• DAVID JONES: Summer 2012 campaign.
    DAVID JONES: Summer 2012 campaign.
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David Jones will release 90,000 items for sale online by Christmas 2012, ten times that of its current e-commerce offer.

The department store updated shareholders this morning on its bid to become a true omnichannel retailer.

David Jones is on track to launch its new online shopping platform by the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2013.

The company's warehouse at Silverwater (NSW) has been significantly upgraded to support turnover equivalent of a large suburban store.

Co-located within the fulfilment centre is a new purpose-built production house containing studios, post production and copywriting facilities.

An additional customer contact centre has been established to handle queries.

David Jones has also implemented a scalable IT platform consisting of a new content management system, a new order management system and a new warehouse system.

The platform allows it to view all products, pricing, promotions and inventory across all channels.

In August, the first stages of David Jones' content strategy were implemented with the launch of its blog 'Black and White'.

The company confirmed a new blogging team has now been established consisting of editors from Vogue, GQ and Inside Out magazines.

The next major components will roll out in fiscal 2013, including the launch of a new mobile store, an iPad app, Click and Collect, social commerce and incremental delivery options.

David Jones' traditional channels will also undergo a revamp.

The company has signed agreements to lease six new full-line department stores, the first of which will open in Highpoint (Victoria) in the first quarter of calendar 2013.

David Jones will also continue to roll out its 'Village Format' stores, approximately 7000sqm in size and with a focus on fashion and beauty.

The stores will be located in areas which do not have a major shopping centre, with the concept based on David Jones' Claremont Quarter site (WA).

David Jones revealed it has invested more deeply in customer service, with the introduction of 100 new floor staff supervisor roles and 200 new 'style advisor' and 'sales specialist' roles.

The company has also increased floor staff hours relative to sales and invested in frontline sales training.

Activations will continue to roll out, with 45 new customer events and promotions introduced in-store to date.

These have included trunk shows, a Ginger & Smart fashion show, Harper's Bazaar bridal event and celebrity in-store appearances.

The initiatives are part of David Jones' Future Strategic Direction Plan, first announced on March 21.

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