According to data collected towards the end of 2015, all of that year's revenue growth that Best Buy experienced was a result of their e-commerce site, BestBuy.com. Best Buy's total online revenue for the third quarter of that year (which ended on October 31st) was $709 million. This was an increase of 18 percent from the $601 million in revenue reported in their third quarter of 2014. It also marked the third straight quarter in which e-commerce gains accounted for all of Best Buy's revenue gains.

Considering the growing success of Best Buy's e-commerce site in addition to their ranking as 14th on the Internet Retailer 2015 Top 500 Guide, selling your outdoor products on Best Buy as a third party can be an effective way to increase both brand exposure and sales. Even though Best Buy is primarily known as a company that sells technology products, they do carry outdoor products as well - including outdoor lighting fixtures, outdoor furniture, outdoor accessories and fire pits, to name a few examples.

Becoming a Best Buy Vendor Partner

In order to become a Best Buy vendor partner, you will need to go through their official qualification and screening program. This process is required for both new and existing suppliers. Best Buy's screening process helps to ensure the quality of the products and ensures that their suppliers are reputable and in good financial standing.

Best Buy Vendor Standards

You will need to meet the following standards set by Best Buy in order to be considered as a vendor partner.

• Supplier code of conduct - You will need to meet the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) Code of Conduct. Best Buy demands that all vendors provide safe working conditions for their workers and that they treat their workers with respect and dignity. Additionally, your business operations must be conducted ethically and with environmental responsibility. All of this is outlined in the Code of Conduct, which consists of five sections. These sections include Labor, Health and Safety, the Environment, Business Ethics, and the Elements of an Acceptable System, which will help to ensure that your business conforms to the code.
• Code of business ethics - Best Buy has its own code of business ethics in place that it requires each one of its vendors to adhere to. This code of ethics includes the vendor's responsibility to Best Buy's customers, shareholders, business partners and communities - as well as to other vendors.
• Conflict of interest policy - You must avoid any potential conflicts of interest. A vendor that acts in their own personal interest instead of Best Buy's best interest could cause customers to lose trust in Best Buy.
• Product safety compliance - Vendors are required to sign an addendum to the Vendor Master Agreement in regards to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008.
• Environmental compliance - Vendors must follow all e-waste laws, also known as the EPR (Extender Producer Responsibility) laws. These laws require manufacturers of electronic products to recycle their products. In order to comply with these laws, you will be obligated to recycle no matter what you sell. There are 25 states that have e-waste or EPR laws. Depending on the state you're based in, you will need to submit an annual registration form, pay a yearly fee and submit your sales data to the state.
• Shipping compliance - As a vendor for Best Buy, you will need to agree to the terms of their Ship It Right logistics and shipping compliance program. This program measures your inbound shipping in order to determine where you can improve your shipping performance based on supply chain points within your control. Some of the metrics measured by the program include late/early shipment percentages, PO modify percentages, auto cancel percentages and unscheduled PO counts.
• Tax codes - You must follow all tax codes. If a sales tax is undercharged, then Best Buy will be liable for paying any uncollected taxes discovered by tax auditors. Overcharging on sales tax is also strictly forbidden as it not only leads to a poor customer experience but will also hurt Best Buy's reputation - and as a result, hurt your reputation as well.
• Logo requirements - Best Buy isn't just concerned with the quality of your products, but also with the appearance of quality. Using a poor quality company logo to sell your products will reflect poorly on their brand. To meet their logo requirements, your logos have to be vector Adobe Illustrator files and must be compatible with Adobe Illustrator 15.1. You will be required to submit three versions for every one of your logos. These include a CMYK, a black positive image and a white reverse image.

These are some of the basic standards and requirements that you will need to meet in order to be considered as a potential vendor partner for Best Buy.

Submitting a Vendor Inquiry Form

Once you've gone over the many standards and requirements to ensure that your business meets them all, you will want to fill out a merchandising vendor inquiry form. This form provides Best Buy with preliminary information about your company and your outdoor products. Best Buy will use this information to direct your form to the appropriate merchant team for sourcing opportunities. If there is an interest in the outdoor products that you have to offer, a member of their team will contact you.

Once you have been contacted over a potential vendor partnership, you will be required to perform a number of steps in order to set yourself up as a vendor. These steps include:

• Enrolling in the EFT (electronic funds transfer) system
• Contacting Best Buy's EDI (E-Business) team to discuss EDI options and receive guidance
• Applying for security to PIM Portal once your vendor number has been created

The process of setting up as a vendor may seem complicated, but eCommerce Trade will help guide you through the process.