Ecommerce gets a big piece of the Action

Action Computer Supplies has re-jigged its sales force to put more muscle into its Internet business. The mail order reseller laid off 22 sales staff from its key accounts over the summer. But it has taken on 96 people over the same period to work in its telesales department. These Internet donkeys will handle Action's ecommerce sales, a department started by the company in January this year, as well as catalogue orders. An Action representative was unable to comment on how Web sales were growing because the company was in a closed period until its results for the year ended 31 August were posted. According to the Middlesex company's Web site, 12 per cent of Action's business is done via ecommerce. The company said it would bring the number of telesales staff to 100 before Christmas. The summer's recruits bring the number of Action staff to over 800.®