Press Releases
Living Direct Names New Leader of Marketing & Business Development Team
July 17, 2009
Austin-based eCommerce company Living Direct brings in Drew Leakey to help oversee their continuing growth and development in sales, revenue and employees.
Living Direct, Inc. has named Drew Leakey VP of Marketing & Business Development. Leakey is coming into a new role specifically created to guide the next phase of rapid growth in sales and new industries at Living Direct. An online veteran of 11 years with stints at Accenture, AT&T, and Callaway Golf Interactive, Leakey brings his extensive experience in internet retail marketing, technology consulting and project management to the budding team at Living Direct.
Prior to joining Living Direct, Leakey held the position of Director of Business Development and PMO at Callaway Golf Interactive (CGI) where he launched the first golf manufacturer direct-to-consumer online shopping website, www.Shop.CallawayGolf.com, which leverages retailer fulfillment. Within 12 months of its release, the site became a multi-million dollar online business.
“I am absolutely thrilled that we were successful in recruiting a seasoned executive of Drew’s stature and experience to become the leader of our marketing and business development functions,” said Rick Lundbom, CEO of Living Direct. “He is a key addition to our team as he will help us to better align our products and employees with the needs of our customers.”
Leakey joins Living Direct during a time when the company is experiencing major growth in earnings, revenue and personnel. Through the end of June, revenue has seen double digit growth year-over-year. Living Direct has added 10 employees this year for a total workforce of 49, says Lundbom.
The move allows Living Direct President, Jason Roussos, to focus his efforts fully on the operational side of the business. His expertise in process development will drive the company toward improved efficiency in future projects and programs. Roussos now serves as President and Chief Operating Officer.
The 6 Best Uncommon Uses for a Home Dehumidifier
June 12, 2009
SimplyDehumidifiers.com offers six of the most useful but largely unknown applications of a home dehumidifier.
Anyone who suffers from indoor allergies or has experienced illness from mold in their home has probably considered investing in a dehumidifier. However, physical ailments are not the only problems a dehumidifier can solve. SimplyDehumidifiers.com offers six of the best uncommon, but important, uses for a dehumidifier in and around the home.
- Protect Mattresses and Bedding From Damage
- Keep Electronics Functioning Properly
- Stop Woods From Warping or Cracking
- Safeguard Automobiles, Machinery and Tools During Storage
- Help Foods Stay Fresh Longer
- Preserve Family Treasures and Heirlooms
Placing a mini dehumidifier in a closet can keep stored bedding and clothes from smelling musty and keep away cloth-eating insects so linens will last longer. This measure also prevents microscopic mildew from forming on sheets. This is important as mildew on bedding can easily be transferred to the inside of mattresses. If this happens, the mattress cannot be salvaged and must be thrown out.
In high humidity areas it is possible for condensation to form inside electronics such as stereos, video players, and computers. The presence of condensation iniside these devices can cause corrosion leading to irreparable damage on hard drives and other internal components. While a malfunctioning hard drive on a home computer can be replaced, the important files, documents and photos may be lost forever. Dehumidifiers absorb moisture from the air in a room and will stop harmful condensation from ever forming.
Moisture in the home can cause warping in fine furniture and hardwood floors. A dehumidifier will keep woods from absorbing too much moisture, expanding and cracking. Door frames are also susceptible and can be bowed by excessive humidity which causes annoying squeaking or sticking. Whole house dehumidifiers prevent this type of damage and ensure the entire home maintains safe humidity levels.
While it is common knowledge that moisture causes metals to corrode, many do not realize that a common household dehumidifier will ensure tools, lawn mowers, and appliances do not decay while in storage. Tool sheds and garages protect these items from harmful external elements, but high humidity during the summer or rainy season can quickly become a threat from within. In addition, collectors of vintage cars can protect their vehicles from rusting, and interiors from deteriorating or smelling musty when in long term storage by using a dessicant dehumidifier inside the vehicle and placing a mechanical dehumidifier nearby in the garage.
Another often overlooked benefit of a home dehumidifier is its ability to keep stored foods fresh. Moisture causes food to decay faster than any other factor and creates an attractive environment for weevils, fruit flies and other pests. A small dehumidifier located in a food pantry will ensure maximum shelf life for dry goods thereby reducing grocery bills.
