Alice.com Launches the 1st eCommerce Platform Optimized for the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry

Middleton, WI – January 12, 2010

Alice.com today announced that it is launching an eCommerce platform that enables Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) manufacturers to create branded storefronts at their own web properties that drive incremental revenue and deliver a "learning lab" of consumer data and insights.

The Alice.com platform is a complete, end-to-end eCommerce solution that allows manufacturers to create storefronts that are fully customized in their own branded look and feel, yet share the Alice.com checkout and fulfillment process. This shared experience enables manufacturers to sell direct in a completely new way—one that allows consumers to purchase from multiple CPG manufacturers in a single shopping trip and receive one box of bundled goods direct to their door with free shipping.

"Manufacturer direct-to-consumer sales is a growing trend online," says Brian Wiegand, co-founder and CEO of Alice.com. "But to date, there hasn't been a workable eCommerce option for CPG manufacturers because consumers aren't willing to shop across dozens of different manufacturer sites in order to fill their shopping basket. That's why we are so excited to offer up this innovative solution that finally allows manufacturers to work together to sell to the mainstream shopper online."

"Selling online is a big part of our multi-channel strategy at Vaska," says Julia Fry, Founder and CEO of Vaska. "We were thrilled to have selected Alice.com to power our storefront and give our consumers all of the convenience of the Alice.com shopping experience, including free shipping whenever they buy a Vaska product."

A "Learning Lab" of Consumer and Marketing Insights

By selecting the Alice solution, manufacturers also have access to a suite of interactive marketing opportunities and a rich set of consumer data that allows them to better understand their customer, develop new products, and build their brand.

"Today's challenging retail landscape means that CPG manufacturers need to get closer to their customer and collaborate with their retail channels more than ever before," says Mark McGuire, co-founder and President of Alice.com. "The Alice.com solution unlocks a host of consumer insights and transactional data the manufacturer can share with their retail partners to drive more sales."

Alice.com is making its new eCommerce solution available to the 100+ Consumer Packaged Goods manufacturers that have joined the Alice.com platform. A number of manufacturers—ranging from Fortune 500 companies to smaller specialized brands—have already begun using the Alice.com solution to power their storefronts.

About Alice.com

Alice.com provides eCommerce and interactive marketing services exclusively to the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry. The company’s eCommerce platform allows CPG manufacturers to create branded storefronts that make it easy for the mainstream consumer to buy all of their household goods online. Co-founders Brian Wiegand and Mark McGuire have an entrepreneurial track record that includes three previous start-up successes: Bizfilings.com (sold to Wolters-Kluwer in 2001), NameProtect.com (sold to Corporation Services Corporation in 2007), and Jellyfish.com (sold to Microsoft Corporation in 2007).

 

GoodGuide and Alice.com Help Shoppers Find Out What’s Really in Their Shopping Basket

Alice.com’s shopping experience and GoodGuide’s health, environmental and social responsibility ratings lead to smarter product choices

San Francisco, CA and Middleton, WI – November 17, 2009

GoodGuide and Alice.com have joined forces to help consumers be even smarter when buying household essentials online. Shoppers choosing products on Alice.com can now see GoodGuide’s independent health, environmental and social responsibility ratings for everyday items such as cereal, cleaning products and baby shampoo. GoodGuide is also integrating links on its site to Alice.com providing consumers with an easy option to purchase products they have researched on GoodGuide.

Covering more than 62,000 products, GoodGuide ratings help shoppers with decisions such as choosing the healthier of two moisturizers, determining what’s in various all-purpose cleaners and learning whether organic product manufacturers have good social practices to go along with their healthy manufacturing processes.

“GoodGuide ratings influence consumer purchasing decisions,” said Dara O’Rourke, founder and CEO of GoodGuide. “Buyers are five to ten times more likely to make a purchase after reading GoodGuide ratings. Our goal is to make sure consumers can access our information wherever and whenever they shop so they are able to choose better products for their families. Alice.com’s unique new service is making it easy for consumers to buy all of their household essentials online and our ratings will enhance that experience.”

“Sustainability concerns have reached a tipping point in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) market, and the industry is doing some really exciting things to meet the growing demands of consumers for safe and healthy product choices,” said Brian Wiegand, co-founder and CEO of Alice.com. “But getting independent, scientifically-based information on products can be complex and time-consuming. That’s why we are so excited to team up with GoodGuide to make information about products transparent at the point of purchase when they need it most.”

