August 21, 2000

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Office-Supply Vendors To Offer E-Learning

Staples and OfficeMax will offer online-training courses via their Web sites

By Sandra Swanson

More on E-learning:

Online Training Helps MetLife Develop, Keep IT Staff (8/14/00) Universities Pursue E-Learning Profits (8/7/00) InternetWeek Managers Must Wade Through A Sea Of Training Options (8/14/00)

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mall businesses can now order training along with their online purchases of Wite-Out and Post-it Notes. Staples Inc. last week began selling online courses from its Web site, and OfficeMax Inc. plans to offer E-learning in the fourth quarter.

Staples is partnering with E-learning vendor Personable.com to provide more than 100 courses. Priced from $66 to $146 per student, the courses cover topics such as small-business marketing, Web design, JavaScript, and technology certification.

OfficeMax has allied with Arthur Andersen's Virtual Learning Network, which will host the online-learning portion of OfficeMax.com. "Earlier this year, we surveyed roughly 20,000 small businesses to find out what new services they would like. E-learning was the overwhelming favorite," says Ryan Vero, OfficeMax's head of E-commerce. The rollout will include more than 100 courses covering four core topics: business management, employee performance, E-business improvement, and financial skills. Pricing is expected to range from $49 to $140.

The two office-supply stores' offerings show that, in some parts of the market, E-learning is becoming a commodity. "Companies looking at high-volume, low-profit sales are looking at [E-learning] like a stapler or reams of paper--it's just one item in their inventory," says Clark Aldrich, a Gartner Group analyst.

The offerings could appeal to businesses seeking simple, inexpensive online training. Charlie Meyers, president of Western Reserve Internet Services Ltd. in Cleveland, is considering OfficeMax's training for his 10-person staff. He says classroom training is too time-consuming, while one-stop shopping for E-learning and office supplies is appealing. "We already use the site," Meyers says. "If you can consolidate the number of bills you have to write, that's a plus."

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