Online store success for Liniar customer prompts investment in new fleet

Horton Building Plastics provides a wide range of high-quality building supplies and ancillaries, including Liniar windows, doors, and full PVCu roofline solutions. Serving both trade professionals and the public, the company offers UK wide delivery and has stores in Corbridge, Crewe and Longton, Stoke.

In 2019, Director Rob Horton had already made the decision to open an online store, but the onset of the Covid pandemic in 2020 accelerated his efforts to get this side of the business up and running. Since launching the service, online ordering has grown significantly.

The convenience of ‘click and collect’

Rob tells us, “Our e-commerce plans were already in development back in 2019, but when Covid struck the team got a move on to ensure we could continue to service our customers with minimum disruption.

“Since launching Horton’s online store, it’s taken off massively. ‘Click & collect’ is a convenient way for our customers to buy and people seem to be enjoying it. A lot of customers like the fact they can order at night, or first thing in the morning while they’re having a cuppa, before stopping by to pick up their goods in store within minutes if they want.

“We opted for a platform with ‘live’ stock integration, quickly realising this would eliminate issues such as items not being available when customers arrived in store after placing an order.

“We’re managing a significant inventory of stock across four branches, so having this information visible and live on the website 24/7 certainly helps with order fulfilment and keeps things running smoothly.”

One Horton customer, window and conservatory installer Neil of DNP Building Plastics tells us, “Horton has made ordering materials much easier for me and my fitter Darren. I don’t have to run around anymore as I can log in and order at night, and the lads from the Horton store have it ready first thing for Daz to collect around 8am. It’s easy!”

Delivering customer satisfaction

Besides in-store collection, Horton Building Plastics also offers a nationwide delivery service, with the success of the online store prompting investment in a new fleet of vehicles.

Rob explains, “In the beginning we were using couriers for delivery, but as the business has grown, we’ve started doing our transport planning in house. We have just acquired four long wheelbase maxi-loaders which can carry 5.2 metre lengths, and we have three vans for local, smaller deliveries.”

He continues, “Not only does this mean we can offer a more cost-effective, comprehensive service but it also gives us peace of mind. Manual handling is decreased and carried out by our own trained and trusted team members, greatly reducing the risk of goods being lost or damaged in transit, as sometimes happens with a courier service.

“Managing our own fleet means Horton’s customers are getting a much faster, more reliable and efficient delivery service. The new wagons have been a big investment for us, but definitely worthwhile. Orders are particularly busy in Crewe and the wider Cheshire area, which we’re really excited about as they’re key to connecting routes such as Middlewich, Chester and Wales - all locations offering great opportunities for growing the business.”

Striking the perfect balance

The positive experience of Horton’s digital expansion has left Rob keen to continue developing in this area, but the company’s physical stores still play a crucial role in his growth plans.

Rob concludes, “I am putting resources into increasing Horton’s visibility on Google and improving SEO to keep our digital business thriving. However, the bricks and mortar side of the business provides the infrastructure to support our online efforts as well as a space where we establish vital face-to-face relationships between our customers and team members, and we’re still planning to open more branches in the future.

“We aim to strike a perfect balance between our online and offline presence that meets both our business objectives and the needs of Horton’s customers well into the future.”

Visit the Horton Building Plastics online store at www.hortonstore.co.uk or go to https://www.liniar.co.uk/ to see the full Liniar range.