VitaminShoppe.com Makes Pact with AOL

VitaminShoppe.com, the online retailer of vitamins and supplements, Friday inked a two-year, multi-million dollar alliance with America Online.

The deal places VitaminShoppe.com in an anchor tenant spot in the diet and nutrition department of AOL’s Shop@AOL marketplace.

The retailer will also receive gold tenant positions in several other departments and will be featured in promotions on AOL’s other properties CompuServe, AOL.com, Digital City and Netscape Netcenter.

“VitaminShoppe.com’s alliance with AOL puts us in an even stronger position in this important winter buying season,” said Kathryn Creech, president and CEO of the company.

“The increased exposure to AOL’s more than 19 million members will perfectly complement our existing sales and marketing efforts. At the same time, being featured on AOL’s Web-based brands will give us valuable exposure to tens of millions of additional consumers who are already predisposed to buying vitamins, minerals and supplements online.”

The health-related products sector including vitamins and pharmaceutical products is turning into one of the most competitive, with competitors like Vitamins.com, PlanetRx.com, and Drugstore.com fighting for dominance and consumers’ attention.