Excessive humidity can destroy photographs, record albums, fabrics and other valuable possessions stored in attics or basements. These rooms are particularly prone to seasonal dampness which fosters the growth of mildew and mold and will destroy items that require dryer air. A basement dehumidifier, portable or installed, has the capacity to remove moisture in larger rooms and crawl spaces.
No matter what unusual or common purpose a dehumidifier is to be used for, purchasing one is a relatively small investment that can save a homeowner thousands of dollars in property loss.
“After ten years of selling dehumidifiers, our call center has heard some pretty interesting ways our customers are using their dehumidifiers,” said Peter Keller, Director of Product Development at SimplyDehumidifiers.com. “All of the uses had two things in common: They save the owner money and protect valuable property from harm.”
The experts at SimplyDehumidifiers.com are dedicated to educating and helping consumers choose the best dehumidifier for their needs. The site provides buyer’s guides, dehumidifier comparison charts and customer reviews of products for unbiased opinions. Visit SimplyDehumidifiers.com to find more creative ways a dehumidifier can be used in or around the home.
New Website Offers a Simpler Approach to Dehumidifier Shopping
June 3, 2009
Living Direct, Inc., a Top 500 Internet Retailer based in Austin, TX, is proud to announce the launch of SimplyDehumidifiers.com — a complete shopping resource for dehumidifier buyers.
Living Direct, Inc. has created the definitive dehumidifier shopping website in SimplyDehumidifiers.com. The site offers consumers a comprehensive selection of dehumidifier brands, as well as comparison shopping tools and buyer’s guides previously unavailable in one convenient location.
The decision to build a specialized website around the single product category comes after amassing nearly a decade of experience in online sales of dehumidifiers and appliances at CompactAppliance.com, another website in the Living Direct network. Recently a growing demand for dehumidifiers in the marketplace was identified along with an increasing amount of customer confusion surrounding the product.
“Dehumidifiers come in so many shapes, sizes and types these days. Listening to our customers, it became apparent that the dehumidifier options were overwhelming for most,” said Rick Lundbom, CEO of Living Direct. “So we decided to build a new site from the ground up that makes the dehumidifier selection process quick and effortless.”
Living Direct started by adding a full selection of portable and commercial dehumidifiers to their preexisting lineup of residential dehumidifiers. As a result, SimplyDehumidifiers.com makes it easy to perform a side by side comparison of the most trusted and popular brands like Danby, Frigidaire, Ebac, Soleus, Sunpentown, and LG dehumidifiers.
Among the many other shopping advantages SimplyDehumidifiers.com offers is the flexibility to sort dehumidifiers by application, brand, pint capacity, and coverage area. Product categories are structured in this manner in order to encourage shoppers to segment and compare models based on the criteria most important to the individual.
To further simplify the shopping process, SimplyDehumidifiers.com features informative buyer’s guides developed by dehumidifier product experts. In addition, customer-submitted product reviews and a list of frequently asked questions are included throughout the site and provide unbiased product insight.
Buyer satisfaction is equally important to SimplyDehumidifiers.com and Living Direct. Every purchase comes with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, which includes a no-hassle returns policy and a price-match guarantee.
The launch, announced today, should come as good news to customers who have been previously frustrated by the lack of clear information available when researching a dehumidifier purchase.
Living Direct, Inc. is a leading internet retailer specializing in consumer appliances, indoor air quality products, and lawn and garden furniture. Established in 1999 as a source for compact home appliances, Living Direct has maintained a core business philosophy that incorporates both a customer-focused approach to business and a customer-driven selection of products. Today, Living Direct is a multi-million dollar ecommerce enterprise consistently ranked in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide of America's largest e-retailers, as well as a respected member of the Better Business Bureau®.
CompactAppliance.com breaks out of the box with more niches
Nov. 1, 2008: InternetRetailer.com
As it builds beyond its initial niche of selling appliances and home furnishings sized for apartment dwellers, there’s nothing compact about CompactAppliance.com’s strategy of expanding into new markets.
