Following a year of record sales and 30% year-over-year growth in 2008, web-only retailer Power Equipment Direct Inc. in March opened a second warehouse and expanded its sales and customer service staff, CEO Jon Hoch says.
Power Equipment Direct, No. 358 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, specializes in selling products like air compressors, chain saws, power generators and lawn mowers through nine niche web sites. It launched five of the nine sites in 2008: MowersDirect.com, SumpPumpsDirect.com, LogSplittersDirect.com, WaterPumpsDirect.com and ChainSawsDirect.com.
The retailer also upgraded its four older sites (AirCompressorsDirect.com, PressureWashersDirect.com, ElectricGeneratorsDirect.com, SnowBlowersDirect.com) and consolidated all nine sites on a single e-commerce platform developed in- house, Hoch says.
“As a result, web traffic is up, advertising costs are down, and conversion rates are up,” he says. So far this year, the retailer has exceeded expectations for first quarter sales, he adds.
Power Equipment Direct also attributed the growth in sales to demand driven by severe weather conditions, including ice storms, hurricanes and blizzards, which typically drive up online orders for its products from affected geographic areas.
To better support future growth, the Bolingbrook, IL-based retailer opened a second warehouse last month with 14,000 square feet, for a total of 27,000 square feet in two buildings. It also hired four new employees in sales and customer service positions.
Hoch is speaking at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition, June 15-18 in Boston, in a session entitled “Web Site Design, Navigation & Usability: A Small Retailers' Survival Guide”.
Back...
