobile phones.
The group's pre-tax profit rose 44% to £150.4m in its first financial year as a purely digital retailer, with 62% of its transactions coming from mobiles. The company's owner, Shop Direct, which also owns fashion website Very.co.uk, has reported record profits.
It estimates that its customers - usually female - spend about four hours a day on their phones.
Chief executive Alex Baldock said smartphones are "where the action is for online".
But the company "effectively had a three second audition to stop her thumb from scrolling on", he told the BBC.
The Littlewoods catalogue ceased production in January 2015.The Littlewoods catalogue ceased production in January 2015.
Chief executive Alex Baldock said the firm's typical customer spent about four hours a day on their mobile. In its first financial year as a purely online retailer, Shop Direct's pre-tax profit rose 44% to £150.4m with 62% of its transactions coming from mobiles.
"Smartphones is where the action is for online - it's where the growth is and where the customers are," he said.
He told the BBC that in one sense the move to mobile shopping was great because a customer could shop at any time, but that it was challenging because the company "effectively had a three second audition to stop her thumb from scrolling on".
In the company's results statement, Mr Baldock added: "2016 was our first full year as a pureplay etailer. Removing the shackles of the catalogue has been liberating, and has allowed us to invest in the areas that matter most to our customers - making their shopping experience easier and more personalised, particularly on mobile."In the company's results statement, Mr Baldock added: "2016 was our first full year as a pureplay etailer. Removing the shackles of the catalogue has been liberating, and has allowed us to invest in the areas that matter most to our customers - making their shopping experience easier and more personalised, particularly on mobile."
Four years ago, 72% of Littlewoods sales came from the catalogue and Mr Baldock said the company had been pretty successful at migrating customers across to online.Four years ago, 72% of Littlewoods sales came from the catalogue and Mr Baldock said the company had been pretty successful at migrating customers across to online.
Shop Direct, which says its exists "to make good things easily accessible to more people", says it is on course for another year of record sales and profit. Shop Direct says it is on course for another year of record sales and profit.