News Release!!
Big Picture teams up with Coollink.com
Big Picture Technologies Inc BPI
Shares issued 16,294,250 Apr 10 close $4.92
Tue 11 Apr 2000 News Release
Mr. Michael Anthony reports
The company has entered inot a far reaching technology and marketing
alliance with Coollink.com, a leading Internet service provider (ISP) and
applications services provider (ASP) headquartered i Dallas.
Under the terms of the agreement the two companies will collaborate on a
wide range of product, technology and marketing initiatives, centering
initially around a co-branded version of Big Pictures's eMerchant pro
product. Specifically, Big Picture will provide Coollink with a customized
version eMerchant pro reflecting the logos and brands of both companies.
This co-branded product will be offered exclusively to Coollink's ISP and
e-commerce hosting customers -- numbering in the tens of thousands -- and
through Coollink's relationships with partners such as Tiger Direct, PC
Mall and PC Warehouse.
Coollink will bundle the product with its top two tiers of hosting services
without additional charge and will offer it as an opotion to the lower two
tiers. The co-branded eMerchant pro will only be available on-line, and
will not be packaged for distribution.
Other features of the relationship include the automatic registration of
eMerchant pro users from both companies in Coollink's proprietary shopping
mall, and the availability to Big Picture of Coollink's on-line auction
facilities, both without additional fees for eMerchant pro users.
In commenting on the alliance, Bill Carroll, Coollink executive
vice-president, noted: "We are extremely impressed with the power,
completeness and price competitiveness of the eMerchant pro and eClerk
products and we view this as an opportunity to add meaningful value to our
hosting offerings. At the same time, we see significant benefits from the
complimentary business models of the two companies -- Coollink's emphasis
on on-line marketing and fulfillment and Big Picture's focus on the
physical sotftware channel. We look forward to expanded collaboration with
Big Picture on a number of fronts."
Michael Anthony, Big Picture president and chief executive officer, noted:
"The relationship with Coollink is significant for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it represents the initial phase of a planned foray into one of a
number of secondary markets for eMerchant pro -- the thousands of
U.S.-based ISP's and ASP's wishing to enhance their hosting and e-commerce
solutions. This market is distinct from that serviced by our traditional
retail channel and will accelerate eMerchant pro's status as an industry
leader in key market segments."
"Secondly, the bundling of eMerchant pro with other vendors products and
services, as Coollink is doing, is an important development, and one that
we are seeing with increasing frequency. The recent RetailVision show in
Los Angeles, generated not only 12 new major retailers for eMerchant pro,
and key new promotions with existing resellers, but a number of bundling
and co-marketing opportunities as well. In the very near term, Big Picture
will team with leading vendors of complimentary small business software in
a variety of co-marketing and cross-promotional bundles."
Anthony added, "As a result of these initiatives, we expect sales of
eMerchant pro, which exceeded expectations in the first quarter, to show
even more aggressive growth in quarter 2."
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