Business News

Staples Announces Opening of Seattle Development Center

Tuesday 10. June 2014 - Second West Coast lab for one of the world's largest internet retailers enables testing and launching of innovative online selling models

Staples, one of the world’s largest internet retailers, today announced the opening of its Development Center in downtown Seattle, near the Pioneer Square/International District. One of two Staples’ west coast offices, the Development Center is made-up of e-commerce and engineering teams responsible for driving major initiatives to enhance areas including search, SEO and personalization.
Staples’ Seattle Development Center is made-up of e-commerce and engineering teams responsible for driving major initiatives to enhance areas including search, SEO and personalization. (Photo: Business Wire)
“Seattle has a wealth of talented engineers and leaders who are perfect matches for the opportunities at Staples, primarily around using big data to develop a personalized shopping experience , and developing innovative global services,” said Faisal Masud, executive vice president, global e-commerce, Staples. “At the Development Center, we’re building core components to power innovative e-commerce. Our marketers and merchants will test and launch rapid innovative online selling models, targeting the right customer with the right products at the right time.”
The Development Center is Staples second west coast lab, joining the San Mateo Innovation Lab, which focuses on personalizing the shopping experience and allows the company to tap into the wealth of engineering and e-commerce expertise in the Silicon Valley area.
Staples is adding software development, product management, usability, analytics and online merchandising positions as it continues to invest in omnichannel capabilities that let customers shop however and whenever they want, across mobile devices, desktops and stores.
“Staples is very excited about the new center of excellence, which enable key performance areas in eCommerce business and provides individuals and managers great opportunities for growth.” said Prakash Muppirala, vice president, e-commerce engineering, Staples. “We have several exciting challenges ahead of us in the areas of search, big data development and personalization, along with our global platform components, and the Seattle office positions us well to find the right talent to meet those challenges.”
The new office features furniture from Business Interiors by Staples, and is pet-friendly. Staples will also be hosting several events at the Development Center in the coming months, including meet-up groups, networking meetings and hack-a-thons