CSCO--One-Stop Online Shop From Lands' End Gives Cisco Opportunity to Try On Its Own Technology
DODGEVILLE, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 21, 2000--Lands' End Corporate Sales, the business- to-business division of Lands' End (NYSE:LE - news), today launches its largest Online Custom Store(TM) for the more than 34,000 global employees of Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO - news), a worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. The thirteenth corporate store created by Lands' End operates via the Internet and was customized to meet the apparel and premium needs specified by Cisco.
The Cisco Merchandise Store at Lands' End offers more than 90 Lands' End apparel and accessory items for embroidering with the Cisco logo, the largest selection offered by a company on a Lands' End Online Custom Store thus far. It provides global purchase and fulfillment capabilities for all Cisco employees for everyday wear, trade show, conference and team building needs. The store debuts direct access to Lands' End Live(TM), offering Cisco employees real-time, online personal assistance, based on Cisco's own web-collaboration technology.
Cisco employees can order merchandise without minimum order requirements and Lands' End's just-in-time inventory management allows items to be made to order rather than stocked by Cisco, an option previously unavailable to the company. Future enhancements call for a channel partners program allowing Cisco business partners to place their logo in pre-determined areas along with the Cisco logo, the first customized Lands' End store offering multiple logo ordering.
Lands' End Live debuted on Lands' End's consumer Web site, landsend.com, in September 1999 and on the company's Corporate Sales site in May 2000. On the Cisco Merchandise Store, a Cisco employee or business partner and a Lands' End B2B customer service representative can navigate the site together, with browsers synchronized, so each views the same pages at the same time. Service representatives are trained to answer questions regarding the Cisco store and provide advice on gender sizing, brand integrity issues, and general color, fabric and style questions.
``Cisco is continuously focused on improving the customer experience in the most effective way, whether the customer is a Cisco employee or someone outside,'' said Sue Bostrom, senior vice president of Cisco's Internet Business Systems Group. ``Partnering with Lands' End offers our employees quality merchandise in an enhanced online shopping environment and allows us to continuously lead in innovative Internet applications.''
``We're proud that Cisco Systems, the worldwide technology and service leader, selected Lands' End, the largest seller of apparel online, to create this unique, customized shopping option for their employees and business partners,'' said David Zentmyer, senior vice president, Lands' End Corporate Sales. ``Lands` End Live set us apart as an e-commerce service leader and now we're excited to debut this personal assistance on the Online Custom Store of the partner that helped us bring it to life.''
The Cisco Merchandise Store features Logo SnapShot(TM), a proprietary interactive tool only available through the Lands' End Online Custom Store. The tool shows Cisco employees logo, logo color and logo placement options on all products. Since these options were pre-determined in accordance with Cisco's own brand identity parameters, the tool ensures that the company's brand rules are enforced in all orders placed through the online store.
Products approved to carry the Cisco logo include polo and denim shirts, tailored tops and bottoms, fine gauge sweaters, lightweight outerwear, caps, attaches and aprons, among others. Later this year, non-apparel items such as mugs, pens, mouse pads and such will be added to the site. Employees have multiple payment and shipping options and domestic orders should be received seven-to-10 business days after they are placed and 15 business days for international orders.
Cisco joins a growing number of Fortune 1000 companies opening their own online stores, allowing company employees worldwide to order pre-approved signature apparel and accessories without worrying about branding requirements, minimum orders or stocking and inventory fees. Other corporations with Lands' End Online Custom Stores include Saturn Corporation/ Retail, Cellular One, BellSouth, RadioShack and Carolina Power & Light, among others.
About Lands' End
Lands' End is a leading direct merchant of classically inspired clothing for men, women and children, soft luggage and products for the home. Sales in fiscal year 2000 were $1.32 billion. Corporate Sales offers the Lands' End brand as options for company incentives, rewards, gifts and group apparel. Sales for Corporate Sales in fiscal year 2000 were approximately $140 million.
About Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO - news) is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. News and information are available at www.cisco.com. |
