By Claire Reilly

Winning Appliances' e-commerce offering has been recognised as part of the 2013 Online Retail Industry Awards, known as the ORIAs, with Appliances Online nominated as a finalist for Best Pure-play Online Retailer, Best Customer Experience and Best Online Retail Marketing Initiative.

The announcement was made yesterday at an event at Australian Technology Park in Sydney, in advance of the gala presentation on Wednesday 21 August 2013, which is held as part of the Online Retailer Conference & eCommerce Expo in Sydney.

The nomination marks the fourth year in a row that Appliances Online has been recognised as a leader in online retail, with the online store previously being listed as a finalist for Best Use of Technology, Most Innovative Online Retailer and Best Site Optimisation and Design, as well as the categories it was once again nominated in this year.

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Accepting the nomination yesterday was Winning Group CEO John Winning.

“When I first established Appliances Online in 2005, it wasn’t commonplace for people to shop online,” said Winning. “Fast-forward eight years and online retail has revolutionised the way people shop globally.

“Online retail has evolved beyond processing a transaction and delivering a product. Successful businesses must embrace online marketing, social media and analytics to build their brand and develop long-lasting relationships with customers.

“Customer service is the bedrock of Appliances Online’s success so it’s fantastic to see that our commitment to the customer experience has been nominated by the Online Retail Industry Awards for the fourth consecutive year,” he said.

Alongside the TV and AV focused Big Brown Box site, Appliances Online is the online branch of Winning Appliances’ clicks-and-mortar offering. While the online appliance store did not pick up any gongs in the ORIAs last year, it has previously won for Best Pureplay Online Retailer in 2010, Best Site Design and optimisation in 2011, and Best Customer Experience in both 2010 and 2011.