PFSweb, Inc., an international provider of end-to-end eCommerce solutions, announced it has launched an agreement with Columbia Sportswear Company to provide online direct-to-consumer support services throughout Europe and Canada for the company's Columbia and Sorel brands. Columbia Sportswear Company was able to complete one of its largest e-commerce initiatives through this agreement with PFSweb. The first phase of the expansion included eighteen localized sites in Canada, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Austria, Spain and the U.K. The first site launched in the U.K. on September 5, 2011, followed by the remaining countries on September 19, 2011. Future phases will include additional sites in these and other regions.
PFSweb was selected to provide multiple direct-to-consumer services for the Columbia and Sorel sites, including customer order and payment processing, information exchange functionality, account management and reporting services as well as distribution logistics management services and website sales returns processing services.
The agreement enlists PFSweb's global warehousing and product fulfillment capabilities, which are supported by PFSweb's distribution centers in Liege, Belgium and Toronto, Canada. PFSweb also provides customer contact services in each of the countries with agents staffed to support multiple languages from both locations.
“The services and capabilities provided by PFSweb across a broad global footprint will allow us to seamlessly provide our international customers the highest quality online research and shopping experience possible,” stated Paul Zaengle, Vice President, eCommerce at Columbia Sportswear. “Our digital presence is the global face of our brands, and most outdoor consumers begin their research online before going into a store to make their purchase. Our responsibility is to maintain a highly branded digital presence, with rich product information, localized in key regions, empowering consumers and benefiting all of our retail partners around the globe.”
Mike Willoughby, President of PFSweb, commented, “The agreement with Columbia Sportswear is not only an exciting new addition to our portfolio of fashion and apparel brands, it is also a testament to our commitment to build long-term success for our company. The eCommerce market is truly an international movement, and PFSweb is at the forefront. We believe having a global presence is a major advantage for PFSweb as more and more companies look to expand their eCommerce presence internationally and quickly realize the difficulties of doing so using either their in-house resources or through other service providers that are purely concentrated in the U.S.”
