How Hershey Direct manages seasonal order peaks to avoid a Christmastime meltdown

By Alicia Orr , Editor In Chief and Catalog Success

Whether they’re core reps, seasonal help or outsourced reps, Gill stresses the importance of training and product knowledge. “Our reps know our product line very well,” she says.

A growing e-commerce business adds yet another piece to the order-processing side of the operation. According to Gill, 20 percent of Hershey Direct’s current business is generated from its Web site and 80 percent from its catalog. How are those online orders handled? “At regular intervals, orders are sent from the Web site to be processed,” says Gill.