Direct Web Sales A Wash For Levi's

Levi Strauss & Co. has virtually abandoned direct virtual sales of its clothing products after only a few months and instead will focus on selling its goods through its traditional, offline retail outlets and the websites of its retail partners. The San Francisco-based blue jean maker launched its most recent e-commerce initiative on www.levi.com in mid-August, but has pulled the plug because the direct sales effort stepped on the toes of some of its distributors, who could no longer sell the company's products on their own websites. The Levi's site will now direct online shoppers to the distributors and their sites.

Levi Strauss launched the levi.com sire in 1994 and a dockers.com site in 1995. In November 1998, both sites added online shopping capabilities. In August 1999, the company began an interactive advertising campaign and "experiential e-commerce shopping experience" on levi.com that allowed consumers to watch an online commercial, click on the featured clothing and make a purchase while the spot ran.