America Online, Inc. Debuts New Consumer Shopping Experience Across Its Portfolio of
Brands
BUSINESS WIRE - July 26, 1999 09:08
DULLES, Va., Jul 26, 1999 (BUSINESS WIRE via COMTEX) --
New Destinations Deliver Most Convenient and Comprehensive Online Shopping Experience
-- Shop@AOL, Shop@AOL.COM, Shop@CompuServe, Shop@Netscape, Shop@Digital
City
First Phase of Rollout Gives Consumers First Look at Next-Generation
Features that will Revolutionize Online Shopping Experience
Company Releases Next Generation of "Wallet" Technology
America Online, Inc., the world's leading interactive services company, today announced
the debut of its new Shop@AOL consumer online shopping destination, introducing a
cutting-edge product design and state-of-the-art merchandising features designed to support
the next wave of online shoppers and deliver an even more comprehensive and
consumer-friendly online shopping experience across AOL's network of interactive brands.
Using the "Shop@" identifier, these new e-commerce destinations are branded Shop@AOL,
Shop@AOL.COM, Shop@CompuServe, Shop@Netscape and Shop@Digital City.
In a related release, the Company also announced today that it has entered into a new
partnership with Chic Simple, publishers of the hottest-selling series on style advice, that
will offer visitors to AOL, Inc. shopping destinations immediate interactive solutions to
their modern-day wardrobe questions.
The new Shop@AOL marketplace will begin to roll out to consumers on July 26 and will
culminate with the introduction of new shopping services in October 1999. Once the rollout
is complete, the experience will be available to the more than 46 million people who use
AOL's network of interactive brands, or 70% of all those who visit online services or Web
sites every month, according to Media Metrix research. As a result of its extensive reach,
Shop@AOL will be the largest consumer shopping destination in the world, and the most
important online retail channel for merchants.
Developed by the Company's new team of veteran retailers and supported by an experienced
team of AOL and Netscape technology experts, Shop@AOL includes a series of
state-of-the-art merchandising features designed to deliver a more sophisticated and dynamic
shopping experience. These next-generation features include Commerce Centers, Online
Catalogs, Personal Buying Guides, and a next-generation Web-based version of its Quick
Checkout "wallet" technology, available to both AOL members and users of AOL's
Web-based brands.
Bob Pittman, President and Chief Operating Officer, America Online, Inc., said: "With this
new initiative AOL is able to deliver our members and visitors to our Web brands even
more of what they are looking for -- a dynamic shopping experience, more product
selection, the best brands from both the online and offline worlds, and ease-of-use -- in a
one-stop shopping destination. Building on what was already the No. 1 online consumer
e-commerce destination, we believe Shop@AOL will further extend our position as the
online commerce leader, while delivering to our members an even more valuable and
convenient online shopping experience."
Mr. Pittman added: "The new Shop@AOL experience -- with its new interface and
merchandising tools -- goes well beyond a simple redesign. It reflects years of listening to
our members' needs, analyzing their shopping behavior, and understanding exactly what
they want from their online shopping experience. We're building on our relationship with
the largest audience of shoppers in cyberspace to create a shopping destination that delivers
exactly what our users expect from online shopping, and a platform that we are confident
will drive increased sales for our merchants."
The introduction of Shop@AOL is an integral part of the Company's strategy to enhance its
users' overall shopping experience and drive increased retail sales for its rapidly growing
roster of merchant partners. By streamlining the online shopping experience and creating a
more compelling interactive shopping environment, the new marketplace provides AOL
merchants with the unique opportunity to display and sell the widest variety of products to
the largest audience of buyers online or on the Web.
Specifically, the design of the new brand provides merchants with increased merchandising
opportunities; the seamless integration from the Shop @ AOL brand to their Web sites;
larger image "panels" for more robust product displays; tracking and reporting benefits of
new customer-friendly shopping services; and more text for product descriptions.
By leveraging the tremendous reach of its portfolio of brands, AOL's e-commerce strategy
allows Shop@AOL merchants to substantially broaden their audience of buyers both at
home and at work, while providing them the unique opportunity to market their goods and
services to cyberspace's most diverse and highly valued group of consumers:
AOL: AOL's mass-market audience brings together the largest concentration of customers
in the media world. Of the service's more than 17 million members, more than half -- or
10.2 million -- are now shopping online, according to Bennett, Petts & Blumenthal research.
Repeat purchase patterns are also strong. According to Internet Research Group, a full 30%
of AOL members are shopping every month; and 79% of AOL members who shop indicate
they are "also likely to purchase again next month."
AOL.COM: Almost 30 million people use AOL.COM every month at home and work,
according to Media Metrix's June 1999 research. It is the only destination in cyberspace
where the largest interactive audiences - Web users and AOL members - come together.
CompuServe: With more than 2 million members worldwide, CompuServe is relevant tool
for Internet users who want serious and timely information, in-depth research and
professional communities backed by state-of-the-art technologies. Educated, professional,
and business purchasing decision makers, CompuServe's members drove a 300% increase in
usage for CompuServe's Shopping Channel during the 1998 holiday shopping season.
