Alibris Buys Monsoon Software

Alibris has announced they have purchased marketing services company Monsoon which helps companies manage their on-line retail operations (OregonLive)

The companies did not put a dollar value on the deal, but Gopalpur said Monsoon's early backers -- who invested about $2 million in the company in 2005 -- "got a very good return on their investment."

Monsoon employs 50 in Portland, and the company said all those workers will keep their jobs. Monsoon said it also plans to fill two open positions and add more jobs later in the year.

Monsoon's technology helps independent sellers on big online marketplaces -- Amazon.com and eBay, for example -- manage their inventory, pricing and order fulfillment, according to Gopalpur. He said its business fits neatly with Alibris' online book, music and movie store.

Monsoon's 2009 revenue totaled just above $7.9 million, according to Gopalpur. He said the company plans to add new services, and new employees, in 2010.

The interesting thing about Monsoon is whether the company offers an industrial version that medium and larger publishers could use.

From their press release:

Monsoon Chief Executive Officer Kanth Gopalpur, who will continue as CEO and join the Alibris Holdings executive management team post-transaction, said, “This transaction will provide the combined Monsoon-Alibris customer base with even more opportunities to expand their businesses and increase sales. We will be able to take advantage of additional resources, technology, and capital in order to deliver more and better solutions to grow our customers’ businesses on all online marketplaces.”

Leveraging the best of what each company has to offer, the Monsoon-Alibris merger will broaden sellers’ reach, giving them increased sales potential with the best tools, world-class customer support, and an extensive network of business partnerships, including Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Chapters Indigo, eBay, and Waterstone’s. Monsoon will continue to run as a separate operating company led by Kanth Gopalpur and the Monsoon senior management team. Combined, Alibris and Monsoon managed more than $400 million of book, music, movie, and videogame sales for its sellers in 2009.