GSI Commerce’s International operational investments translate to record peak sales figures
LONDON, 23 March, 2010 – GSI Commerce, the global full service e-commerce provider, today announced that sales figures in peak season of the final quarter of 2009 broke all previous records. Following a series of strategic investments in European operations over 2009, GSI Commerce international reported a 35 per cent year on year growth in their weekly outbound units, and a very healthy 33 per cent reduction in contacts per order through their growing customer care centre. The company, which operates on a shared revenue model or traditional activity basis with its partners, manages the e-commerce and multichannel operations for more than 200 brands, including Peacocks, Helly Hansen and IC Companys.
Raising the bar in customer care
Major expansion of GSI Commerce’s European call centre in Manchester has doubled capacity and customer service representatives. As a result of bringing these capabilities in-house, systematic improvements, and improved fulfillment execution, the contact centre experienced and drove a 33 per cent year on year reduction in contacts per order.
Record increase in unit handling
GSI Commerce European fulfilment centres experienced record figures in item volume handling over the peak season, increasing daily output with 35 per cent year on year growth.
To cope with the increased demand at peak season, across 2009, GSI optimised its main fulfilment warehouse in Manchester, increasing space by more than a quarter with an additional mezzanine level. The site now has 220,000 square feet of floor space in total. By investing in voice picking capability, it has also enabled improvements in picking productivity and accuracy. These and other improvements enabled GSI to offer a later dispatch date to customers before the Christmas period, accommodating late Christmas shoppers who would have ordinarily had to shop offline to pick up last minute gifts.
Iain Beveridge, vice president of operations, international commented: “After a string of new client wins in 2009, we decided that the time was right to take our fulfilment and customer service operations to the next level. The investment has yielded a considerable return already which translates to healthy sales figures for our clients.”
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements made in this release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Actual results might differ materially from what is expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Additional information about potential factors that could affect GSI Commerce can be found in its most recent Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other reports and statements filed by GSI Commerce with the SEC. GSI Commerce expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
About GSI Commerce
GSI Commerce® is the leading provider of services that enable e-commerce, multichannel retailing and interactive marketing for large, business-to-consumer (b2c) enterprises internationally. We deliver customised solutions through an e-commerce platform, which is comprised of technology, fulfillment and customer care and is available on a modular basis or as part of an integrated, end-to-end solution. We offer a full suite of interactive marketing services through two divisions, TrueActionTM and e-Dialog. Additionally, we provide brands and retailers a platform for online private sales through RueLaLa.com, and an online, off-price marketplace, SmartBargains.com.
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