About GoodGuide

GoodGuide helps consumers find safe, healthy, and socially responsible products and companies. GoodGuide currently offers detailed product information for personal care, household chemical, toy and food products on its website at www.goodguide.com, through its iPhone application and on online commerce websites. By making information about consumer products transparent, GoodGuide’s goal is to help people shop smarter and motivate companies to offer even better products. GoodGuide is an independent B Corporation, a new type of company which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.

About Alice.com

Alice.com provides eCommerce and interactive marketing services exclusively to the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry. The company’s eCommerce platform allows CPG manufacturers to create branded storefronts that make it easy for the mainstream consumer to buy all of their household goods online. Co-founders Brian Wiegand and Mark McGuire have an entrepreneurial track record that includes three previous start-up successes: Bizfilings.com (sold to Wolters-Kluwer in 2001), NameProtect.com (sold to Corporation Services Corporation in 2007), and Jellyfish.com (sold to Microsoft Corporation in 2007).

 

Alice.com announces $6 million in funding and rapid growth

Newly Launched Service Averaging Over 1,000,000 Unique Visitors Each Month

Middleton, WI – November 10, 2009

Alice.com, the online platform that allows consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies to sell direct to consumer, today announced that it has completed a $6 million round of funding. The latest funding comes from a group of private investors and brings the total amount raised by Alice.com to date to more than $10 million. The company will tap the funding to continue to manage its growth and onboard additional manufacturers onto its unique industry platform.

Since opening the Alice.com service to the public on June 23, 2009, the company has experienced rapid customer growth, and is currently averaging more than 1 million unique visitors to the service on a monthly basis. After setting up an account, consumers are able to select and save all of their household essentials, ordering just the items they need with the promise of always free shipping, automatic coupons, and a reminder system that makes it easy to avoid the chore of shopping at the store for goods like diapers, detergent and toilet paper. Instead of selling products as a traditional retailer, Alice.com provides an open platform for CPG manufacturers to sell directly to consumers, passing along significant cost savings and transforming mass-market advertising dollars into direct consumer value.

“We have been extremely pleased with the reception that the Alice.com platform has received in the marketplace from both consumers and manufacturers alike,” says Brian Wiegand, CEO. “Direct to consumer sales by manufacturers is a growing trend online, and the Alice.com platform is helping the CPG industry open up a direct channel to its mainstream consumer. It’s a win-win that brings great value to the end consumer, and critical consumer relationships and insights to the manufacturer.”

The site is available to consumers and Consumer Packaged Goods manufacturers now at www.alice.com.

 

Consumer Packaged Goods Manufacturers Take Control of Product Sampling Campaigns on Alice.com

Manufacturers selling through Alice.com platform can now execute their own sampling campaigns to maximize advertising accountability and consumer value

Middleton, WI – October 1, 2009

Alice.com today announced a first-of-its-kind digital sampling program that allows consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers to control the entire product sampling process—from defining a specific target audience to converting delivered samples into ongoing sales. The Alice.com sampling program is the first of many advertising programs to be launched within the Alice.com platform, and represents one of the ways in which CPG manufacturers are using Alice.com to directly connect with their end consumers and gain greater accountability from their advertising.

“Sampling has traditionally been a hit-or-miss use of our advertising dollars because of the difficulties in measuring who received a sample and whether the sample resulted in a sale,” said John Mullins, president and CEO of Sun & Earth, an all-natural, non-toxic cleaning products company. “Using the Alice.com platform, we can now leverage a rich set of data to pinpoint which consumers receive our samples, make it easy for those consumers to buy the product from us, and precisely measure whether the campaign is actually working. It’s a great way for us to treat our customers as individuals and make sure we are spending our advertising dollars wisely.”

Product samples under the program are specially packaged within Alice.com boxes and shipped free to the customer’s door as part of standard deliveries. “Both large and small manufacturers now have the ability to bring their product sample right into the homes of specific users,” said Brian Wiegand, CEO and co-founder of Alice.com. “The manufacturer gets an engaged user, and the consumer gets a new product that is directly relevant to his or her life. It’s a win-win that is dramatically better than the traditional method of blasting out a mountain of untargeted samples to an undefined audience and guessing whether the samples had any impact.”

