Online-only retailer Wayfair LLC, whose direct-to-consumer sales nearly doubled last year, says it will open hire 1,400 full-time sales and call-center workers in Texas and Maine.
The e-retailer says the expansion is needed to “scale customer service and sales operations to keep pace with our rapidly growing customer base.” Wayfair earned the No. 1 spot as the Best Digital Marketer in E-Commerce in the Internet Retailer 2016 Digital Marketing Series.
Wayfair will hire 950 workers for full-time jobs in Maine: 450 at a vacated L.L. Bean call center in Bangor, and 500 in inside sales and service at Brunswick Landing, a former Navy base in Brunswick developed into a business park. The operations are planned to open this summer; Wayfair gave no specific date.
The e-retailer will hire another 450 in a new call center in Bryan-College Station, Texas, an area known as the Research Valley because it serves as an innovation and technology located near Texas A&M University, the company says.
Wayfair looks for locations near universities because their commitment to innovation and “robust cultural scene” contribute to strong workforces, says Liz Graham, vice president of sales and service.
The hires will bring Wayfair’s employment globally to 5,209, up 36.8% from 3,809 employees as of Dec. 31, the company says. Wayfair operates one call center in Massachusetts, one in Ireland and two in Utah.
In February, Wayfair, No. 33 in the Internet Retailer 2015 Top 500 Guide, said it added nearly 770,000 new customers in the quarter—the most in any quarter to date—helping to drive online sales 85.5% higher for the year.
Direct-to-consumer sales, which are orders placed on Wayfair.com, Joss & Main, AllModern, Birch Lane and Dwell Studio, increased 97.8% in the fourth quarter to $685.6 million from $346.7 million in the same period a year earlier. For 2015, sales on Wayfair’s websites increased 85.5% to $2.04 billion, up from $1.10 billion in 2014. Web sales accounted for 92.7% of total revenue in Q4 and 91.1% for the full year. Wayfair also earns revenue from selling ad space on Wayfair-owned sites and via sales through other retail sites that sell Wayfair products.