By Polly Raymond, 2 May 2000 00:20
NEWS Tupperware has lifted the lid on an ecommerce initiative that will allow an army of US sales people to communicate with the company and gain access to onine ordering facilities. Low cost Internet access and training will be provided for 75,000 members of the direct sales force, allowing them to use a personalised area on the site to submit orders and draw commission. But there are no plans as yet to offer a similar service in Europe. Christine Hanneman, vice president of financial relations and treasury at Tupperware, said: "The United States is being used as a test market for Tupperware's ecommerce strategy, and the company is still learning. At this time, there are no plans for Europe, but this is not to say that similar programs will not be introduced in the future." Nick Gill, retail director at Cap Gemini, said the Internet is particularly suited to companies that employ vast direct sales forces through a decentralised infrastructure. He added that while some European direct sales companies have started to use the Internet to enhance internal operations, the US is still ahead. He said: "It will have to happen eventually but the US is well ahead of Europe in this sort of thing. But you can't rest on your laurels in this climate, and Tupperware will have to review the situation within six months."
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