When Polart Video’s owner, Jerzy Gustek, decided to expand, he turned to Monsoon Commerce to help him sell DVDs more efficiently and profitably. Over a period of seven months, the company increased its monthly revenue from $4,000 a month to over $30,000 a month, simply by taking advantage of Monsoon Commerce’s inventory management, real-time pricing, and concurrent marketplace listing capabilities. The ability to increase their sales dollars almost eight-fold with little increase in labor led Jerzy to call Monsoon Commerce “a life-changer for sellers like me.”
Based in Sarasota, Florida, Polart Video specializes in the sale and distribution of Polish DVDs and videos. Originally established as a wholesaler and distributor, several years ago the company began retailing online. While the company was soon doing $4,000 a month in sales, owner Jerzy Gustek knew his business had more potential. Expansion was on the table, with one minor glitch. “I was ready to evolve,” Jerzy said. “I just didn’t know how to go about it.”
While Jerzy had become familiar with online selling software—and with Monsoon Commerce—during the 2007 Seattle Seller’s Conference, the licensing fee required to get started initially seemed to be a deal breaker. He didn’t think that his current revenues could justify the cost. He explored other selling software packages, but a desire to sell globally eventually brought him back to Monsoon. “I kept looking at other solutions,” Jerzy said, “but I decided on Monsoon after reviewing my notes from the conference. I had remembered that Monsoon could help me sell on Amazon UK, and I decided to just give it a try.”
In late October 2008, Polart Video purchased a Monsoon Commerce technology solution. Installation and implementation was completed in just days, and by November 2008, Polart Video was up and running. While the company expected to see an increase in sales dollars within a few months, results rapidly exceeded expectations. “Monsoon substantially increased my revenue and changed my business model almost instantly,” said Jerzy. “After just the first month, I had recouped the entire cost of the Monsoon licensing fee.”
Within seven months, Polart Video’s revenues had grown almost eight-fold. Monthly sales prior to Monsoon installation had been averaging $4,000; by May 2009, sales were over $30,000 a month. And as Monsoon Commerce’s software streamlines and automates many of the time-consuming tasks involved in selling online, increases in labor requirements were minimal. The Monsoon solution allowed Polart Video to be more efficient and effective with their existing employee base. “I regrouped my personnel a little bit to get the increase handled,” Jerzy said. “But honestly, Monsoon makes it so easy. I use one operator for the warehouse and one for the software.”
There have been other benefits, as well. Polart Video now sells worldwide, and the company does business as a wholesaler, distributor, publisher, and retailer. Using Monsoon to streamline the online sales process has also allowed the company to take advantage of new opportunities: Polart Video just acquired another business and is in the process of forming a partnership with a major distributor. Jerzy plans on replicating the Monsoon Commerce model with both the new company and the partnership. The savings in time has also allowed the company to focus on increasing inventory and creating new online stores. “I’m now acquiring additional content,” Jerzy stated. “We started out with 200 items, and right now we’re able to offer 1,700. We’ll have 3,000 soon.”
Jerzy recently started sharing his experience with other online merchants. “A couple of months ago, I was actually hiding the knowledge about Monsoon Commerce. And then, at this year’s Seller’s Conference in Seattle, I realized that many online sellers don’t know which way to go. They know there are solutions, but they’re not sure how to start. I realized I had to share this information. I tell other sellers all the time that while Monsoon Commerce presents itself as a software solutions company, the company is really a life-changer for sellers like me.”
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