VitaminShoppe.com, the online
retailer of vitamins and supplements, Friday inked a two-year,
multi-million dollar alliance with America
Online.
The deal places VitaminShoppe.com in an anchor tenant spot in the diet and
nutrition department of AOL’s Shop@AOL marketplace.
The retailer will also
receive gold tenant positions in several other departments and will be
featured in promotions on AOL’s other properties CompuServe, AOL.com, Digital City and Netscape Netcenter.
“VitaminShoppe.com’s alliance with AOL puts us in an even stronger position
in this important winter buying season,” said Kathryn Creech, president and
CEO of the company.
“The increased exposure to AOL’s more than 19 million
members will perfectly complement our existing sales and marketing efforts.
At the same time, being featured on AOL’s Web-based brands will give us
valuable exposure to tens of millions of additional consumers who are
already predisposed to buying vitamins, minerals and supplements online.”
The health-related products sector including vitamins and pharmaceutical
products is turning into one of the most competitive, with competitors
like Vitamins.com, PlanetRx.com, and Drugstore.com fighting for dominance
and consumers’ attention.