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Columbia Sportswear: Columbia Sportswear Invites Consumers to Shop and Experience the 'Greater Outdoors' at Columbia.com

  //house-home.news-articles.net/content/2009/08/1 .. rience-the-greater-outdoors-at-columbia-com.html
  Published in House and Home on Wednesday, August 12th 2009 at 8:42 GMT, Last Modified on 2009-08-12 08:42:49 by Market Wire
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PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwire - August 12, 2009) - Columbia Sportswear Company (NASDAQ: [ COLM ]), a global leader in the active outdoor apparel and footwear industries, today announced the official launch of [ www.columbia.com ], the company's new e-commerce site where consumers can buy Columbia products directly for the first time.

Columbia.com offers the broadest selection of innovative, high-performance Columbia products for consumers in the U.S. who are looking to increase their enjoyment of the Greater Outdoors. And, for consumers who prefer to research online and then buy in-store, Columbia.com offers an easy, interactive way to experience the brand, learn about product features and benefits, and find nearby independent retailers, online retailers or Columbia-branded stores.

"E-commerce is a great platform that allows us to showcase Columbia's innovative product technologies and to help consumers find the styles they need to enjoy each of their unique experiences in the Greater Outdoors," said Mick McCormick, executive vice president of global sales and marketing. "Whether consumers find the product they need at Columbia.com or at one of the hundreds of leading independent brick-and-mortar and online outdoor retailers that we can refer them to, Columbia.com is designed to perform as much more than a sales vehicle. We see it as another important tool that helps us fulfill our responsibility to build a strong brand for the benefit of consumers and all of our business partners."

Columbia.com was designed to help build and drive demand for the Columbia brand across all of its sales channels. In fact, e-commerce is the third piece of Columbia's previously announced direct-to-consumer strategy: branded stores, outlets and now e-commerce. This initiative, while helping drive demand for Columbia's outdoor product line, is also designed to bring consumers closer to the brand, engaging them through dialogue and interactive social networking functionality.

Columbia Sportswear designed its e-commerce site so consumers can shop the way they want and fully experience Columbia's innovations. Using today's leading e-commerce technologies, Columbia Sportswear delivers an easy yet dynamic shopping experience.

New features on Columbia.com include:

-- The ability to filter products by [ activity ], size, color, price or technology

-- Significantly larger, enhanced product imagery with zoom-enabled product views

-- In-depth detail on the anatomy and construction of products and technologies, so consumers can understand the science behind the protection

-- A flat shipping rate, eliminating surprise fees at checkout

-- Referrals to independent retailers that are closest to consumers wherever they may be, at home, on business or on vacation

-- Community features, such as discussions, product ratings and reviews

-- Community-building via social media tools, such as the new [ "Inside Out" ] company blog

-- Engaging stories and video content about Columbia athletes, founders and [ pioneers ] of the Greater Outdoors

-- Updated [ corporate responsibility ] and [ philanthropy ] pages to help consumers get to know the brand better than ever before

About Columbia Sportswear

Founded in 1938 in Portland, Oregon, Columbia Sportswear Company is a global leader in the design, sourcing, marketing and distribution of active outdoor apparel and footwear. As one of the largest outerwear manufacturers in the world and a leading seller of skiwear in the United States, the company has developed an international reputation for quality, performance, functionality and value. The company manages a portfolio of outdoor brands including Columbia Sportswear, Mountain Hardwear, Sorel, Montrail and Pacific Trail. To learn more about Columbia, please visit [ www.columbia.com ].