MESSAGE FROM ALFRED WERNER, CTO:
Why the new Web site is important for HouseHold Direct and its members:
Our principal mission is to attract members through good marketing and retain them with service and value, both through
this Web site and through local service centers. As was pointed out in a previous press release, HouseHold Direct's
acquisition of service centers in Atlanta and Birmingham is complete. The design of the new system allows us to
integrate web and offline purchases, customer service and other operations, with our service centers doing fulfillment.
One of our greatest challenges in designing this business has been how to integrate quickly and most effectively with the
service centers we acquire across the country. The new system permits us to route customer service, fulfillment, price
request and other issues to the service center nearest to a given member. Once we complete the shakeout period with
the first two centers we will be prepared to roll out rapidly across the nation.
One of the most important issues for our online members is that each center processes hundreds of price requests
daily. By allowing the centers to store current pricing for products directly on the Web site we are allowing members to
'self serve' and buy without the intervention of a service representative. Most manufacturers will maintain pricing for a
period of time ranging from a calendar quarter to a year, so as pricing expires our job is to refresh the information. By
directly incorporating our service centers' activities we will grow the online product line rapidly.
Dean Barnes, Vice President of Sales, and Alan Bell, CIO will be traveling to Atlanta this week to train personnel on the
new system. By early the next week we will extend the price request capability to our online members, who can then
request pricing on any item currently manufactured. When the member receives the pricing information, it is also
automatically added to the online catalog.
The second means of populating the database is by adding entire manufacturer's catalogs. The
re-launch on January 31, 2000 contained examples of this method, with products from Sony, Citizen Watch, and other
major manufacturers. We will continue to add manufacturers in this manner over the next several months.
Alfred Werner
CTO
CONTACT: Investor Relations - SmartStockAdvisor.com,
Toll Free: 877-643-8821, E-mail: smartstockadvisor@yahoo.com
Web Site: 1stnettech.com
SmartStockAdvisor.com
Disclaimer: SmartStockAdvisor is a compensated agent of HouseHold
Direct.com, Incorporated. Please see the following link for the complete
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Message 12362141 |
