Hello Direct to be the Telecom Product Provider for Go2Net's HyperMart
Small Business Center
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Services Available to More Than 500,000 Online Member Businesses
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Hello Direct (NASDAQ:HELO)
(www.hellodirect.com), the leading developer and direct marketer of desktop
telephony products, and Go2Net (NASDAQ:GNET), a network of branded,
technology- and community-driven Web sites, (http://www.go2net.com/), today
announced an alliance in which Hello Direct will be the exclusive provider of
telecommunications products in Go2Net's new HyperMart Small Business Center,
which was just launched at hypermart.net . Hello Direct's
telecom solutions can be accessed at hypermart.hellodirect.com.
Hello Direct, with its acquisition of PhoneZone.com earlier this year, has
developed the Internet's leading buyer's guide and online marketplace for
telecommunications products and services. In keeping with the HyperMart Small
Business Center's mission of being a one-stop-shop for business solutions, the
Hello Direct offering provides a rich combination of tutorials, product
reviews, product comparisons, and search tools that small business and
individual customers can use to locate, compare and buy a wide range of
telecommunications solutions.
HyperMart and Go2Net's Virtual Avenue (http://www.virtualave.net/ )
comprise the Internet's largest and fastest growing online community of small
and medium-sized companies, with more than 500,000 member businesses, adding
new members at a rate of 1,500 businesses per day. The marketing alliance
between Hello Direct and Go2Net allows both companies to leverage their
respective strengths: Hello Direct's exceptional telecommunications solution
expertise and HyperMart's position as the Internet's largest aggregation of
small and medium-sized businesses.
"This alliance enables us to offer even more small businesses a one-stop
resource for telecommunications information, products and services," said
Brian McConnell, Hello Direct's e-commerce director. "Most small businesses
are overwhelmed and confused by the proliferation of telecommunications
choices available. Our mission is to make it easy for small businesses to
learn about, compare, and ultimately buy telecom solutions, without requiring
them to have a degree in electrical engineering to understand the different
options."
The Hello Direct telecom portal provides editorial coverage about a wide
range of communications products, including: telephones, headsets, Internet
(IP) telephony, audio and videoconferencing products, cellular/PCSservice and
telephones, long distance services, enhanced communication services, and
business telephone systems. Hello Direct provides visitors with a one stop
resource, whether they are visiting to research industry news, or to purchase
equipment and services.
"Hellodirect.com has clearly established itself as the leader in the
online telecommunications space and we believe their information, products and
services will be of great value to HyperMart and Virtual Avenue's rapidly
expanding base of member businesses," said Thomas M. Camp, Go2Net vice
president of business development.
About Hello Direct
Hello Direct, Inc. is the leading developer and direct marketer of
telephone productivity tools, including headsets, teleconferencing, wireless
and related desktop products. Through a combination of distinctive catalogs,
outbound telemarketing and Internet sales channels, the company offers a broad
selection of commercial grade products and information that provide solutions
to its customers' evolving communications needs. For more information on
Hello Direct, Inc. and its products, please visit www.hellodirect.com .
About Go2Net
The Go2Net Network provides branded, technology- and community-driven Web
sites focused on the categories of search and directory; personal finance;
commerce and business services; and games. The Go2Net Network is among the
Internet's fastest-growing destinations and is the 9th most visited property
overall on the Internet, according to Media Metrix, a leading Web measurement
firm.
For more information on Hello Direct, Inc. via fax at no cost,
dial 800-PRO-INFO (908-544-2850 outside the U.S.), ticker symbol: HELO.
SOURCE Hello Direct, Inc.
-0- 09/30/1999
/CONTACT: Brian McConnell of Hello Direct, Inc., 415-647-9911, ext. 201,
or brian.mcconnell@hellodirect.com/
/Web site: go2net.com /
/Web site: hypermart.hellodirect.com /
/Web site: hellodirect.com / |
