We already knew that Gerry Harvey was deeply unenthusiastic about selling online, but there was a brief moment when it seemed that opening a daily deals site wasn’t the dumbest thing Harvey Norman could do to start off in that space. But after watching the Harvey Norman Big Buys site in operation for a few days, it’s looking like an ecommerce sequel to Dumb & Dumber.
When I think of Harvey Norman stores, I generally think of three things: furniture, electrical goods, and sales staff who can never be found when you actually want to know something. The Big Buys site delivers on none of these core brand values.
Over the past week, special offers from Big Deals have included mascara, an esky, Ferrero Rocher chocolates, saucepans and golf balls. The ongoing catalogue on the site features soccer balls and a range of “ice boxes”. Adding to the general feel of cheapness, the product images appear to have been Photoshopped by someone whose only collection of stock imagery was a bunch of bad background designs from Roger Ramjet.
There’s a perfectly logical explanation for this: the site is actually operated by an entirely separate company, eDeal Busters Pty Ltd, which has licensed the name from Harvey Norman. OK, that’s a quick way of setting up an online store on the cheap. But it’s also a good way of cheapening your overall image, which probably isn’t the best idea when you’ve already convinced half the nation that you have no clue when it comes to the Internet. Anyone want a soccer ball?
Ian
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 10:01 AMAnother ‘lame’ thing is the prices (mostly) aren’t even indicative of a good bargain.
Theophilus
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 10:20 AMFail
andronicus
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 10:34 AMTotally lame. This is one chain that should no longer be surviving given the incompetence and general ignorance of the people who run it. It truly is the last place you want to go to buy anything.
If they do not adapt they will vanish from the retail landscape within 10 years (probably sooner) due to non-relevance in a marketplace that is quickly becoming savvier and more consumer friendly.
Jamie
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 10:53 AMAnd is any one truly surprised by this?
Gerry is still the Australian douche bag of the day… he is a champ for holding the title for over a decade.
Rj
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 11:05 AMI thought you were exaggerating, so I checked.
You are right, I can’t believe that they think this is the way to sell on line.
I wish them luck, they need it.
wsDK_II
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 1:20 PMI dont wish them luck – i wish they would get the hell out of here! (or provide a decent service)
Terence D
Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 1:04 AMThe best thing about the internet is if you don’t like something, just don’t go visit it!
Alex
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 11:12 AMI have looked each day at Big Buys and it has been nothing to be excited about and the website is just going to die unless they actually sell products that people WANT at REDUCED prices.
Generally speaking I find buying online always cheaper and even JB Hi Fi, Dick Smith, OfficeWorks and WOW are better alternatives.
Harvey Norman need to be a lot more competitive if they want to get some customers to this website especially when they are competing with the likes of Catch of the Day, Shopping Square’s daily clearance, 1-day deals etc
Carl Manson
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 11:15 AMIt honestly looks like Gerry-boy genuinely wants this to fail so he can say “I told you so” – A tad misguided it think.
Athan Didaskalou
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 11:16 AMYou’re all idiots. Of course it’s a shit site. Of course it’s going to fail. But Gerry is a smart business man OVERALL. Just because one format for sales doesn’t work doesn’t mean he’ll go under. He is one of Australia’s most successful business men. Remember that when you comment, because he makes more money than you any day of the week while he sleeps than you will probably make in a year.
And yes, again, the site is really shit.
Charles Manson
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 5:34 PMAnd that makes him a better human than the rest of us?
To me someone that is good at extracting lots of cash from others is not something to be proud of.
huu
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 11:43 AMI’ve been following Gerry Harvey crusade with great amusement. Essentially what he saying is “boo hoo consumers found out that they can buy things online cheaper than what i sell so they dont come to me anymore, so please government find a way to make it more expensive for them, so they come back and buy from me” – what kind of ass would do that? And his reasoning was that Online sellers taking bussiness away from Australia, 1. Why? he thinks all online sellers are from overseas? 2. What stop Australian Bussinesses Selling onlines? 3. Most of harvey norman product are made oversea. 4. Losing Retail Jobs? This is just part of the dynamics/evolution of the economy, jobs are lost and gain in all areas of businesses. eg. 32GB SDCARD SANDISK (made in china) -MSY(can order online, phone, and pickup from store) $67 .. Harvey sell it for $157 for the exact same product. Now let keep thing simple Let say i buy from Harvey – $67 will go to china and $90 will help Australian jobs? Dont think so, more likely go to Gerry Harvey’s pockets. Is it better to buy $67 and have spare $90 areas in australia, like foods and healthcare?
con
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 11:45 AMIt’s purposely been designed to fail, my guess this is just a crappy stop gap until they launch their proper site at
http://www.harveynormanonline.com.au/
Yllib Setag
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 1:31 PMHardly Normal, just a token gestured nod to online selling, may he disappear from the ether and the material world quickly, his irrelevance will be his undying legacy
StevoTheDevo
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 2:35 PMThey did offer an “electrical” item.. 72x AAA batteries which were snapped up pretty quickly.
