specialreport
BY MARK B. SOLOMON, SENIOR EDITOR
HSN makes a good buy
By investing in
sophisticated
productivity tools,
HSN stepped up
its fulfillment
game as well as its
value proposition
to customers.
FOR MULTI-CHANNEL RETAILERS COMPETING IN THE CUTTHROAT
direct-to-consumer market, the key to success lies in creating a positive delivery
experience for the customer. Make deliveries cheap, fast, and reliable, and the
retailer is one step ahead of the game.
That’s not as simple as it might sound. Mastering the delivery challenge
requires not only getting the transportation part right, but also the fulfillment
part. And as Bob Monti, senior vice president of supply chain operations for St.
Petersburg, Fla.-based Home Shopping Network, will tell you, labor management software and process improvements have a lot to do with it as well.
Founded in 1977 as the nation’s first television network devoted to shopping, the
company now known as HSN has built a $3 billion-a-year brand through its ubiquitous presence on the tube and the Web. It broadcasts 364 days a year, reaches 96
million homes, and represents one of the top 10 sites for e-commerce traffic.
Behind the smiles of the celebrities and the almost-famous hawking virtually
anything imaginable beats the heart of the HSN operation: a fulfillment network consisting of three distribution centers, located in Roanoke, Va.; Piney
PHOTO COURTESY OF HSN
