British retail giant Marks & Spencer will allow consumers to order bargain goods for courier services to send to their homes after launching an online version of its popular Outlet store, which previously only existed in 50 bricks-and-mortar stores across the UK.

This represents a further move towards multichannel selling for the retailer, which has embraced ecommerce as a potential growth market in the last few years and announced a 22.4 per cent increase in online sales in its Q3 results on January 10th 2012.

M&S Outlet online looks set to cement the British company's strong position in the internet commerce market, offering savings of up to 40 per cent from regular high street and online prices.

It will offer a selection of roughly 1,300 items of clothing from the menswear, womenswear, lingerie and kidswear sections, with ranges regularly refreshed through Marks and Spencer's own-brand clothing.

Richard Fox, head of M&S Outlet, said increased customer demand for multi-channel and online shopping options have spurred the retailer into changing its approach and adapting to the increasingly urgent desire among consumers to be given a cariety of shopping options.

"The internet is often the first port of call for shoppers in search of a bargain, as it offers a quick and convenient way to compare the deals available," said Mr Fox.

Bringing the M&S Outlet brand online is a way of "making it even easier for customers to treat themselves to the best of M&S at even better prices".

Consumers signing up to the service over the next two weeks will be offered a variety of deals and incentives as M&S Outlet attempts to stamp its mark on the already competitive online marketplace for bargain or discounted clothing.

Global online fashion retailer ASOS, which launched in 2001, is a figurehead for the runaway success enjoyed by this fledgling industry in the last ten years. It now attracts over 18.5 million unique visitors a month and has roughly seven million registered users.

Author:  Paul Burn