WebCollage Provides Online Marketing Solution for Sony Electronics eSolutions Company

NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Dec. 16, 2004—
 
Online Merchandizing Platform Integrates Sony Electronics Content with Retail Partners

WebCollage, Inc. the leader in software integration solutions for online channel marketing announced today that Sony Electronics eSolutions Company has selected the WebCollage solution as its platform for extending its product marketing content to Sony Electronics’ business partners. Sony Electronics will use the WebCollage platform to leverage the content it creates for sonystyle.com and syndicate it across their own Web properties, marketing and retail channels.

Customers Research Products Online Before Buying In Stores

The Internet is a critical broad marketing venue for manufacturers like Sony today. Not only do online sales continue to grow at a rapid pace, but the Web now impacts off-line sales as more and more buyers turn to the Web to research product information. According to a study by Jupiter Research, the Internet’s impact on off-line sales will grow from 18 percent of all U.S. retail spending in 2004 to 34 percent of all U.S. retail spending in 2008 ($680 billion). Manufacturers are investing heavily in creating rich product descriptions and Web content to promote and differentiate their products and educate consumers. The challenge that these companies are having today is being able to extend this information across their distribution channels.

The Challenge: Ensuring Complete and Accurate Product Representation on Channel Specific Sites

The award-winning WebCollage solution helps manufacturers provide accurate representation of their products and brand throughout their distribution channel. It enables manufacturers to dynamically integrate product marketing material from their own Web site and into Web sites of business partners. WebCollage packages this content as modules that easily integrate with the channels’ Web systems. Key channel partners - retailers and distributors - can keep the content fresh and up-to-date on their site. WebCollage replaces today’s inefficient methods of product content replication and re-assembly by partners with a fully automated process that delivers live content and tools directly from the manufacturer’s site and into the channel partners’ Web environments. WebCollage’s customers experience direct positive impact and increased sales both online and offline as they can influence the buying decisions of customers and ensure accurate brand representation for their products across various channel partners. This powerful integration capability is at the cornerstone of a successful e-commerce strategy.

Sonystyle.com contains extensive and detailed information about Sony’s products alongside interactive applications such as the accessory finder that helps Sony’s customers select the accessories that work in conjunction with that product. Sony distributes its products online through leading retailers including Wal-Mart, CompUSA and Best Buy.

“The capability that WebCollage provides — dynamically extending Web content into relevant sites — is a key component of Sony’s e-commerce strategy that will allow us to influence more customers and ensure that our products get proper brand representation wherever they are sold., ” said Patrick Vogt, Senior Vice President and Senior General Manager for Sony Electronics eSolutions Company LLC

“We are excited to be working with Sony on such a strategic initiative. Enabling manufacturers and their channel partners to streamline the process of integrating their Web systems and provide customers with rich, accurate and up-to-date information wherever they are is the key to WebCollage’s vision,” Said Eli Singer, WebCollage’s CEO. “Sony joins some of the world’s leading providers of consumer electronics, luxury goods, and technology products that have successfully implemented WebCollage’s solutions and are seeing the positive results.”

About WebCollage

WebCollage is a leading provider of software technology enabling channel marketing solutions and facilitating business partnerships. The Company’s products are used by leading manufacturers in multiple industries, including computer hardware & software, consumer electronics, financial services and beauty products to improve sales and increase win rates through the distribution channel. WebCollage is a private, VC-backed company, and is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit www.Webcollage.com.