BOSTON — Bulbs.com announced record performance during September/October with sales up 25% and EBITDA up 5X over last year. During the period revenues were driven by a 20% increase in LED lamps and fixtures along with the addition of new COVID-related product categories. The company added PPE and disinfection equipment during the early summer and found the categories to be highly popular among commercial customers in vertical segments including hospitality, property management, health care, education and electrical contractors.
Bulbs.com CEO, Mike Connors, chronicled the company’s 2020 journey that began with Bulbs.com beginning the year with two outstanding months in January and February, but by mid-March the company was feeling the same initial shock as most other businesses as the weight of the pandemic began to take its toll across the country. The company battled through April and May by making countless adjustments to operating practices, marketing, product selections, and supply chain management enabling the team to survive the first eight weeks of COVID.
Bulbs.com worked its way back to achieving monthly goals during the summer as more businesses and schools across the country were opening. An extraordinary effort by the team enabled Bulbs.com to post record sales in September and October exceeding its original sales and profit targets. The company is forging ahead to a record November and expects a continuation of the success through Q4. “Our survey data shows that 46% of our new commercial and 68% of our new residential customers were previously buying from local electrical/lighting distributors and DIY stores but turned to the internet during the pandemic to find new sources of supply. Bulbs.com was there with a great digital experience and product availability,” says Connors.
Bulbs.com was able to withstand, recover and flourish thanks to a strong foundation in the e-commerce space. The company has not only emerged as a team of experts in energy-efficient commercial lighting projects, but has also evolved over that same time as a group of e-commerce and omni-channel marketing experts who were also efficiently operating a distribution center and effectively managing freight costs. With constant monitoring of changes in the lighting industry and the quickly evolving digital marketing space, a nimble Bulbs.com team continues to adapt quickly while sticking to the fundamentals that have contributed to their success since 1999.
To learn more about Bulbs.com’s strategy for e-commerce success, and to read further details of how the company was able to prosper during the volatile year of 2020 please download the white paper published here.
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