ZAZZLE® ANNOUNCES INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION WITH LAUNCH OF ZAZZLE.CO.UK
Localized Offering Enables UK Users and Content Owners to Create, Buy and Sell an Infinite Array of Customizable Products Instantly
Redwood City, CA and London, England – November 12, 2008 – Zazzle, the only on-demand retail platform for consumers and major brands offering billions of retail quality, one-of-a-kind products, today announced the first step in its international expansion with the launch of a localized offering for UK users, www.Zazzle.co.uk. Zazzle enables individuals and brands to become product designers and to make money by selling their unique designs on an infinite array of products which are displayed in fully-featured galleries, free of charge to the seller. Sellers earn royalties on every sale and can allow consumers to customize their creations. Most products are produced on-demand within 24 hours of ordering. Zazzle is proud to have worked closely with the UK Government’s Global Entrepreneur Programme in establishing its UK business.
The launch of the localized Zazzle UK offering will provide a more robust, faster, and more relevant creation and shopping experience for UK sellers and buyers. Key features of www.Zazzle.co.uk include pricing in Pounds Sterling with VAT and customs duties included in the product price, as well as fast dispatch to the UK and EU at competitive rates. Users will have the ability to create, buy and sell products from scratch instantly, including custom t-shirts and apparel, shoes, embroidered products, skateboards, hats, greeting cards, business cards, bags, ties, mugs, stickers, and more.
“The UK is a large and important market for Zazzle and the millions of independent, amateur, and large brands already leveraging the Zazzle platform as a monetization engine for their creativity,” said Robert Beaver, Chief Executive Officer, Zazzle. “The launch of Zazzle.co.uk further reinforces Zazzle’s commitment to revolutionize e-commerce, and to empower buyers and sellers around the globe.”
Users in the UK can now take control of their own version of Zazzle, and will determine the most popular products on the site, Today’s Best, and more. All of the technology and functionality available to users of Zazzle.com will be available to users of www.Zazzle.co.uk, including its Name-Your-Royalty program, which gives sellers control over how much money they earn on each sale, and its Volume Bonus program, which enables sellers and other community members to earn money through sales and referrals to the Zazzle marketplace.
“The Zazzle platform was built with global commerce in mind,” said Michael Karns, Head of International Development for Zazzle. “With the launch of www.Zazzle.co.uk, a seller anywhere in the world now has the benefit of reaching a local UK audience in a targeted way. Shoppers in the United Kingdom can easily browse and shop the full Zazzle marketplace for an array of unique products.”
Zazzle worked closely with the Global Entrepreneur Programme in launching www.Zazzle.co.uk. The objective of the Global Entrepreneur Programme is to identify stellar global companies and bring them to the UK in an effort to enable them to build a European entity or establish their global headquarters. The program’s Dealmakers make introductions and recommendations to help companies execute their UK strategies.
“Zazzle’s unique model and investor portfolio was very impressive, and a lure for us to have them join the programme,” said Charles Seely, Dealmaker for the Global Entrepreneur Programme. “We are excited to have Zazzle in the UK now and look forward to continuing to work closely together to further expand Zazzle’s presence in the UK.”
Zazzle enables content owners to unlock and monetize their entire content libraries, allowing consumers to easily and instantly create physical, customizable products from digital assets that fit their personal style. Copyright compliant in manufacturing of its products, Zazzle is trusted by the U.S. government and major brand partners such as The Walt Disney Company, Lucasfilm LTD, and Warner Bros. to ensure rights are not exploited improperly, and to protect their intellectual property with best-of-breed DRM technologies.
In support of the launch, www.zazzle.co.uk is offering free shipping for a limited time on orders of £30 or more.
About Zazzle
Infinite and Instant, Zazzle is the only, on-demand retail platform for consumers and major brands, offering billions of retail quality, one-of-a-kind products shipped within 24 hours. Offering the largest library of customizable digital images from world-class brands, Zazzle enables content owners to unlock their entire libraries of content, making it available for purchase and customization by consumers. Through Zazzle’s innovative on-demand retail and technology platform, users can instantly create, customize to fit their personal style, purchase and sell a near infinite array of products online. The company launched in 2005 and is based in Redwood City, California. For more information, www.Zazzle.com.
About the Global Entrepreneurs Programme
The Global Entrepreneur Programme (GEP) was set up in 2003 by UK Trade &s; Investment. A team of entrepreneurs called Dealmakers are located in North America, Asia Pacific, the UK, and India. They spend part of their time as advisors to the UK Government in identifying the best global companies and entrepreneurs. Once identified, the Dealmakers work closely to help them: use the UK as a strategic headquarters and/or base for international expansion, and to connect them with investors, management talent and strategic partners in the UK to turn their innovation into a global success. For more information, http://www.entrepreneurs.gov.uk/gep/aboutus/en-GB.html.
For media inquiries please contact:
Karen DeMarco
karen@zazzle.com
Plus we are going to be setting up the new zazzlers support site just for all this. It will be located at www.zazzlers.co.uk and in the meantime you can always get the support and help with promotion and links to your shops at www.zazzlers.com
