Appliances Online is Australia's largest online retailer of white goods[1] and home appliances. The company is a subsidiary of the family-run Winning Appliances brand and has more than 150,000 customers nationwide.
The company's main stock consists of kitchen, laundry, cooking, heating and cooling appliances, barbeques, vacuums, sinks and taps.
Contents |
Established in 2005 by John Winning, Appliances Online is a family run business based in Sydney, Australia.
John Winning had worked for the family retail appliance company for eight years. Through daily interaction with customers, he spotted an opportunity in the market for a specialist online retailer of appliances and white goods.[2]
The company was founded as an online competitor to other electrical and white goods retailers, with a specific commitment to quality customer service. The business model is based on targeting the time-poor customer who, in most cases, has a replacement need.
John Winning started the business with just a laptop, a 1800 number converted to his mobile and a rented delivery truck.[3]
Appliances Online has gone on to set up its own shipping service to the greater Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Hunter regions. The company employs around 75 people in its head office in Sydney and in the warehouses across Australia. It has grown in profit and revenue by 100 per cent every year since 2005. In 2011, the average sale item on Appliances Online was $1000.[3]
More than $10 million dollars worth of stock is held by Appliances Online in its regional warehouses,[4] including leading brands such as Bosch, Electrolux, Dyson, LG and Whirlpool.
The Appliances Online warehouse in Brisbane allowed Winning Appliances to launch its first showroom in Queensland[5] in August 2011. In the year up to September 2011, customer satisfaction levels for Appliances Online were at 97 per cent based on the FeeFo independent customer feedback system.[6] The product satisfaction rating was also at 97 per cent for the same period.
In December 2010, Appliances Online purchased the domain and website for Big Brown Box to act as a retail arm in the audio visual market.[7]
Appliances Online set up the Extend Your Hand[16] programme which gives financial support to a variety of charity organisations whose common goal is to better the quality of life in Australia and abroad.
The linked charities which receive donations are Children's Hospitals Foundation[17] Australia and Victor Chang Institute.[18]
Appliances Online also has a sailing team which includes an 18ft Skiff, 2 International Moth (dinghy)s, a 29er (boat) skiff and a Farr 30 (yacht). The team competes in world championship events and local races.[19]
The company was a main sponsor of the MJ Nationals sailing competition, "contributing significantly to meeting the costs of racing and especially towards the magnificent prizes".[20]
Appliances Online also donates their boat the MV JBW to the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia which is used as the Radio Relay Vessel for the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.[21]