Digital City: With a presence in 60 metropolitan cities and more than 5 million unique users
every month, according to Media Metrix research, Digital City (DCI) is the nation's largest
local content network. For marketers, the network provides the tools and services they need
to market their brands at the regional and local levels, drive increased customers to their
local stores, and allow them to stay connected to their target audience wherever they may
be. An @Plan Spring 1999 research survey indicated that Digital City users are28% more
likely than the average Internet user to purchase online.
Netscape: One of the fastest growing portals and the Web site of choice among active
professionals and Internet-savvy users, Netscape Netcenter is a leading business resource
that enhances the way in which people live, communicate, work and learn on the Internet.
More than 19 million people use Netscape Netcenter every month, according to Media
Metrix research. Netcenter users are also active online shoppers, spending, on average,
$2,595 on goods and services online per year, according to CyberDialogue.
To best provide these distinct audiences with relevant and compelling products, select
content and merchandising opportunities will be modified from one brand to the next. All
tools and services, however, will remain consistent.
Member Benefits
AOL, Inc.'s new shopping experience reflects years of the Company's research of members'
buying habits, and extensive analysis of their consumer shopping behavior. From the new
streamlined and simplified interface to new revolutionary merchandising features, every
element of the marketplace's design is intended to allow shoppers quickly and easily find,
locate and purchase products which interest them, and help them find solutions to their
situational shopping problems and behaviors:
Specifically,
-- For "Brand Shoppers," Shop @ AOL offers consumers direct access to the widest
selection of products and brands that they know and
trust;-- For "Browsers", the new experience offers an increased number of
categories and departments, each highly visual and entertaining to shop; -- For "Impulse
Buyers," AOL offers dynamic promotions, including
tempting exclusive offers; -- For "Researchers," the new brand design includes Personal
Buying
Guides. Powered by Personal Logic. (TM)Personal Buying Guides help consumers make
informed decisions on a wide variety of products from popular shopping categories, ranging
from automobiles to travel.
New Shop@AOL Merchandising Features
Launched today, Shop@AOL's cornerstone features and tools
include:
"Wallet" Technology: America Online is also introducing a next-generation, Web-based
version of its Quick Checkout "wallet" technology and extending it to the CompuServe and
Netscape shopping destinations. This easy-to-use wallet solution is even easier for merchant
partners to integrate into their shopping areas, and enables more cyber-consumers than ever
to take advantage of the secure, convenient Quick Checkout experience.
By safely storing routinely requested credit card and shipping information online, including
10 credit card numbers and up to 50 shipping addresses, Quick Checkout allows users to
more quickly execute a purchase online. Once the information is stored in a shopper's Quick
Checkout account, they do not have to retype the information each time they make a
purchase.
Commerce Centers: Highly visual and created with a distinct merchandising focus,
Shop@AOL includes 17 category-specific Commerce Centers on topics ranging from
Apparel to Consumer Electronics. In addition, for category browsers or those with an idea
of what they are looking for, each Commerce Center includes a prominently positioned
"Departments" listing to help direct shoppers to their specific area of interest.
Online Catalogs: An important component of the Company's new merchandising strategy,
Shop @ AOL's Catalogs are designed to highlight and deliver topical and distinctive
merchandise offerings in a timely manner. A revolutionary new e-commerce concept, each
Catalog offers a distinctive display of products and services to support a particular theme,
season or noteworthy occasion, including holidays and anniversaries.
Katherine Borsecnik, AOL's Senior Vice President, Strategic Businesses, said: "We think the
key to converting "window-shoppers" to online buyers is to understand the obstacles to
shopping online and provide solutions to each. Shop@AOL was designed with this strategy
in mind, enhancing convenience features like our Quick Checkout 'wallet' technology and
developing Commerce Centers and Online Catalogs to address the many ways people shop."
The Shop@AOL Apparel and Kids & Babies Commerce Centers debut today, with the
remaining 15 scheduled to roll out throughout the summer and early fall.
About AOL
Founded in 1985, America Online, Inc., based in Dulles, Virginia, is the world's leader in
interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies, and e-commerce services. America
Online, Inc. operates: two worldwide Internet services, America Online, with more than 17
million members, and CompuServe, with approximately 2 million members; several leading
Internet brands including ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger and Digital City, Inc.; the Netscape
Netcenter and AOL.COM portals; the Netscape Navigator and Communicator browsers;
AOL MovieFone, the nation's No. 1 movie listing guide and ticketing service; and Spinner
Networks and NullSoft, Inc., leaders in Internet music. Through its strategic alliance with
Sun Microsystems, the Company develops and offers easy-to-deploy, end-to-end
e-commerce and enterprise solutions for companies operating in the Net Economy.
Copyright (C) 1999 Business Wire. All rights reserved. -0- CONTACT: America Online,
Inc. Wendy Goldberg, 703/265-2359
WEB PAGE: businesswire.com
GEOGRAPHY: VIRGINIA
INDUSTRY CODE: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS
ENTERTAINMENT
PRODUCT
INTERACTIVE/MULTIMEDIA/INTERNET
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