ProductCart eCommerce Software Boosts Customer Loyalty

Now merchants can add an air miles-like system to their on-line stores

MISSION VIEJO, CA, September 17, 2002 /For General Release/ -- Early Impact, an eCommerce Software Development company, announced today the release of Reward Points", which extends the functionality of its ProductCart shopping cart software. The Reward Points extension allows merchants to promote customer loyalty and increase sales by rewarding customers for purchases and for referring other customers.

The Reward Points extension can be easily and quickly added to any on-line store powered by ProductCart. The system allows store administrators to implement a marketing program that mimics the airline industrys popular 'miles. Customers earn points while making purchases or referring other customers, then redeem points for discounts and free merchandise.

Among Reward Points unique features:

o   Points, miles, golden nuggets... The merchant has full control on how the rewards program is implemented, starting with its name. Through an intuitive interface fully integrated with ProductCarts point and click Control Panel, the store administrator can assign a name to the program, which will be reflected anywhere across the on-line store.

o   Earning Points. The merchant can easily assign points to products. The store automatically displays how many points each product will earn a customer, and shows a summary of total points for the order before and after the order is submitted. Customers can log into their account and view a summary of earned and used points at any given time.

o   Redeeming Points. The merchant sets a conversion rate between points and dollars. A 20% conversion rate would mean that customers can redeem 100 earned points by deducting $20 from their next purchase on the store.

o   Promoting Word of Mouth. Merchants can also allow existing customers to earn points when they refer other customers that make a purchase on the store. The amount of points earned on a referral can be flat or based on the new customers order amount.

ProductCarts Reward Points extension is available from Early Impact for $245 per storefront and requires a ProductCart license ($395). A pre-release version of the software can be seen in use in a real-life environment on BruinStuff.com, a new online store that sells UCLA-branded merchandise (http://www.bruinstuff.com).

For more information and a full featured demonstration, please visit: http://www.earlyimpact.com/productcart

SOURCE: Early Impact, LLC
Contact: Cedric Adams
(949) 452-0062
cadams@earlyimpact.com