Beyond.com Joins Yahoo! Premier Merchant Program
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 1999--Internet software superstore Beyond.com(TM) (Nasdaq:BYND) today announced it has signed an agreement with Yahoo! Inc. (http://www.yahoo.com) to be a premier software merchant.
By teaming with one of the most recognized brands on the World Wide Web, Beyond.com expects its visibility on Yahoo!(R) will attract new customers and build brand awareness for Beyond.com. This relationship gives Beyond.com targeted placement on My Yahoo! (http://my.yahoo.com) and Yahoo! Shopping (http://shopping.yahoo.com).
Additionally, Yahoo!'s millions of users can easily access Beyond.com's merchant links within relevant consumer electronic categories and related keyword search results pages throughout the Yahoo! network of properties. During December 1998, traffic on Yahoo! averaged 167 million page views per day. (A page view is defined as one electronic page of information displayed in response to a user request.)
This relationship allows Yahoo! users to buy software by digital download, or in a box, directly from Beyond.com. The agreement underscores Beyond.com's commitment to conveniently provide customers with a better selection of software on the Internet. As a premier software merchant, Beyond.com will receive targeted placement within relevant categories and subcategories on Yahoo!, ultimately simplifying the search for software.
"Through Yahoo!'s premier merchant program, we continue to add value to our users by providing them with simplified, convenient access to a variety of products and services," said Ellen Siminoff, vice-president of business development and strategic planning at Yahoo!.
"With Beyond.com's comprehensive selection of software, users can easily select and purchase the products that best suit their needs."
"Our relationship with Yahoo! is significant for two reasons," said John Vigouroux, vice-president of business development for Beyond.com.
"First, it signifies that Beyond.com has secured premier relationships with four leading Internet portals. We are extremely pleased to have cultivated this relationship with Yahoo!, as Yahoo.com is one of the most heavily trafficked sites on the Web."
"Second, this deal reflects our understanding of how to structure an agreement so that both partners benefit," Vigouroux said.
"We've harnessed lots of intelligence since we signed our first agreement in 1997. We've put in place sophisticated reporting tools that aid us in measuring the effectiveness of our agreements and promotions which we can adjust accordingly to provide solid results. Our marketing team increasingly can predict, and leverage, the purchasing behavior of customers and what motivates them to buy software."
Beyond.com currently has relationships with several leading Internet companies.
Beyond.com currently sells more than 44,000 software products from its Web site located at beyond.com with more than 5,600 software products now available for digital download. The software market is forecast to grow to $96 billion by 2002.(1)
Additionally, Beyond.com operates an Affiliate Program that experienced meteoric growth in 1998, and it maintains strong ties with more than 400 software publishers, including Autodesk, Microsoft Corporation, Network Associates and Netscape Communications Corporation.
About Beyond.com
Beyond.com sells commercial, off-the-shelf software to the government enterprise, corporate and consumer markets, offering its customers a better place to buy software. Visitors to the company's online store beyond.com enjoy a comprehensive selection of software backed by customer service and competitive pricing.
Approximately 44,000 software stock-keeping units (SKUs) are available for online purchase with 5,600 SKUs available for immediate, electronic delivery, including software from such major publishers as Adobe, Lotus, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems and Symantec.
The company has established strategy marketing alliances with America Online, Inc., Excite, Inc., Netscape Communications Corporation, Microsoft Corporation and Yahoo!.
Additionally, Beyond.com offers publishers transaction processing, physical and electronic order fulfillment, customer support, site design consultation, marketing support and reporting.
The company has applied for federal registration of the marks BEYOND.COM and BEYOND DOT COM. Beyond.com Corporation trades on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol ("BYND"). More information on the company can be found in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").
To the extent that this news release discusses expectations about Beyond.com's expectations about plans to grow the company's revenue or customer base as a result of its agreement with Yahoo!, these statements are forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Actual results for the first quarter of 1999 and subsequent quarters could differ materially from any future performance suggested above. Among the factors that could affect subsequent periods include: Reductions in or cancellations of customer orders, changes in relationships with software suppliers, changes in relationships with strategic partners, changes in the product mix sold by the company, competition from other online software resellers or publishers, inability to raise sufficient capital on satisfactory terms, or at all, and other factors described in the company's filings with the SEC. Beyond.com news and product/service information is available at the company's World Wide Web site located at beyond.com
(1) Source: International Data Corporation, C.E. Unterberg, Towbin and Beyond.com analysis
CONTACT:
Beyond.com
Lise Olson, 408/616-4256
liseo@beyond.com
Laura Fulda, 408/616-4328
lauraf@beyond.com
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
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