The Strategy Behind Williams-Sonoma's Global Expansion

We sent out an RFP for what we called "retail in a box," Bogan said, noting that Williams-Sonoma wanted to expand internationally without cost crippling the company. He said that the company's domestic platform was too expensive to develop for international sites. In addition to cost, time to market was a critical consideration for Williams-Sonoma in choosing its web platform. We knew there was money to be made here, Bogan said in regards to Williams-Sonoma's international expansion, but the company needed to move quickly to seize the opportunity. We couldn't spend two years developing our own web platform and miss the opportunity at hand, Bogan said.