Backcountry.com posted an 84% year-over-year increase on sales of more than $27 million. 2004 also featured record-breaking activity for single day sales and single day shipments.
The company also stated that a 120% increase of sun in Q2 and Q3 and abnormally high amount of powder days in Q4 kept the company from posting triple digit growth.
“84% is great, something were very proud of,” said Backcountry.com president and co-founder, John Bresee. “We hit some speed bumps and learned invaluable lessons, not to mention being blessed with incredible fortune to end up with that kind of growth. However we set very high goals for ourselves and the bottom-line for us is that in 2004 we missed our goals. Fortunately we are the shareholders so we have only ourselves to apologize to.” The company has enjoyed record setting triple digit growth for the previous 7 years and has plans in place to get right back at it in 2005.
“We are still in the early stages of the growth curve for online sporting goods sales,” said Bresee. “Our tenacious commitment to customer service has allowed us to build stronger relationships with our current customers, and our strong word-of-mouth among the outdoor communities plus greater selection of premium outdoor gear brands has attracted new customers that were previously not comfortable with the online shopping experience.”
“While we are not releasing any 2005 numbers yet, two months into the year it certainly looks like were back to our old form. January and February were blockbuster months for us”, said Bresee. “Growing a business quickly is a humbling experience. We get a lot right, but we also get a lot wrong. 2004 was our biggest year for learning, if not for growth.”
Looking forward Bresee stated, “2005 will be the year we fire on all pistons, the year that there will be no friends on a powder day. Triple digit growth is the target and were confident that the team weve put together will make it a reality when the year is through.”
