REDMOND, Wash., March 13, 2001 — In its continuing efforts to offer online consumers and merchants superior service and technology, the MSN® network of Internet services today announced the availability of MSN eShop features through MSN Mobile and MSN HighSpeed Showcase – both of which highlight the strong technical capabilities and broad reach that MSN provides. According to Media Metrix Inc.’s January 2001 Custom Report, MSN eShop is the No. 1 online shopping portal on the Web for consumers with 3.73 million unique users for the month of January in the United States.
With MSN eShop available through MSN Mobile, users will have quick access to key features of MSN eShop anywhere and any time on Web-enabled mobile phones. By extending the service to Web-enabled devices, MSN eShop puts the power and convenience of online shopping in users’ hands no matter where they are.
In an additional move to provide merchants and consumers with online shopping solutions, MSN recently launched the MSN Highspeed Showcase for shoppers. With this new online shopping experience, shoppers can utilize MSN HighSpeed Showcase to get a closer view of the products available on MSN eShop and experience them through videos and interactive demos, enabling them to make smarter purchases.
“Selling digital cameras is a fast-growing niche business that benefits from connecting to MSN eShop’s millions of users,”
said Skip Cohen, president of PhotoAlley Inc.
“We have worked with MSN to create a streaming video advertorial that makes it easier for consumers to make an informed digital camera purchase. With great technology from MSN and dedicated users, we have had terrific results meeting our customers’ needs.”
The following statistics attest to the continuing success of MSN eShop and its value to merchants:
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Traffic to MSN eShop merchants tripled over the previous year.
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Visits to MSN eShop doubled over the previous year.
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MSN realized more than 100 percent year over year growth in advertising revenue worldwide.
“We make it easier for people and merchants to do business on MSN eShop because of our depth of services and support, said Yusuf Mehdi, vice president of MSN.”
Coming off our most successful holiday shopping season ever, MSN eShop is once again the No. 1 shopping portal on the Web. By enabling these new features, we are not only continuing but accelerating this momentum.
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MSN eShop merchants will attend the third annual MSN eShop Merchant Summit today to exchange ideas on the online economy, propose solutions and collaborate to discover how MSN can better meet and exceed the shopping needs of consumers and merchants alike.
About MSN
MSN gives consumers a new home on the Internet – a central place where they can get everything they need from the Web and make the most of their time online. With more than 230 million visitors per month, the MSN integrated network of content and services is the most popular destination on the Internet. MSN is available in 33 markets and in 17 languages – a broader global presence than any other portal. MSN takes advantage of the Microsoft® .NET platform with the goal of offering leading services, any time, any place and on any device, with the most integrated and personalized user experience for communications, search, shopping, personal finance and entertainment. MSN Internet Access and the recently introduced MSN Explorer offer quick, personal and exciting ways to get onto and take advantage of the Web. Best-of-breed services include the MSN Hotmail® Web-based e-mail service, the world’s largest Web-based e-mail system; MSN Messenger Service, one of the fastest growing instant messaging services on the Web; MSN Search, the second most popular online search service; MSN Mobile, the customizable wireless information service; the award-winning MSN MoneyCentral™
online personal finance service; MSN eShop, the one-stop online shopping resource; and MSN Custom Web Sites, the easy way to share information on the Web. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com/ .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technology for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, MSN, Hotmail and MoneyCentral are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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