I have no idea why! Who needs AAA batteries in that quantity?
davo
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 2:39 PMDevils advocate here: this ain’t the main Harvey Norman website, which is actually a comprehensive catalogue of Harvey Norman stock.
It is an excellent site to compare to Amazon and see how despite $Parity for years, we still pay double on virtually everything.
ozoneocean
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 3:36 PMWhen I think of Hardly Normal I think of overstuffed recliners with built in cupholders. That’s really all they’re good for.
Steve
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 4:28 PMAgreed!
oztrez
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 5:10 PMAnother “we hate Harvey Norman/Gerry” circle-jerk? The site is average yes, but it’s been in existence for a total of two weeks. Hopefully they’ll be paying attention and it’ll improve. At least there isn’t any Monster Cable
Steve Tran
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 10:38 PMCool. They’ve turned into Catch of the Day.
Luke Colenso Brunsmann
Monday, April 18, 2011 at 10:53 PMHaha Gerry get your act together
olearymo
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 9:50 AMGo Harvey! Go Harvey!
Seriously, just go.
troy
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 3:21 PMIs this entire website dedicated to those who do not like Harvey Norman….or is dedicated to those that have no life?
Paul
Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 11:57 PMImagine how the conversation went over at HNHQ.
Jerry: “Nope nope nope, no internet, there’s no money in it, no one has ever sold anything online.”
Staff: “Jerry there is this one site that sold over 1900 Logitech Keyboards in one day”
Jerry: “Ya fkn what, how? I want in, load it up on to our servers and install the applications on our superhighway.”
Next day:
Harvey Norman Australia’s #1 furniture and electrical retailer, oh and we occasionally sell mascara.
Jack
Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 5:27 PMIt’s really offensive when people insult the sales staff at Harvey Norman stores. I’m one and work in a franchise where customer service is exceptional compared to our competitors. I’d like to wish the ign
Jack
Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 5:33 PMIt’s really offensive when people insult the sales staff at Harvey Norman stores. I’m one and work in a franchise where customer service is exceptional compared to our competitors. I’d like to wish the ignorant wankers who complain after having one, generally rare, unpleasant experience luck when they try to go back to other retailers who are dropping off like flies.
Harvey Norman, no matter how poorly they perform online, are and have been for a long time, Australias most successful retailers. I can’t see a problem with trying to hold integrity in ship frontge. Online might me cheaper, however it’s inpersonal, and it’s threatening the jobs of good salespeople who have to compete against a keyboard and monitor.
Cheap is great but everyone in this world is out to make profit, whiy not help keep someone in a job rather than penny pinch over small amounts of money.
Jenma
Friday, April 29, 2011 at 8:33 AMI agree with Jack on his first point it can be ‘-really offensive when people insult the sales staff’. Of course there are underperformers in every occupation but one should not underperform as a human being by being offensive.
As for why ‘-other retailers – are dropping off like flies’ is that ‘Harvey Norman, – are and have been for a long time, Australias most successful retailers’, is that they either buy out or kill off any competition… And those tactics are difficult to achieve in an online market place.
Now Harvey Norman may be trying to ‘hold integrity in shop frontage’ but they are losing customers by 10s of 1000s annually… (Just Google ) For 2 Marketing reasons – Firstly, their ads don’t stand out, their messages are lost in a rabble of side show alley spruikers aggressively touting their wares, screaming at a captive audience. HN voice overs, the ads, are lost in the crowd. We have become immune to shouting. We switch off!
Secondly Harvey Norman ads used to be entertaining, happy, non-violent, quite even. And they actually worked according to sales figures at the time.The Catch Prase for the videos and radio ads was: “You’re a part of us – and we’re a part of you”. But not anymore. The staff in HN ad dept & recording agency only believe in – uninvited – repeatedly, violently bludgeoning our senses in our lounge rooms. And they do not care. They are allienating their past & prospective clients. Harvey Norman may well benefit by doing the opposite. First – Stop the shouting & Screaming, then perform better online and they may make a profit.
Dirk
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 12:24 PMHave to agree with you there Jack.
Truth is there’s loads of pessimistic types in this world and especially on the internet. Don’t be dragged down.
Frequent Pornography Shopper
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 4:10 PMWhen you can buy shit at The Good Guys for easily 20% less across most lines, you know that Gerry Harvey is full of shit when he whines about the Internet ruining his business. The place is a ripoff joint.