Playmobil Re-Launches Ten International Web Sites in Only Six Months; Demandware eCommerce Platform+ Powers Global Expansion
WOBURN, Mass. -- June 07, 2007 -- Demandware (www.demandware.com), developer of the breakthrough On-Demand eCommerce Platform+, announced today that international toy manufacturer and retailer Geobra Brandstätter, owner of the popular Playmobil brand, has re-launched ten international web sites using Demandware in only six months. Demandware was chosen to support a quick international expansion into new markets while maintaining a consistent brand. Countries include the United States, Canada, France, Switzerland, England, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Italy and Greece. Demandware teamed with German implementation partner T-Systems (www.tsystems.com), a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG., to re-launch the Playmobil sites, and additional plans are in the works to launch in more countries in 2007.
"We partnered with Demandware to gain multi-site and multi-language capabilities and be able to better serve our customers," said Michael Konzmann, Playmobil Director of eCommerce. "We can now continually update our site with new innovations around the seasonal holidays and easily handle spikes in traffic."
As a toy manufacturer, Playmobil traditionally has strong seasonal fluctuations in the number of visitors to its website, especially around the holidays. Demandware's technology is well suited to large fluctuations in traffic, and saves Playmobil the high availability costs associated with IT hardware and software. In addition, Playmobil subsidiaries managing Playmobil.com can now easily modify specific product attributes such as description, and further localize the site to comply with country-specific regulations, while maintaining a consistent look and customer experience. Lastly, the following Demandware features, designed to improve the visitor experience, are now available on the re-launched Playmobil.com sites:
- Replacement Parts Service - lost toy parts of all sizes such as wooden spoons, saddles, motor bike axles and police hats can be re-ordered
- Email Postcards - visitors can send postcards featuring different Playmobil toys to friends and family
- Wish Lists - customers select their favorite items and build wish lists
- Seasonal Campaigns/Features - interactive games and activities for different holidays to keep users on the site. For example, there was a Christmas calendar featured this past December where visitors could open different doors to find hidden surprises
"Playmobil is a perfect example of a successful brand looking to expand in today's competitive market," said Stephan Schambach, founder and chairman of Demandware. "Demandware gives retailers and manufacturers a way to quickly reach new customers in international markets and achieve their revenue goals."
About Geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co. KG
Geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co. KG, maker of PLAYMOBIL and other toy brands, is headquartered in Zirndorf, Germany and distributes its toys in over 60 countries. The company employs approx. 2,500 people worldwide and has subsidiaries in the United States, France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Greece, Spain, Canada and the Czech Republic. PLAYMOBIL USA toys are distributed in more than 2,200 stores nationwide including the PLAYMOBIL-owned Fun Park play centers in Woodbridge, New Jersey and West Palm Beach, Florida.