With a new e-commerce platform from Demandware Inc., the retailer is able to make faster changes to web site design and more quickly launch microsites serving markets as diverse as beer-cooling equipment and tankless hot water heaters, says Jason Roussos, president of Richlund Ventures Inc., operator of CompactAppliance and its growing roster of microsites.
Bolstered by upgraded technology and a more diversified e-commerce strategy, CompactAppliance.com expects to finish out the year in good order, with web sales up by 25% or higher, he says. “We can now build multiple web sites in a hosted environment using just one standard catalog, and do it quickly,” Roussos says.
CompactAppliance.com also installed an analytics package from Omniture Inc. and an e-mail marketing program from Yesmail, a unit of InfoGroup Inc.
CompactAppliance.com, which generated web sales of $30 million in 2007, recently launched LivingDirect.com as a universal branding site. Over time CompactAppliance.com will launch more microsites, such as kegerator.com, a forthcoming e-commerce destination that will sell a variety of beer-cooling equipment and related accessories. The company plans to use LivingDirect.com, which sells wine and beverage cooling and dispensing products, compact appliances and specialty items, as a universal brand that will drive traffic to its present and future microsites, Roussos says.
Another of its microsites, HotwaterSource.com, sells tankless water heaters. By migrating to a universal brand, CompactAppliance.com sees a new opportunity to appeal to a broader universe of specialty appliance shoppers and improve its online marketing program, including search engine optimization.
“LivingDirect.com will be a destination and over time will become our main brand,” Roussos says. “Shoppers can come to LivingDirect.com and do a live chat, read and participate in customer reviews, and blog. It will be a branded entity for specialized appliance shoppers.”
CompactAppliance.com thinks of the bigger strategic picture
Oct. 15, 2008: InternetRetailer.com
An updated e-commerce platform launched in conjunction with other new technology is helping CompactAppliance.com diversify its web strategy.
This summer CompactAppliance.com, No. 259 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide , moved from its old e-commerce platform from MarketLive Inc. to a hosted application from Demandware. CompactAppliance.com also installed an analytics package from Omniture and an e-mail marketing program from Yesmail.
With better technology, the online retailer now can make major design changes faster, which is speeding up the launch of more microsites, says Jason Roussos, president of Richlund Ventures Inc., operator of CompactAppliance.com. “We can now build multiple web sites in a hosted environment using just one standard catalog, and do it quickly,” Roussos says.
Also this summer CompactAppliance.com, which generated web sales of $30 million in 2007, launched LivingDirect.com as a universal branding site. Over time CompactAppliance.com will launch more microsites such as kegerator.com, a forthcoming e-commerce destination that will sell a variety of beer cooling equipment and related accessories. But the company also will use LivingDirect.com, which sells wine and beverage cooling and dispensing products, compact appliances and specialty items, as a universal brand that will drive traffic to its present and future microsites, Roussos says.
CompactAppliance.com was founded as a niche business–the site carries more than 1,500 SKUs and specializes in selling small appliances for tight living and office space. Another microsite, HotwaterSource.com, sells tankless water heaters. By migrating to a universal brand, CompactAppliance.com sees a new opportunity to appeal to a broader universe of specialty appliance shoppers and improve its online marketing program, including search engine optimization. “LivingDirect.com will be a destination and over time will become our main brand,” Roussos says. “Shoppers can come to LivingDirect.com and do a live chat, read and participate in customer reviews, and blog. It will be a branded entity for specialized appliance shoppers.”
Bolstered by upgraded technology and a more diversified e-commerce strategy, CompactAppliance.com expects to finish out the year in good order, with web sales up by 25% or higher, he says.
Jason Roussos spoke in June at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition and his audio-visual presentation at IRCE 2008 is available on CD-ROM.
Demandware Powers Compact Appliance and Living Direct eCommerce Sites
July 8, 2008: InternetRetailer.com
Leading Retail Equity Firm and Online Retailer of Distinct Home Living Products Launches Multiple Web Storefronts on Demandware eCommerce Platform
WOBURN, Mass.-- Demandware, developer of the only enterprise-class on-demand ecommerce platform, today announced that Richlund Ventures has selected the Demandware eCommerce Platform to power all of its home living destination ecommerce sites. The multi-brand retail equity firm recently launched two Web storefronts on Demandware – www.compactappliance.com and www.livingdirect.com – with plans to roll out additional sites in the coming months.
