Appliance Retailer launches new website — why the change?

Current.com.au has been relaunched as ApplianceRetailer.com.au — it is the most exciting change to our twin publication strategy since the original website launched in 2006.

Before I explain why we have decided to make this change and what our next steps are, let me assure our 10,000-plus daily readers that the quality and frequency of content will not change.

When my predecessor James Wells started Current.com.au in 2006, it was a revelation for the industry. For the first time, staff at retailers and suppliers had free access to daily news from a trusted and credible source. We are still the only organisation providing a service meeting those ideals.

In addition to publishing Appliance Retailer, The Intermedia Group was also publishing Counterpoint magazine at this time, and the new website was to be resourced from both editorial and sales teams. This meant a new name had to be created for the site.

Employing his unrivalled wordplay skills, James chose the name ‘Current’ because it represented the immediate nature of online news and pointed to the subject matter, electrical appliances.

Unfortunately, I feel this name has created some confusion among marketing and communications professionals. I have often had to explain to vendors and retailers that we are the same team and that you only need to talk to us once to receive coverage in both (provided you had something interesting to say). Not to mention it was a hassle answering the phone saying both titles!

The decision was made to retire the Current.com.au name and introduce ApplianceRetailer.com.au. We will be redirecting the old address to the new site so there is no need to update bookmarks or favourites, nor do you need to resubscribe. If you are not already a subscriber, please explore the new website — we’d love to have you!

Of course, it is not just a new name or web address. The new website is much easier to navigate, has room for larger and more vivid photography, is a great space for video content and is fully integrated to social media.

The comments section is much more user friendly and we will be incorporating improvements based on the feedback we receive from readers.

Although it is called ApplianceRetailer.com.au, the digital side of the industry is not being forgotten. We have a dedicated Digital Retailer page, mirroring the Digital Retailer section in our magazine, which will include all the latest news, information and features from that part of the industry. Readers specialising in digital can bookmark this page for instant access to stories relevant to their business.

We’ve spent a large part of 2013 working on this project and we are very excited to see it fulfilled. There is no time to rest, however, as 2014 will bring with it new challenges. We plan on launching new websites specialising in different areas of the industry and we are looking forward to introducing new ideas into how the industry consumes information.