A press release was issued discussing the newish VINTAGES Online Exclusives site today.
(UPDATE: While the release appears to be from the LCBO as I previously suggested, it was issued by QLogitek, the company that collaborated with the LCBO on the site).
There's one tidbit that caught my attention.
Launched in October, the site has more than 300 registered customers and sold more than $100,000.00 of products on its first day of operation.
While selling $100K in the first day is reasonably impressive, 300 total registered customers is a very small number for a province the size of Ontario.
Here's the full press release after the break…
VINTAGES Finds New Way to Serve its Consumers
The LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario), in collaboration with QLogitek, has launched its first business-to-consumer online e-commerce web portal, VINTAGES Online Exclusives, vintagesshoponline.com. This Web-based portal features a selection of fine wines and premium spirits not sold at LCBO stores.
Toronto, ON (PRWEB) January 14, 2009 -- The LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario), in collaboration with QLogitek, has launched its first business-to-consumer online e-commerce web portal, VINTAGES Online Exclusives, vintagesshoponline.com. This Web-based portal features a selection of fine wines and premium spirits not sold at LCBO stores.
Through VINTAGES Online Exclusives, LCBO is able to offer new products online from the best estates and châteaux in premium wine regions like Bordeaux Champagne, Tuscany, Napa, and Ontario's wine growing regions. Consumers can now search for their favourite products and order them with the click of a mouse. Launched in October, the site has more than 300 registered customers and sold more than $100,000.00 of products on its first day of operation.
The portal is integrated with LCBO's inventory management and credit card processing systems. This gives consumers real-time inventory information which allows for faster, more accurate processing of orders. All orders are processed through a secure online transaction network ensuring top-of-the-line security of the data being processed.
VINTAGES Online Exclusives allows the LCBO to offer a greater variety of premium wines and spirits to VINTAGES customers. The portal offers real-time product availability on a 24/7 basis, free delivery to an LCBO store of the customer's choice for order pick up and global support around the clock.
About LCBO
The LCBO is one of the world's largest purchasers of wines, spirits and beers. It is an Ontario government enterprise employing some 7,000 people, including part-time workers, with 605 stores across Ontario supplied by five regional distribution centres. More than 20,000 products are available to Ontario consumers through stores, special order programs and catalogues. The LCBO focuses on continuous improvements in operations, social responsibility and sound environmental practices. The LCBO has transferred more than $10.2 billion in dividends over the last decade to the Government of Ontario to help pay for education, health care and other government programs and services.
About QLogitek
QLogitek provides supply chain business process automation solutions focused on retail and the consumer packaged goods (CPG) markets. These solutions simplify and enhance the business-to-business communication, integration and collaboration complexities faced by enterprises in the planning, buying, manufacturing, movement, payment and tracking of their purchasing, inventory, money and information across thousands of stores, distribution centres, suppliers, consolidators, shippers and third party service providers. Simply put, we help organizations with their supply and demand management business operations, with a complete set of internet-based solutions and services.
QLogitek helps enterprises gain better control and achieve perfect visibility throughout their global supply chain and counts over 58 major North American enterprises as its customers. For these enterprise customers, QLogitek has mobilized and supports over 5,800 trading partner organizations across one hundred and seventy countries. With its 24x7 operations in Canada and India, QLogitek provides support to over 14,000 users transacting over 2.1 billion transactions annually. QLogitek's community of trading organizations continues to grow at an impressive rate across more and more countries with ever increasing Users and Transactions.
Hi Ken - quick point of clarification: LCBO didn't re-issue this news release. It came from QLogitek, which runs the web portal for VINTAGES online.
Cheers,
Jacqueline Waldorf
Posted by: Jacqueline Waldorf | January 15, 2009 at 09:13 AM
Interesting. I'll update the post but the release sure reads like it was authored by the LCBO with QLogitek as a supporting partner.
Posted by: Ken Bereskin | January 15, 2009 at 09:23 AM
I don't believe a word of that. $100K on the first day? Really? Anyways....I'm just disappointed they don't offer more Champagne and Bandol.
Posted by: d2fang | January 16, 2009 at 04:26 PM