Shoplet
Industry | Office Supplies |
---|---|
Founded | 1994 |
Founder | Tony Ellison |
Headquarters | , United States |
Area served | Continental USA, UK, Canada |
Products | Office supplies, Printer paper, Computer hardware and peripherals, Networking Products, Office furniture, Ink and Toner Supplies, and Cleaning and Maintenance Equipment |
Website | www |
Shoplet is an online retailer of over 1,000,000[1] business products, servicing the continental United States,[2] Canada[3] and United Kingdom.[4]
Shoplet works with over 155 US warehouses[5] to fulfill orders of office supplies, office furniture, technology, jan san materials, promotional products[6] and medical supplies. Shoplet is headquartered in downtown New York City and maintains offices in both Canada and the United Kingdom. In 2010, Shoplet was listed in Internet Retailer Magazine’s Top 500 online sellers.[7]
Shoplet's main competitors in the online office supply vertical are Staples, Office Depot, Office Max and Quill.[8]
History
Tony Ellison, Shoplet’s founder and present CEO, conceived of Shoplet as an online business model in 1994. In 1996, Shoplet.com was officially launched and open for business. Originally, Shoplet sold a wide array of products, ranging from yachts and cars to computer hardware.[9] In 1997, Ellison decided to hone Shoplet’s focus on business products and materials and expanded Shoplet’s selection of products to 100,000 items. Shoplet’s growth has since proven strong and steady, exceeding sales of $100 million in 2009.[10]
In December 2012, Shoplet extended its reach to the promotional products market[11] by launching ShopletPromos.com. Shoplet Promos specializes in promotional items for businesses to market and promote their brand. Leading industry brands available at Shoplet Promos include Nike, Ash City, Leeds and Bic.[12] Shoplet Promos’s website offers customizable apparel, automotive & home accessories, tools, bags, drink ware, food & beverage products, technology, office products, and outdoors and sports accessories.
After achieving proven success in the United States, Shoplet officially expanded its programs and services to the United Kingdom in June 2013. Shortly thereafter, Shoplet opened its doors to the Canadian marketplace by launching Shoplet Canada in December 2013. Tony Ellison’s experience in establishing Shoplet’s services overseas was featured in a special CNBC piece.[13]
Environmental Commitment
Launched in 2007, the Shop Green site at Shoplet is a go-to resource for individuals who seek to make green purchases exclusively.[14] By developing and implementing green widgets to its interface, Shoplet aims to educate its customers about the environmental impact of their purchases and influence greener behaviors at checkout.[15]
Shoplet’s green tools and widgets are as follows:
- Shoplet’s Green Your Cart™ tool provides side-by-side comparisons of the mainstream items in a customer’s shopping cart and those items’ eco-friendly alternatives.[16]
- Shoplet’s Green Calculator™ widget presents customers with user-friendly data on their order’s carbon footprint.[17]
- Shoplet’s Green Your Search toolbar refines the customer’s search to display nature-friendly products only.[18]
Thus far, Shoplet’s tools have encouraged customers to help save over 100,000 trees and 24 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
In November 2013, Shoplet debuted its new logo to better communicate its pro-green commitment and core values.[19] As of May 2014, Shoplet launched its ongoing Care. Share. Grow.[20] social campaign in partnership with non-for-profit Trees for the Future that aims to plant one million trees.[21] With over 25,000 recycled business products,[22] Shoplet is the leading carrier of eco-friendly business products.
Programs and Services
e-Procurement[23]
In 1997, Shoplet unveiled its e-Procurement platform, a Shoplet-exclusive, free-hosted ordering center. An alternative to the prominent and expensive purchasing software systems of its time, Shoplet’s e-Procurement platform is 100% free and available to all Shoplet users.[24] The intent of Shoplet’s e-Procurement platform is to provide small to medium-sized businesses with control over their budgets and ordering processes.[25] Today, businesses that utilize Shoplet’s e-Procurement platform access smart ordering tools, like Shoplet’s Budgeting per Cost Center, Approval Hierarchy and Schedule & Save,[26] as well as other order replenishment tools.
Shoplet Select[27]
Shoplet customers who identify as a business or cohesive organization are offered free access to Shoplet’s exclusive Shoplet Select service. Advantages of Shoplet Select include free shipping on all qualified orders, special discounts, and connection to a personalized Shoplet Account Manager.[28]
References
- ^ "Why Shop With Shoplet?". Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ^ "Shoplet".
- ^ "Shoplet Canada".
- ^ "Shoplet UK".
- ^ List of Shoplet Fulfillment Locations
- ^ "Shoplet Promos".
- ^ Stambor, Zak (May 27, 2010). "- Pure Play - Internet Retailer". Internet Retailer Magazine. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
- ^ Pofeldt, Elaine (December 3, 2012). "3 small biz Davids vs. their Goliaths". CNN Money. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ^ "Computer Hardware".
- ^ Pereira, Joseph; Ann Zimmerman (April 29, 2009). "Newcomers Challenge Office-Supply Stalwarts - WSJ.com". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
- ^ "Products Market".
- ^ "Bic".
- ^ Pofeldt, Elaine (November 26, 2013). "Mistakes that can sink owners expanding overseas". CNBC. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ^ "Purchase Exclusive".
- ^ "Checkout".
- ^ "Eco-friendly Alternatives".
- ^ "Carbon Footprint".
- ^ "Nature-Friendly Products".
- ^ "Core Values".
- ^ "Care. Share. Grow".
- ^ "One Million Trees".
- ^ "Business Products".
- ^ "e-Procurement".
- ^ "e-Procurement Press Kit".
- ^ "Budget and Ordering Process".
- ^ "Schedule and Save".
- ^ "Shoplet Select".
- ^ "Account Manager".