New York – May 17, 2010. Vitamin Research Products (VRP), a leading U.S.-based manufacturer and marketer of pharmaceutical-quality nutritional supplements, has selected a best-of-breed commerce solution from hybris, a leading multichannel commerce and communication software vendor, and its strategic partner Portaltech, an e-commerce systems integrator and consultancy. QuickLive, the new quick-to-deploy version of the hybris e-commerce platform, which was developed by Portaltech and incorporates enhanced e-commerce functionality to speed up the implementation process, is expected to help VRP triple online sales over the next 18 months.
VRP currently offers over 350 nutritional products to its 120,000 online customers every month. Key to the selection of hybris and Portaltech was the company’s plan to increase its product line and enhance website content and its multichannel sales model which required a highly scalable platform capable of providing the functionality, performance and advanced user experience that healthcare professionals and direct customers now expect. As a global business, VRP was also keen to offer a multilingual, multi-currency e-commerce website for its customers and to integrate its ERP system, Jeeves, with the chosen platform.
VRP’s Director of e-Commerce, Brian Rand explained that: “Our existing .net website was not able to respond to the ever changing needs and the exponential growth of our e-commerce business. We needed to invest in a new platform that would guarantee the performance and scalability that we need today but designed with future growth in mind.”
“Having made a lengthy and thorough evaluation of the products available on the market, we decided to use hybris and its partner Portaltech for this project. Both companies have a proven track record in all of these areas but will also enable us to take advantage of the latest merchandising and behavior-based marketing capabilities that will help us to attract and retain customers, using personalized cross-selling and up-selling techniques to enhance the multichannel shopping experience and increase sales at the same time,” he added.
The new platform, which is expected to go live in the summer of 2010, will enable VRP to:
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Enable customers to search for products via health conditions
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Allow customers to create wishlists of products and to share information on Facebook and Twitter
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Provide a superior user experience and faster navigation through categories
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Enable VRP to deliver enhanced promotional merchandising
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Develop a scalable and extendable platform that is robust and long term
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Significantly reduce bounce rates by providing a more interactive user experience
Commenting on the announcement, Carsten Thoma, COO hybris Group and president hybris U.S., said: “VRP is one of the leading Neutraceutical manufacturing and marketing companies in the U.S. Our selection is evidence of the market leading strengths of our solutions in what is one of the world’s most competitive and toughest markets. We look forward to working with VRP to expand its global business and online sales.”
Andrew Walker, CEO of Portaltech, commented: “At the heart of VRP’s ambitious growth plans is the desire to offer a sophisticated and highly personalized service to both its business users and direct consumers. We look forward to sharing our expertise in the development and implementation of future proof e-commerce solutions with other businesses in North America going forward.”
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About VRP
http://www.vrp.com/
Vitamin Research Products is a premier multi-channel manufacturer and marketer of Nutraceuticals (vitamins and supplements).
Founded in 1979, VRP is headquartered in Carson City, Nevada. The company is led by an experienced management team and has had companywide record growth in 2009. VRP’s President and CEO have been with the company for 18 years. Our foundation is laid upon solid, scientific scrutiny. Talented research teams first spend countless hours, poring through hundreds of journals and research abstracts to identify nutrients vital for optimal health. This is followed by the meticulous selection and careful teaming of the highest quality herbal extracts and pharmaceutical-grade nutrient powders, the same superior grade used today in cutting edge biomedical research.
This commitment to making the world’s finest nutritional formulas is further underscored by the choice to provide most formulas in capsules, not tablets – a move that guarantees maximum nutrient content, absorption and potency.
VRP sells direct to consumer by catalogue and web. VRP’s online business is growing rapidly and attracts over 110,000 unique visitors per month. VRP is in touch with their customers on a weekly basis through opt-in newsletters and promotional emails. They engage with their customers by giving them the latest research and scientific studies coupled with pharmaceutical grade supplements.
About hybris
hybris is a leading vendor of multichannel commerce and communication software. Its clear vision about the need for consistency, coordination and personalization of information across all channels and throughout all phases of the customer lifecycle has resulted in the development of an integrated solution which supports the industrialization and automation of communication, sales and support processes. It is spearheading innovation in this field, enabling businesses to communicate and sell across all channels in a consistent and effective way.
Established in 1997, hybris has a proven track record of profitability and growth, with ambitious expansion plans for the future. Headquartered in Munich, it has offices in the UK, U.S., Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden. Its international presence is extended via a dedicated network of business and technology partners across Europe and the U.S. It has over 200 customers worldwide running more than 1,500 websites “powered by hybris”. Customers are global brands from retail and manufacturing industries, including: Toys ‘R’ Us, Adidas, TRIA Beauty, Pirelli, Conrad, Norgren, Lufthansa, Reebok, Grundfos, Demag, Sika, Bunzl UK & Ireland, Phonak, Waterstone’s and Rexel.
About Portaltech
Portaltech is a business and technology consultancy that focuses on the design, implementation, integration and support of e-commerce solutions. It works with its customers to gain a deep understanding of their market spaces and business challenges so that it can develop transactional applications and Web sites that deliver real business benefits. Portaltech measures its success through the increased revenues and cost savings that these solutions generate.
As an e-business consultancy with unique cross-sector experience gained in online and multichannel environments, Portaltech’s proposition is unrivalled in the UK. It works on business and technology initiatives for a range of leading brands and companies both large and small, including: The Body Shop, Long Tall Sally, The Royal Mail, Premier Farnell, Sony and Vodafone.
The ‘QuickLive’ platform (http://www.quicklive.co.uk/) was developed by Portaltech with hybris and is our response to web retailers asking for a scalable, extendable e-commerce platform technology, that can be delivered cost effectively and in timescales as short as 8 weeks from business brief to web deployment. The platform also enables businesses to integrate their website, instore merchandising, catalog, print and mobile Content Management Systems and Product Identification Systems. Empowering businesses to control and update their CMS and PIMS, ensures consistency and clarity across your business, saving considerable time, money and resources.
For further information please contact:
In the U.S.:
Jessica Mularczyk
Ascendant Communications
Tel: 508-498-9300
Email: jmularczyk@ascendcomms.net
In the UK:
Melanie Oxford
Ascendant Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 7515 632065
Email: moxford@ascendcomms.net