Bombardier Recreational Products Forms Alliance With
Direct Marketing Leader Overton's
MONTREAL, QUEBEC--APRIL 3, 2001 - 10:29 EDT
E-Commerce, on-line Business-to-Consumer, Business-to-Business
Bombardier Recreational Products announced the launch of a new
E-Commerce Program, BombardierDirect(TM), designed to bring
dealers and consumers closer together. Introduced to the dealer
network in the United States this March 2001, BombardierDirect is
the result of a strategic alliance formed between Bombardier
Recreational Products and Overton's, one of the recreational
industry's leaders in direct marketing. Bombardier Direct
Corporation, a newly created unit of Bombardier Recreational
Products, will be responsible jointly with Overton's to implement
the direct marketing capability of the E-Commerce Program.
"This initiative is a fundamental element of our global marketing
strategy. This alliance is an important step to get closer to our
existing and potential customers by multiplying the entry points
to our products while facilitating transactions", declared Michel
Baril, President and Chief Operating Officer of Bombardier
Recreational Products.
This cooperative effort will now make it possible for Bombardier
dealer network to reach even more consumers, by taking advantage
of multi-channel strategies to capture Internet and catalog sales
and provide a convenient, state-of-the-art shopping experience.
The program will be rolled out to Canada later this year, and is
targeted for launch in the international markets during the 2002
season.
"Through our alliance with Overton's, BombardierDirect will allow
our dealers to experience the power of direct-to-consumer
marketing," said Réal Deslauriers, vice president of
BombardierDirect. "We are providing consumers with new channels
of accessibility to our products, any time they wish - while
continuing to increase our dealers' means of revenue."
Bombardier Recreational Products' E-Commerce Program is comprised
of three principal components, the first of which involves
offering Bombardier dealers the opportunity to become web-enabled.
Dealers who are web-enabled will be able to facilitate an online
shopping experience for their customers, whereby their customers
can purchase select Bombardier branded and Overton's non-branded
items using the BombardierDirect web engine from within the dealer
website.
The second component is the new BombardierDirect catalog which all
Bombardier dealers will receive at the launch of the program. The
BombardierDirect catalog will include branded and non-branded
items and is a potential vehicle through which dealers can reach
their current customer base, while offering the possibility of
reviving former customers. The first BombardierDirect catalog was
sent in March to U.S. customers.
Bombardier dealers will further benefit from BombardierDirect.com,
a new commercial website that will allow their consumers to
purchase items online with the option to pick-up goods at their
favorite participating dealership - allowing those participating
dealers to fully maximize the benefits of the Bombardier
E-Commerce activities.
Overton's Inc. is a worldwide marketer specializing in the
watersports, marine and hunting industries. Overton's markets
products under three mail order catalog titles: Overton's,
Herter's and Dunn's, and through three Internet websites. In
addition, Overton's owns four retail stores and has manufacturing
facilities in Wisconsin and Minnesota, which are primarily
associated with the hunting industry. Overton's is headquartered
in Greenville, North Carolina, where all direct marketing
functions are centralized. Overton's is a privately held North
Carolina company headed by President and founder Parker Overton.
The company was established in 1975, has 350 employees and
generates revenues of $100 million USD.
Bombardier Recreational Products designs, develops, builds,
distributes and markets Ski-Doo(R) and Lynx(R) snowmobiles,
snowgrooming equipment and multi-purpose tracked vehicles,
Sea-Doo(R) watercraft and sport boats and Bombardier(R)
all-terrain vehicles. Snowmobiles, ATVs, watercraft and some
sport boats are powered by Rotax(R) engines that are designed and
built by Bombardier-Rotax GmbH, which also builds motors for
motorcycles, scooters, karts and aircraft.
Bombardier Inc., a diversified manufacturing and service company,
is a world leading manufacturer of business jets, regional
aircraft, rail transportation equipment and motorized recreational
products. It is also a provider of financial services and asset
management. The Corporation employs 58,000 people in 12 countries
in North America, Europe and Asia, and more than 90% of its
revenues are generated outside Canada. Bombardier's revenues for
its fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2001 totalled $16.1 billion.
(R) Trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. |
