Back-to-school pushes quarterly sales up 93% year-to-year at eBags

Thanks largely to a back-to-school merchandising section it introduced in early July, eBags.com’s sales are up 93% for the quarter ended Sept. 30, eBags reported today. It’s also realizing a surge in repeat customers following a mailing this year of 700,000 back-to-school catalogs, it said.

EBags also said the first quarter was profitable under generally accepted accounting principles, which factor in unusual expenses and costs related to depreciation and amortization. It has reported several consecutive quarters of positive cash flow.

EBags attributes the back-to-school sales performance to strong demand for products including backpacks, messenger bags and laptop cases.

Peter Cobb, vice president of marketing and merchandising, said the back-to-school section has also helped eBags cross-sell more products to parents of schoolchildren. “They come looking for a school backpack for their daughter and leave with a laptop case and handbag for themselves,” he said

CEO Jon Nordmark noted that customers are also responding favorably to a new in-house Customer Care center that lets shoppers view feedback from other eBags customers. “Our customers love that eBags has over 200,000 unbiased consumer ratings and testimonials offering valuable feedback on products,” he said.