InfoSpace Provides Merchant Promotion Technologies to Microsoft
BELLEVUE, Wash., Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- InfoSpace (Nasdaq: INSP), a leading global provider of cross-platform merchant and consumer infrastructure services on wireless and other platforms, today announced that Microsoft bCentral, an integrated suite of Web-based services that help small companies streamline business processes, will offer its members electronic/paperless promotions, powered by InfoSpace, a unique service enabling businesses to promote products and services to consumers on wired and wireless Internet devices. These promotions are electronically delivered to consumers, and can be redeemed instantly with an online purchase, or used offline for a transaction at the merchant's brick-and-mortar storefront.
(Photo: newscom.com
"By offering InfoSpace's Paperless Promotions technology to bCentral customers both online and on wireless devices, we are able to help them drive measurable, incremental sales online and offline. Paperless Promotions can be used online or offline to encourage Web site visits and sales, or used to drive traffic to the merchant's physical store in the offline world," said Satya Nadella, vice president of Microsoft bCentral at Microsoft Corp.
"This agreement will provide Microsoft bCentral users with opportunities to promote their business to millions of potential consumers on mobile devices, PC's, TV's, and other devices," said Chris Matty, executive vice president of merchant services, InfoSpace. "This is another example of how our cross-platform services and applications are powering leading e-business service providers and building the foundation for next-generation mobile commerce."
Launched in September 1999, Microsoft bCentral is a small-business service created specifically to help small businesses take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Internet. bCentral services include Web site creation and hosting; Web-based marketing services such as a banner network and tools that help businesses get listed on search engines; and a service that helps companies manage lists and keep in touch with customers. With over 1 million registered users, bCentral has become one of the leading small-business services on the Internet. Small-business owners are finding that bCentral offers a great way to promote their products and manage their businesses online.
About Paperless Promotions
InfoSpace's Paperless Promotions are targeted promotions for local and national merchants, delivered to consumers on wired and wireless Internet devices. InfoSpace's ongoing, Internet-based Paperless Promotions help merchants drive measurable, incremental sales to their business by bringing Internet consumers to both online storefronts and physical stores. To take advantage of a promotion, consumers can purchase the goods or services online or offline using a registered credit card. Next, the promotions are matched and automatically credited to the consumer credit card statement or other designated accounts, through secure transaction processing, without the use of special codes or paper coupons. It is a seamless process for both the consumer and the merchant.
Paperless Promotions is part of the InfoSpace merchant services product suite, which enables local and national merchants to leverage the wired and wireless Internet to conduct end-to-end commerce, promote their business, and ultimately drive sales.
About InfoSpace, Inc.
InfoSpace is a leading global Internet infrastructure services company. The company provides commerce, information, and communication infrastructure services to wireless devices, merchants, and Web sites. InfoSpace's affiliates encompass a global network of wireless, PC, and non-PC devices, including cellular phones, pagers, screen telephones, television set-top boxes, online kiosks and personal digital assistants. These include relationships with AT&T Wireless, Intel, Ericsson, Nokia, Mitsui and Acer America. InfoSpace's affiliate network also consists of more 3,100 Web sites that include AOL, Microsoft, Disney's GO Network, NBC's Snap, Lycos, DoubleClick and ABC LocalNet, among others.
InfoSpace's recent announcement that it has completed its merger with Go2Net positions the company to tap the market for broadband wired (DSL and cable) and broadband wireless (2.5G and 3G) services, such as interactive gaming, television and other entertainment services. In addition, the merger brings full back end payment processing to InfoSpace's existing commerce services, allowing InfoSpace to offer everything a merchant needs to conduct the entire lifecycle of a transaction, one of the key drivers of mobile commerce adoption.
This release contains forward-looking statements relating to the development of the Company's products and services and future operating results, including statements regarding the Company's agreement with Microsoft that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. The words "believe," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," variations of such words, and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that the statement is not forward-looking. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could affect the Company's actual results include the progress and costs of the development of our products and services and the timing of market acceptance of those products and services. A more detailed description of certain factors that could affect actual results include, but are not limited to, those discussed in InfoSpace.com's Annual Report on Form 10-K, in the section entitled "Factors Affecting InfoSpace.com's Operating Results, Business Prospects and Market Price of Stock." Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. InfoSpace.com undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
SOURCE InfoSpace, Inc.
/CONTACT: Karen Hynes, PR Manager, Merchant Services of InfoSpace, Inc.,
206-357-4456, or karenh@go2net.com/
/Photo: newscom.com
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/Web site: infospace.com
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