John Currie

E-commerce has been a growth engine for many retailers, but it's been a turbo-charged one for Lululemon Athletica. Net direct-to-consumer revenues for the yoga apparel retailer increased 179% in Q1 2012 compared to the same period last year, reaching $38.4 million. The digital segment's contribution to the company's overall revenues nearly doubled as well, rising from 7.4% in Q1 2011 to 13.5% for the three months that ended April 29, 2012. The e-commerce bonanza has contributed to Lululemon's strong growth overall. Net sales for Q1 were $285.7 million, up 53% from $186.8 million in Q1 of 2011. The retailer

In a move that its executives believe will create cost efficiencies and expand its multi-channel capabilities, Lululemon Athletica has completed moving its e-commerce operations in-house. "Q1 saw the migration from a fully outsourced business to an in-house model with the transition of our core e-commerce platform to ATG and the migration of our e-commerce distribution operations in the U.S. into our internal facility," said Christopher Ladd, head of global e-commerce, Lululemon Athletica. As part of the move, the yoga-inspired apparel retailer has added new online functionalities including one-page checkout, merchandising and search capabilities, rich imagery enhancements and core business