“By using the Alice.com platform to deliver product samples, we’ve been able to eliminate the guesswork from our sampling efforts, and more directly connect with the consumers we want to reach in a way they find valuable,” said Jeff Carducci, national sales director of derma e, a maker of skin care products. “For the first time, we can confidently measure whether our samples are reaching the right people and result in increased sales and brand loyalty.”

Alice is celebrating the launch of its free sampling program with a special consumer campaign. Beginning now through October 31, consumers may find an iPod shuffle, Flip video camera, free movie rentals and more in their Alice box, in addition to targeted free product samples.

The sampling program is available to Consumer Packaged Goods manufacturers now at www.Alice.com.

 

Alice.com Chooses OHL as Supply Chain Partner

E-Commerce enterprise and 3PL to Keep Households Well Stocked

BRENTWOOD, TN - August 26, 2009

OHL was recently selected by e-commerce company Alice.com to provide e-fulfillment for the new company which is pioneering the online market for direct to consumer household essentials.

The Alice.com platform allows branded manufacturers to sell direct to consumers through a unique online service that combines the promise of always free shipping and competitive pricing within a unique reorder queue that makes it easy for consumers to avoid the chore of running to the store for household essentials. The company launched the first version of its service in late June of this year, and has already received tremendous response from the CPG industry and end consumers alike. Since launch, the company has added an average of more than one manufacturer per day to its unique platform.

"The warehouse and fulfillment capabilities we provide our manufacturer partners is an integral part of the Alice.com platform and value proposition," said Brian Wiegand, co-founder and CEO of Alice. "We were extremely pleased to choose OHL as our logistics partner to help ensure that all of our customers receive exactly what they need, right when they need it, and in excellent condition. OHL’s experience in direct to consumer operations provides the quality expertise and best of breed service that our customers and manufacturer partners expect."

OHL currently distributes over 33,000 direct to consumer orders per day on behalf of their customers. Their direct to consumer business grew over 21% last year, during which they distributed over $3B in retail merchandise, primarily in the consumer electronics, food and beverage and health and beauty categories.

"Alice.com has entered an essentially untapped market and we are excited about our relationship with them and the growth we have seen already," commented Bob Spieth, President of OHL’s Contract Logistics business unit. "OHL’s flexibility and deep experience in the direct to consumer marketplace allows us to meet Alice.com’s business requirements and respond to their rapid growth as they expand their direct to consumer model."

About Alice.com

Alice.com is a new online retail platform that better connects manufacturers and consumers in the giant consumer packaged goods (CPG) market. The company is working on changing the way consumers shop for household essentials, giving them a convenient, cost-effective means to buy these products online. Co-founders Brian Wiegand and Mark McGuire have an entrepreneur track record that includes three previous start-up successes: Bizfilings.com (sold to Wolters-Kluwer in 2001), NameProtect.com (sold to Corporation Services Corporation in 2007), and Jellyfish.com (sold to Microsoft Corporation in 2007).

 

Alice.com Launches New Service for Buying Household Essentials Online

First-of-its-kind industry platform allows Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) manufacturers to sell directly to consumers

Middleton, WI – June 23, 2009

Alice.com today unveiled the public beta of its service that gives consumers a better way to buy household essentials online. The service combines always-free shipping and competitive pricing into a reorder queue that makes it easy to avoid the chore of running out to the store. Instead of offering goods as a traditional retailer, Alice.com provides an open platform for consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers to sell directly to consumers, passing along significant cost savings and transforming mass-market advertising dollars into direct consumer value.

“The vast majority of consumers don’t buy their household essentials online, and we set out to change that at Alice by taking a completely fresh approach to the CPG industry,” said Brian Wiegand, CEO and co-founder of Alice.com. “By eliminating the traditional retail layer, we allowed the companies that produce these goods to connect directly with the people who use them. The result is a neutral platform for CPG manufacturers to work together as an industry and channel their resources in exciting new ways for the consumer.”