Compact Appliance provides small-format home appliances, while Living Direct provides a broader spectrum of home living products, including appliances, outdoor furniture and housewares. The combined annual revenue of the two brands is approximately $37 million.
Founded in 1999, Richlund Ventures is a privately-owned company that specializes in identifying niche and emerging markets and meeting the needs and challenges those opportunities present through multiple retail websites. The company’s direct retail brands include Compact Appliance, Living Direct, EdgeStar, Portable Airshop, Hot Water Source and Richlund Supply. Richlund Ventures wanted an ecommerce solution that was easily customizable, included rich merchandising capabilities, allowed them to launch multiple sites quickly and didn’t require a significant investment in IT infrastructure.
“Everything is better with Demandware,” said Jason Roussos, president of Richlund Ventures. “It has been a fundamental change in how we do business. We are projecting significant growth for our online channel and with Demandware we have an ecommerce platform that can take us to the next level.”
Richlund Ventures selected Demandware because of the following differentiators:
- Full in-house control: Richlund Ventures needed to be able to easily customize their sites and make changes quickly. Demandware provides full control over merchandising promotions, search, catalog, pricing and all other aspects of the online shopping experience.
- Continuous innovation through the on-demand model: Demandware’s automatic upgrades allows Richlund Ventures to constantly innovate their sites, while eliminating the burden of maintaining costly IT infrastructure.
- Ability to launch multiple sites quickly, without costly services: Demandware’s architecture makes it possible to quickly roll out multiple sites from within one environment. The second site, compactappliance.com, was launched with no assistance from Demandware and in less than 45 days.
“We are a retailer, not a technology company. We don’t want to own the technology or the infrastructure, but we are fast-moving and it’s important that we stay ahead of the innovation curve,” said Roussos. “With Demandware, we can take advantage of the constant stream of new features that they provide, while we focus on our core competency of marketing and merchandising our product offerings.”
“Richlund Ventures is an incredibly astute retail equity firm that understands the potential of the online channel and we’re delighted to welcome them to the Demandware family. Along with Demandware’s other multi-site clients, Richlund Ventures recognizes the unique operational advantages of our on-demand model for serving multi-brand businesses,” said Stephan Schambach, chairman and founder of Demandware.
About Living Direct (previously known as Richlund Ventures)
Founded in 1999 with the launch of the Compact Appliance.com website, Richlund Ventures is a privately owned company that specializes in identifying niche and emerging markets and meeting the needs and challenges those opportunities present through multiple retail websites. Richlund Ventures’ flagship website continues to be Compact Appliance.com which was created to provide an online destination for people in search of distinctive home appliances that offer superior style and maximum functionality. In addition to its online marketing and retail division, Richlund Ventures is the direct importer for the EdgeStar line of appliances.
Richlund Ventures’ sustained level of success is attributable to a consistent focus on innovation, evolving marketing techniques and a continual emphasis on offering the best service and sales support possible. Since inception, the company has always understood that in order to maintain viability in today’s marketplace, it must provide first-class service and sales support and measures success by how well it is able to execute that directive. Richlund Ventures is uniquely positioned through the Compact Appliance.com website to take advantage of emerging growth trends such as retiring baby boomers downsizing their living spaces and the worldwide move towards more environmentally conscious “green” appliances. The company is located in Austin, Texas.
About Demandware, Inc.
Demandware drives the success of high-growth brands with the only enterprise-class On-Demand eCommerce Platform that empowers merchandising and marketing talent with total control over the shopping experience and continuous competitive differentiation. Leading brands such as Bare Escentuals, House of Fraser, Playmobil, Sally Beauty Supply and Timberland leverage Demandware’s enterprise class eCommerce functionality and automatic upgrades to help achieve higher conversion rates, increase average order size, and improve customer retention. Demandware is the only on-demand eCommerce solution that enables the rapid rollout of new sites, provides ubiquitous access to business and technical users, and is backed by a patented grid computing architecture that delivers capacity as needed for performance and reliability that exceeds industry standards. For more information about Demandware, visit www.demandware.com, call 888-553-9216 or email info@demandware.com.
