A Manchester garden furniture retailer has reported soaring sales during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Moda, which specialises in rattan garden furniture, reported online revenues rose 177% in April compared with the same month last year, with £1.3m spent over the Easter weekend alone.
The firm said this came as a combination of good weather, a recent website upgrade - and garden lovers "keen to ease the pain of the enforced restrictions".
Moda, which has its headquarters in Eastlands, said it has seen "significant online growth" over the last six years via an ecommerce website built by Manchester digital agency Fluid Digital, and promoted with a comprehensive digital marketing strategy.
However, the retailer needed to move its site to a new version of ecommerce software Magento which would provide better website performance and the power to manage its further ambitious growth plans.
Just days after the 'Magento 2' project was launched by Fluid, Brits confined to their homes were "clamouring" to update their garden furniture to help them to cope with the lockdown measures.
Jonny Brierley, CEO of Moda, said: “At a time of so much anxiety and tragedy we are pleased that our furniture has been able to play a small part in making these unprecedented circumstances more bearable for people.
“I don’t think anyone could have predicted this situation or the demand we would see for our range. However, I’m thankful that we had the new site in place so we could cope with the surge and people weren’t going away frustrated by a site that was slow and ultimately unable to process their order.
"I’m really thankful that we had Fluid Digital to manage the project and provide constant support throughout the launch so that our customers got the online experience they deserved.”
Adam Hindle, managing director of Fluid Digital, added: “There’s so much uncertainty and negativity surrounding business at the moment but Moda is one of the few companies that is performing very well.
"The new Magento 2 site not only gave it the power it needed to cope with high demand but also improved the experience for the consumer so they could make their new purchase with ease.
"Home comforts have never been more important and the last thing buyers want at the moment is a stressful and frustrating experience online. Avoiding that was a key priority for us and we are pleased to have been able to deliver a site that ticks all the boxes.”
