U.S. Mint's online sales soar
State quarters, golden dollars drive sales at the agency's eretail site
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.
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