05/01/00
Where2Net and ConsumerREVIEW.com Partner To Bring Consumer Product
Reviews Into Retail Stores
Alliance To Extend Product Information to Brick-and-Mortars; Empowering
Merchants and Shoppers
SAN MATEO, Calif., May 1, 2000 - Where2Net, an application service
provider (ASP) of e-commerce and mobile-commerce solutions, today
announced a strategic partnership with ConsumerREVIEW.com to deliver
consumer-generated product reviews into retail stores. In bringing
the power of the Internet to the real world, Where2Net will integrate
content from ConsumerREVIEW.com into its Touch and Mortar? eMerchandising
solution. As consumers begin their shopping in retail stores, they
can find product information tailored to their needs and make intelligent
purchase decisions. Retailers now have access to customized content
and can leverage the Web to merchandise across multiple sales channels.
For shoppers who research online before buying offline (estimated
by Jupiter Communications to be over one-third of all Internet users),
Touch and Mortar saves them time, especially when they are already
in the store - ready to buy. This 'what to buy' information, delivered
via wireless and broadband access, is also made available to non-Internet
users, who may opt to obtain information via touch screen terminals
equipped in those stores.
For retailers, Where2Net selects from the 18 product categories
hosted by ConsumerREVIEW.com that match a store's merchandise offerings.
In addition to product reviews, Touch and Mortar delivers manufacturers'
product information and cross-selling recommendations from a variety
of sources. Acting like a 'digital' assistant, Touch and Mortar
provides shoppers and sales staffs with intelligently packaged information
specifically for merchandise offered in those stores.
"Touch and Mortar reduces shoppers' frustration where product
information is not available at the 'point of purchase' or is deemed
biased," said Alan Yeung, Where2Net's President & CEO.
"Shoppers are faced with the dilemma of either making a purchase,
planned or on impulse, without knowing much about the product, or
leaving the store without buying. Now, through our partnership with
ConsumerREVIEW.com, consumers can access product reviews and research
their purchases without leaving the stores."
"We are delighted to partner with Where2Net to extend our consumer
product information to the retail space," said Max Mancini,
CEO of ConsumerREVIEW.com. "We believe our unbiased product
reviews, delivered through Where2Net's hosted retail applications,
will meet the in-store needs of shoppers and help drive same-store
sales for retailers."
About Where2Net
Where2Net (www.where2net.com) is an application service provider
(ASP) for multi-channel retailing. Its mission is to bring the power
of the Internet back to the real world, using Web technologies to
help retailers and brand marketers better communicate with their
customers and increase sales and profits. The company's Touch and
Mortar solution, a single-source solution covering in-store e-commerce
and customer relationship management (CRM), comprises several applications
including eGift Registry, eMerchandising, eCustomer Service, and
eData Mining.
About ConsumerREVIEW.com
Founded in 1998, ConsumerREVIEW.com is the leading, trusted source
for consumer product information on the Web. ConsumerREVIEW.com
develops and manages Web communities around common product interests
to meet the needs of consumers researching purchases on the Web.
The company's review content is available to millions of consumers
through partnerships with sites such as Yahoo!, AltaVista, MountainZone.com
and PlanetOutdoors.com. The company is focused on creating an online
environment that fosters communication, community spirit and quality
product reviews. ConsumerREVIEW.com is headquartered in Sunnyvale,
CA.
|
