BFI Launches Filmstore Online in Partnership with Green Jersey & Actinic

West Byfleet, UK, 12 February 2008 - For the first time film enthusiasts worldwide can now access a wide selection of DVDs, books, gifts and other film-related products from the British Film Institute’s collection at its new Filmstore website. This is thanks to a partnership between the BFI, web design agency Green Jersey and ecommerce supplier Actinic.

The Filmstore at BFI Southbank, London SE1 opened last March offering a comprehensive range of film and television books, DVDs and other products. The Filmstore website has been developed to offer customers the opportunity to buy BFI products easily online in a one-stop-shop -- a facility which was not previously available.

The site was designed and built by web design agency Green Jersey, using the Actinic ecommerce platform. BFI’s specification called for a fresh, appealing design with its own identity, but complementing the BFI’s own website. It required the ecommerce facility to be interfaced with the electronic point of sale (EPOS) system in use in its retail store. It also called for the implementation of a sophisticated discounting regime, and the extension of Actinic’s product structure to accommodate BFI's sophisticated product definitions. “The requirements were particularly complex,” says Mark Fraser of Green Jersey. “But the task was made a lot easier thanks to a flexible new architecture that Actinic introduced last year.”

From a standing start for the project in early 2007, the site was completed, tested and launched by September 2007, including training BFI shop staff in the new systems.

“This has been a complex project involving connecting Actinic to a completely different EPOS system. Green Jersey immediately understood the technical issues, researching solutions, testing them thoroughly, and delivering them on schedule in a clear and user-friendly format says the BFI’s Web Editor Rebecca Willis. “We are very pleased with the site which has been both successful and very reliable.”

Strong early growth

A series of popular special offers and BFI member discounts during the first few weeks of the launch helped web sales grow rapidly. The BFI set a target for the website to deliver 20% of total Filmstore sales – and achieved this within three months of launch. During the Christmas period, sales ran at 4-5 times the previous weekly average. A very successful offer of £5 off all BFI DVDs throughout January meant that sales in the New Year were significantly higher than they had been before the Christmas peak.

Great future prospects

With 22% of online sales coming from repeat visits, the future for the store is looking good. Whilst the majority of customers are in the UK, worldwide sales are also doing well, with strong interest from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and even Thailand. BFI hopes soon to be able to offer its entire Filmstore stock online, rather than just its own product range, making thousands of specialist film and television titles available for sale all around the world.

Actinic CEO Chris Barling comments, “The BFI Filmstore site has been superbly implemented by Green Jersey and is a great example of how much can be achieved with an out-of-the-box e-commerce product.”

Bruce Townsend, marketing manager of Actinic.
Globe House, West Byfleet, KT14 6ND
Tel 0845 129 4800, btownsend@actinic.co.uk

Actinic PR: Jane Lee, Dexterity. Tel +44 (0)1273 470199, jane.lee at dexterity.co.uk

Screen shot of BFI Filmstore available from jane.lee at dexterity.co.uk

About the BFI
There's more to discover about film and television through the BFI. Our world-renowned archive, cinemas, festivals, films, publications and learning resources are here to inspire you. To find out more go to www.bfi.org.uk

About Green Jersey
Based in Cambridge and the Midlands, Green Jersey (www.greenjersey.com) is a web design agency specialising in creating sophisticated Actinic e-commerce websites. Green Jersey has designed and built sites for clients ranging from small startups through to prestigious names such as Siemens, the British Film Institute, and lifestyle brand Plain Lazy.

Green Jersey also designs Actinic templates for other web design businesses and self-builders, as well as developing plug-ins to extend Actinic’s software further. Contact: press@greenjersey.com

About Actinic
Founded in 1996, Actinic (www.actinic.co.uk) is a British company specialising in helping small and medium retailers trade, both online and offline, using its ecommerce and electronic point of sale (EPOS) packages.

Actinic offers ecommerce products for web designers and self-builders, including both web-based and desktop solutions. The range includes Actinic Enterprise, Actinic Business, Actinic Catalog, Actinic Express and Actinic Designer. Actinic powers more UK ecommerce sites than any other company. Research shows that over 50% of SMEs using packaged software to run their e-stores use Actinic. Some better known Actinic users include the Royal Opera House, Land of Leather, Lexmark and the Royal Navy.

Actinic EPOS systems give a comprehensive feature set that is straight forward to operate at great value prices. The range extends from a low cost, single till installation for the smaller store, to integrated multi-till and multi-site systems with head office functionality for centralised product, stock and price updating and reporting.

Actinic solutions can be implemented by the user, through a network of third party specialists, or by Actinic itself through its Business Services division.

Trademarks: Actinic, Actinic Catalog, Actinic Business and Actinic Designer are registered trademarks of Actinic Software Limited.

This release was published on openPR.