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Powell's Books launched its first web site at the close of the
Mesozoic Era — a full ten years ago. When Powell's first
hung out its cyber-shingle, pterodactyls still roamed the sky,
mammals still laid eggs, and flashing text was still cutting
edge. And we've been there since the beginning! Okay, not the
beginning. But, as far as the Internet goes, ten years is a
really, really
long time. So, we're celebrating!
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1994 |
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Powell's
posts its initial, albeit rudimentary, web site:
www.powells.portland.or.us. An Apple employee
is the first to place an order. (The Powell's
employees make several jokes at the expense of
Macs. Then their Windows program crashes. No
more jokes are made.) Two full-time employees
staff the Internet business: one programming,
the other taking orders. The month of August
averages fifty searches per day. Many Arsenio-inspired
dog noises are heard in the office. |
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1995 |
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January
sales hit $8,000. Searches reach 470 per day. Powell's
increases its Internet staff by a whopping 50% — adding
one more person. The three employees converge on
Powell's corporate building and form a separate
department within the company. |
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1996 |
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Staff
increases to ten full-time workers, who have
a hard time explaining what they do for a living
to friends and family. Bob Dole retires from
politics. |
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1998 |
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By
the end of the year, online sales account for
3% of Powell's total revenue without cannibalizing
store sales. Passersby speak in whispers of the
constant stream of Simpsons quotes spewing from
the Internet department. |
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1999 |
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Online
sales reach 10%. Powells.com operations move
to a small — though not quite as small — location
across from Powell's City of Books. Powells.com
employees predict that a sci-fi film starring
Keanu Reeves will be a lot better than the long-awaited
Star Wars prequel; skeptics in the early months
of '99 will end up as believers by year's end. (see
Powells.com in 1999) |
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2000 |
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Somehow
surviving the unspeakable worldwide catastrophe
of Y2K, Powells.com sales grow to 20% of the
company's total earnings. Store sales continue
to rise. Internet staff increases to forty full-time
employees. Many are quite certain the Pets.com
sock puppet will be as ubiquitous as Ronald McDonald
and Spuds McKenzie. |
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2001 |
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Online
sales jump to 30%. Sixty full-time Internet employees
scramble to keep up with the influx of orders.
Stores continue to prosper. |
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2002 |
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Pets-dot-who?
Kozmo-dot-what? As Internet entrepreneurs watch
their dreams of delivering candy bars and videotapes
to every American home dwindle, Powells.com finds
80% of its sales coming from outside the Pacific
Northwest, meaning the stores’ sales are
still left unscathed. |
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2003 |
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Two
(really) bad Matrix sequels are released and
quickly forgotten. Despite this setback in morale,
Powells.com keeps on truckin', with online sales
rising to 40% of the company’s sales. |
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2004 |
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Powells.com
operations relocate to a new 60,000 square foot
warehouse. Howard Dean screams. Growth
continues unabated. |
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From 1999
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"Used
and rare bookstores have been swept up in the
Internet revolution. And leading the way is Powell's,
a
Pacific Northwest institution that keeps breaking
all the rules and getting away with it." The
Seattle Times, July 13, 1999 |
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From
2000
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"Powell's
biggest asset may lie in what it isn't: It ain't
Amazon, and so it attracts a slice of Web customers
who detest corporate gigantism and cozy up to Powell's
intimate, independent feel." Forbes Magazine,
April 17, 2000 |
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"Few
others in this widely populated industry have
the resources or unique core competence
to launch
such a successful site." The Standard.com,
March 27, 2000 |
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From
2004
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"Today,
the site is known for its elaborate search engine
— it tells users the exact location of
their requested books, a plus for Oregon customers
— and stellar content." The Business Journal |
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 For
those who've been shopping at Powells.com for
years, you'll remember our "lemon-custard" look
of five years ago. For those who've only recently
discovered Powells.com, a glimpse at the site
circa 1999 will give you an idea of just how
far we've come. |
| From
humble storefront beginnings in 1971 on a derelict
corner of northwest Portland, Powell's Books
has grown into one of the world's great bookstores,
with seven locations in the Portland metropolitan
area, and one of the book world's most successful
dot-coms, serving customers worldwide.
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