To: hoffy who wrote (8466 ) 3/7/1999 8:58:00 PM From: Dave Gore Respond to of 15987
NEWS on **IMNI** AFTER THE CLOSE FRIDAY: lots of good SI people like this. March 05, 1999 18:55 Shop-the-Net.com Becomes Springboard for AutoSmart USA, Inc.; "Interactive Convergence" Rev's-Up New Car Sales JERSEY CITY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 5, 1999--Shop-the-Net.com the E-Commerce online shopping division of Interactive Multimedia Network Inc., (OTC BB: IMNI) has become a major "Internet Portal" for successfully catapulting AutoSmart USA, Inc., www.autosmartusa.com to the front of the line for the purchasing or leasing of a new car or truck for as low as 2% over factory invoice. As a full-service Internet web site devoted to the retail sale of cars, light trucks, SUV's and vehicle accessories, www.autosmartusa.com allows a consumer to directly purchase a new vehicle without any of the haggling or hassle historically associated with the car-buying process. Consumers can go to autosmartusa.com and with the click of their mouse, begin the process of securing the lowest possible price for a new car or truck with the specific options requested and then proceed to finalize the sale including financing and leasing within minutes. Shop-the-Net.com ( www.shop-the-net.com ) has established itself as a popular family shopping destination on the Internet. For the past five years it has offered high quality products with value to the Internet Consumer. www.Shop-the-Net.com provides the opportunity to purchase a wide variety of products and services including gift items, custom designed jewelry from Italy, baby products, music, books, etc. Now, Shop-the-Net.com will aggressively promote its new family member AutoSmart USA, Inc. To increase traffic to the site www.Shop-the-Net.com, IMNI utilizes television exposure, print campaigns in major markets, banner advertising and search engine registrations. IMNI will "cross market" the Shop-the-Net.com and AutoSmartUSA.com web sites through a highly visible banner advertising campaign aimed at increasing Shop-the-Net.com's and AutoSmartusa.com's potential sales volume. Within the next three months, IMNI intends to provide "Online Auction Opportunities" within Shop-the-Net.com to the entrepreneurial small business following the dynamic business model made successful by EBAY.com (NASDAQ: EBAY), in an effort to increase traffic to its web site. IMNI's marketing strategy is built around "Interactive Convergence", it's innovative e-marketing business model for the sale and marketing of products and services. IMNI will drive television viewers to AutoSmart USA.com utilizing television exposure on IMNI's interactive home shopping variety shows which are cross-linked to Shop-the-Net.com and AutoSmart USA.com's Internet new car showroom. Television and Internet to Retail will be the "Drum Beat" for Shop-the-Net.com as it promotes it's new family member, AutoSmart USA.com. Safe Harbor Disclosure - This Press Release contains or incorporates by reference "forward-looking statements," including certain information with respect to plans and strategies of Interactive Multimedia Network, Inc., Shop-the-Net.com and AutoSmart USA, Inc., and AutoSmartUSA.com. For this purpose, any statements contained herein or incorporated herein by reference that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the forgoing, the words "believe(s)," "anticipate(s)," "plan(s)," "expect(s)" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual events or actual results of IMNI and its subsidiaries to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. CONTACT: Interactive Multimedia Network, Inc., Jersey City William J. Auletta, 1.800.373.8667 e-mail: imnet@shop-the-net.com