News Release at 6:29 Eastern Time.
WelcomeTo Releases Version 2.0 of Xpress/Sites Online, Addressing E-commerce Needs of Small Businesses
VANCOUVER, Feb. 19 /CNW/ - WelcomeTo Search Engine, Inc. (OTCBB: WKWG) announced today that it has released Version 2.0 of Xpress/Sites Online, its entry-level e-commerce application that allows merchants and wholesalers to build comprehensive electronic storefronts and catalogs quickly and economically. ''For as little as $50 per month, a small business can have its own e-commerce site,'' stated Phil Dubois, President and CEO of WelcomeTo. ''Using our total business solution, even the smallest business can be effectively selling its products over the Internet.''
''The Internet e-commerce market is booming. By the year 2002, electronic commerce is expected to grow 40 fold to $327 billion, according to Forrester Research, Inc. Xpress/Sites Online is our entry-level product for the millions of small businesses who will be launching sites over the next three years.''
WelcomeTo Search Engine Inc. is developing the most advanced business
directory system and search engine on the Web. It will be rolling out the initial release of its product on March 31, 1999 and commencing its national rollout on June 30, 1999. The Company's goal is to position itself as the regional portal of choice for Web users wishing to locate businesses selling products and services over the Internet.
With the acquisition of Xceedx Technologies Inc. in January 1999,
WelcomeTo now offers a full suite of e-commerce products, including
Xpress/Sites Online. Traffic funneled by the WelcomeTo search engine to business sites is expected to provide increased incentive for businesses to purchase the Xceedx e-commerce products.
"The combination of our e-commerce products and the WelcomeTo regional directory and search engine positions us very uniquely in this market and is the foundation that will allow us to ramp up the revenues from our e-commerce products,'' commented Dubois.
Xpress/Sites Online - Addressing the needs of small businesses
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Xpress/Sites Online is a browser-based web application that guides small business users through the steps necessary to build full-featured online catalogs or stores. ''Xpress/Sites Online is ideal for companies setting up their first Internet storefront or catalog. Not only can they get their site up and running quickly, the costs of running the site are covered by a low monthly fee,'' Dubois said.
Version 2.0 of Xpress/Sites Online offers many enhanced features over the previous version, including the ability to quickly define shipping options and sales taxes by region. Version 1.0, launched as a beta product in December 1998, was well received by over 100 small business owners who built e-commerce sites. ''Although most of our business is at the corporate level, it was very important to offer product sales to the general public via the Internet. The costs associated with our own E-commerce site made that approach prohibitive. With Xpress/Sites Online that has all changed! It made 'getting our products' out to the web possible,'' stated Lyle Mozak, Vice President of PaintOgraphy Inc., a firm that creates and sells the ''Next Wave in Sports Artwork''.
Unlike competitive offerings, Xpress/Sites Online is part of a
comprehensive suite of WelcomeTo e-commerce applications. Stores built through Xpress/Sites Online can be upgraded with additional features through the use of Xpress/Sites Enterprise. ''The advantage for the small business user is obvious - they can start at an entry-level price without being dead-ended. They can grow in the future by adding features supported by other applications in the Xpress/Sites product line,'' added Dubois.
Xpress/Sites Online can be test driven from www.xceedx.com
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Phil Dubois, President and CEO, WelcomeTo Search Engine, Inc.
For Information Contact
Dunhill International Communications Corp.: ph 800-930-3242
E-mail: dunhill@ican.net Or visit WelcomeTo at: Http:www.welcometosearch.com |