Never Run Out of Toilet Paper Again

Alice.com gives consumers an easy, affordable way to manage their household essentials online. After creating a free account, consumers select and save all of their favorite products, ordering only the items they need. To ensure consumers never run out, Alice.com keeps track of items and reminds users when they are running low and need to reorder. Each shipment is bundled together in a single ‘Alice’ box, delivered directly to the consumer’s door. Supporting this customer value proposition is a unique model in which Alice.com makes no retail margin, and instead allows each manufacturer to control product assortment and pricing in its own direct sale to the end consumer.

“We are excited to participate on the Alice.com platform, and be a part of an entirely new and innovative approach to buying household goods,” said Saskia Foley, executive vice president of marketing & sales at Radius Toothbrush. “With Alice.com, we’re able to have a more direct relationship with our customers, and give them a great new option to purchase our products at affordable prices shipped free to their door.”

Online Advertising for the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry

To fully leverage the power of its open platform, Alice.com also provides a host of new opportunities for CPG manufacturers to redesign their traditional advertising spending in new, highly targeted ways.

“The CPG industry spends billions of dollars each year trying to influence consumer behavior through traditional advertising, and much of that spending is wasted,” said Mark McGuire, president and co-founder of Alice.com. “In contrast to this ‘spray and pray’ approach, Alice allows manufacturers to connect directly with consumers through targeted couponing, sampling and loyalty programs. The result is more accountability for the advertiser and more value for the end consumer.”

The Alice.com beta Web site is launching with over 6,000 unique products from hundreds of different manufacturers. During its beta phase, the company is actively on-boarding manufacturers onto its direct platform, and plans a full consumer launch in the fall. The service is available now at www.Alice.com.

 

Alice.com announces $4.3 million in first round financing

Start-Up Creating Unique Retail Model for Household Essentials

November 11, 2008 | Madison, WI

Alice.com, the latest start-up from serial entrepreneurs Brian Wiegand and Mark McGuire, today announced it has secured $4.3 million in first round funding. The round was led jointly by private equity angel funds Kegonsa Capital Partners (www.kegonsapartners.com) and DaneVest Tech Fund (www.danevestcapital.com).

Alice.com is developing a new online retail platform that better connects manufacturers and customers in the giant consumer packaged goods market. Complete details on Alice are not being disclosed until the company's public launch in the Spring of 2009. The company's offer will focus on non-food related household essentials with a business model that is inspired by two key themes: 1) consumers lack a convenient, cost effective way to buy household essentials online today; and, 2) consumer packaged goods companies need a fresh alternative to the big brand, bricks and mortar retailer model that is supported by traditional mass market advertising.

Alice is the fourth start-up from founders Brian Wiegand and Mark McGuire, who most recently sold Jellyfish.com to Microsoft Corporation in September, 2007, which became the basis for Microsoft's Live Search cashback program. The pair left their roles at Microsoft in June, 2008, to found Alice.com.

"The sale of consumer staples like trash bags, toothpaste and bathroom tissue is a huge untapped eCommerce market that is ripe for innovation" said Brian Wiegand, CEO and Co-Founder of Alice. "We are thrilled to be leveraging the Internet to change the way consumers supply their homes with these consumer staples. I never thought I'd say the words toilet paper and Web 2.0 in the same sentence, but our team is working hard make this kind of combination the next great innovation online."

"Today's consumer doesn't watch 30 second television spots, and they expect ultimate choice, convenience, and personalization from their brands," said Mark McGuire, President and Co-Founder of Alice. "Alice will give packaged goods companies a new kind of efficient and open retail platform that will allow them to engage consumers in targeted, personalized ways and eliminate the waste and mass-market feel of traditional brick and mortar retail channels."

For more information on Alice, please sign up for e-mail updates at Alice.com. The founders are also documenting their start-up efforts at their blog, Flywheel (http://flywheelblog.com).

About Alice.com

Alice.com provides eCommerce and interactive marketing services exclusively to the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry. The company’s eCommerce platform allows CPG manufacturers to create branded storefronts that make it easy for the mainstream consumer to buy all of their household goods online. Co-founders Brian Wiegand and Mark McGuire have an entrepreneurial track record that includes three previous start-up successes: Bizfilings.com (sold to Wolters-Kluwer in 2001), NameProtect.com (sold to Corporation Services Corporation in 2007), and Jellyfish.com (sold to Microsoft Corporation in 2007).

Media Contact:

Rebecca Thorman
Alice.com Media Relations
608-662-1796
press@alice.com