Private Label eStores Wildly Successful for Parable

Louisville, Kentucky, CBA Expo 2001—The Parable Group’s Private Label eStore program is being hailed an unqualified success by the marketing group and stores using the program. Introduced to stores owners one year ago at CBA EXPO 2000, the Private Label program is the fastest growing initiative in the company’s 15-year history. More than two-thirds of the group’s owners opened an eStore in 2000, bringing the total number of Parable Private Label sites to 155. Immediately following Expo 2000, more than 30 stores signed up.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the response from Parable stores,” says Jim Seybert, Vice President, Marketing of The Parable Group. “We were inundated with requests immediately following Expo 2000 and it’s been a steady stream ever since.”

Under the Parable Private Label program, according to Seybert, independent retailers avoid all the hassle and nearly all the expense associated with opening and operating an on-line store. Parable takes care of everything from picking the product to fulfilling the order. After-sale customer service, including mailed returns, is also handled by Parable. The retailer simply has to agree to take any in-store returns.

Unlike the so-called “affiliate” programs provided by Internet giants like Amazon.com®, the Parable Private Label eStore doesn’t send a shopper away from the hosting store to make a purchase. On-line buyers complete their transaction on the same website they started – a feature that has a great deal to do with acceptance of the program by retailers.

“Local stores need to maintain a strong identity with their local customers,” says Seybert. “Using an affiliate-type site that sends the customer elsewhere to complete the sale just wasn’t acceptable. Competition is a major concern of independent retailers.” The Parable Private Label program has been successful due to the wide array of features offered to retailers at no additional cost. The sites are extremely interactive—offering shoppers a wide array of contests, audio and video sampling, best-seller lists, electronic post cards, seasonal gift suggestions and many other enhancements found only on high-end web sites.

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Private Label eStore Update 2001, page two

“People who said the Internet would be a great equalizer were either lying or were sadly misinformed,” says Seybert. “The truth is, people will visit sites that are exciting and robust—and you can’t do that without money and programming skills. Parable Private Label eStores provide a great eCommerce experience for on-line customers which keeps them coming back.”

After-sale customer service is another feature offered to Private Label eStores at no additional cost. A customer service department in Parable’s California office takes phone calls and answers email from customers five days a week. Besides the typical calls regarding package delivery, many people call for product suggestions and gift ideas. Likewise, the Parable on-line store is one of the highest rated on-line bookstores on BizRate.com®, the Internet customer rating service, with an overall service rating of 8.9 out of ten.

Parable Christian Stores consists of more than 330 independently owned Christian retail outlets located in the U.S. and Canada. The Parable Group provides diverse marketing tools for its member stores such as e-commerce sites, in-store merchandising kits, exclusive products, weekly bestseller lists and catalogs. In 2000, Parable shipped more than 29.7 million catalogs, newspaper inserts, and other promotional mailings in 25 marketing campaigns.

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January 31, 2001