U.S. Mint's online sales soar
- By Colleen O'Hara
- May 19, 2000
The U.S. Mint's online retail site had its first $1 million hour last month.
On April 13, the Mint's e-retail site sold $2.7 million worth of new
quarters and other items in just one hour, said John Mitchell, acting director
of the Mint. Overall, the agency expects to bring in $150 million in revenue
this year off the site.
The Mint is a self-funded, profit-driven agency
focused on delivering innovative products and services, Mitchell said.
The surge in sales can be attributed to new Mint products, including
the state quarter and the golden dollar programs, said Mitchell, who spoke
at the Government Electronics & Information Technology Association E-Opportunities
in Government conference on Thursd
In other Mint IT news, Mitchell said
the agency plans to upgrade an enterprise resource planning system that
in rolled out in 1998 by Oct. 1. Because the ERP system is based on commercial
off-the-shelf products, the upgrade "is moving very quickly," Mitchell said.
The Mint also plans to upgrade its online catalog. "We see ERP and the
Web as enablers to customer service," he said.