PFSW news:
PFSweb's Fulfillment Operation was in High Gear for Holidays; New Clients, Christmas Volume Send 500,000 Packages Through System
BUSINESS WIRE - January 14, 2000 08:17
PLANO, Texas, Jan 14, 2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- PFSweb, Inc. (Nasdaq: PFSW), a leading e-commerce transaction management services company, reported today that it shipped approximately 500,000 packages on behalf of its clients in December 1999. The significant volume was a result of both new client activity and the growth in Internet-based holiday sales volume.
"At PFSweb, we provide a virtual back-end infrastructure to support our clients' e-commerce and traditional business needs. We provide everything `from the click of the mouse to the knock at the house'(sm)," said Mark C. Layton, chairman, president and CEO of PFSweb. "PFSweb's people, infrastructure and technology were focused on ensuring that there was no Grinch to steal Christmas for our clients' customers. The holiday season sparked strong volume growth for our business-to-consumer clients. We also experienced strong growth from our business-to-business clients, as well.
"Some online retailers were unable to handle the tremendous volume of Internet shopping this season," Layton said, "PFSweb, on the other hand, took orders on behalf of our clients until Dec. 23 and was able to deliver merchandise to their customers on the 24th. We were pleased with our ability to handle the increased business volumes demanded during this period."
PFSweb's clients include more than 30 retailers, e-tailers and manufacturers such as American Eagle Outfitters (Nasdaq: AEOS), Thompson Direct (RCA), Apple Computer (Nasdaq: AAPL), Global Sports Interactive (Nasdaq: GSPT), Hewlett Packard (NYSE: HWP), IBM (NYSE: IBM), Nokia Mobile Phones (NYSE: NOK), and Daisytek International (Nasdaq: DZTK).
Shop.org, the trade association of online retailers, reported in a recently released study that the holiday season showed growth rates of online sales up 270 percent in the number of orders placed by consumers and a 300 percent increase in revenues enjoyed by retailers over the prior year. "But customer satisfaction with their online shopping experience often continues to fall below expectations," Layton added.
Layton, who last year published the book ".coms or .bombs . . . Strategies for Profit in e-Business," said, "Negative online shopping experiences shake consumer confidence in electronic commerce. The e-experience is not only about what happens online, but it also includes customer inquiries, delivery and receipt of the product, the way returns are handled, and all other dimensions of the e-commerce shopping experience.
"Despite increased security over the Internet, many online buyers would still rather order over the phone," Layton added. "Others want detailed information before purchasing a product. Therefore, customer support during the order cycle is also extremely important in terms of turning a browser into a buyer. The financial impact of failure can be more severe than many online sellers realize. We believe PFSweb's 24x7 call-center support is a key component to the e-commerce transaction management cycle.
"Delivery is also a critical aspect of the e-experience," Layton added. "PFSweb's target is to fulfill 100 percent of our clients' customer orders for in-stock product on a same-day basis.
"The e-businesses that pay attention to the details and offers superior service throughout the customer's total experience will be poised to be the profitable e-business winners," he added. "PFSweb provides e-businesses with the infrastructure to improve their customer's shopping experience."
About PFSweb, Inc.
PFSweb is a leading international provider of transaction management and e-commerce logistics business services. PFSweb's comprehensive outsourcing solution provides both traditional and web-based companies with a virtual back-end infrastructure that facilitates the rapid implementation of their e-commerce strategies. PFSweb's services include order management, customer care services, billing services, distribution services and information management. PFSweb provides everything "from the click of the mouse to the knock at the house."(sm)
PFSweb, Inc., a subsidiary of Daisytek International Corporation (Nasdaq: DZTK), completed an IPO in December 1999. PFSweb continues to be owned 80 percent by Daisytek. Daisytek has announced that it plans to complete a spin-off of its remaining ownership of PFSweb in calendar year 2000. This news release and more information are available at www.pfsweb.com.
The matters discussed in this news release and, in particular, information regarding future revenue, earnings and business plans and goals, consist of forward-looking information under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to and involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, our reliance on the fees generated by the transaction volume or product sales of our clients; trends in the market for our services; trends in e-commerce; whether we can continue and manage growth; changes in the trend toward outsourcing; increased competition; effects of changes in profit margins; the unknown effects of possible system failures and rapid changes in technology; trends in government regulation; and our relationship with and separation from Daisytek. A description of these factors, as well as other factors, which could affect the Company's business, is set forth in the Company's Prospectus dated December 2, 1999.
This news release and more information about PFSweb are available at www.pfsweb.com. PFSweb is a registered trademark. Daisytek is a registered trademark of Daisytek, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Copyright (C) 2000 Business Wire. All rights reserved.
Distributed via COMTEX. -0- CONTACT: PFSweb Inc. Mark C. Layton, 972/881-0733 mlayton@pfsweb.com or Michael A. Burns & Associates Craig McDaniel, 214/521-8596 or 214/616-7186 (mobile) cmcdaniel@mbapr.com
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