Catch Group’s focus on strong marketing and an expansion of product selection helped drive a 62 per cent increase in sales to $254 million in the first half of FY19.

The e-commerce company had 1.36 million active customers at the end of Q2, compared to 886,000 at the end of the same quarter in FY17.

Catch Group chief executive Nati Harpaz said this was due to smart marketing, exceptional customer service and an enjoyable shopping experience.

“Catch Group continues to meet ambitious growth plans,” Harpaz said.

“Our hybrid marketplace and in-stock strategy has delivered record GTV [gross transaction value] for the business.”

Over the half, Catch introduced a number of new initiatives to reach a broader audience.

One such initiative was Catch Live, an online event in which shoppers compete in a live quiz game to win discounts on various products, which has brought in thousands of new customers.

The retailer also launched a digital homewares magazine, The Home, which features articles on design and lifestyle trends, and links to homewares products on the Catch marketplace.

Catch opened its first bricks-and-mortar store in a former Toys ‘R’ Us at Chadstone Shopping Centre over the holiday period, offering click-and-collect and live chat with the customer service team in the company’s Melbourne headquarters.

The store “exceeded expectations”, Harpaz said, and Catch has agreed to temporarily extend its tenancy deal with Vicinity Centres to continue to trade within the centre at a new location.

Harpaz previously shot down the idea that Catch would push further into bricks-and-mortar, stating “we see ourselves as a pure online retailer and physical space will only be used for marketing purposes.”

Catch CEO Nati Harpaz is a co-founder of Octomedia, publisher of Inside Retail.

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