Business Editors & High Tech Writers
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 11, 2000
Web's Most Popular Fantasy Football Site Transitioning from Affiliate
Marketing to the CrossCommerce Merchandise-on-Demand Model
CrossCommerce, the industry's first E-Merchandising Service Provider, announced today that thehuddle.com, the Web's most heavily trafficked fantasy football site attracting over 10 million page views a month, has become its latest subscribing customer. By implementing the CrossCommerce E-Merchandising Platform(TM), thehuddle.com can now offer a wide range of highly contextual merchandise directly to its site visitors without the cost or headache of developing its own e-commerce infrastructure. As a result, browse-to-buy conversion rates are forecasted to increase, margins will be dramatically higher, and most importantly thehuddle.com will keep its loyal viewers on its site.
"As a free site, we've augmented our banner advertising with affiliate marketing strategies to generate additional revenue, but the results have been very disappointing," said Whitney Walters, President and Co-Founder of thehuddle.com. "The problem with affiliate marketing is that the merchandise isn't targeted, the revenue sharing is too limited to justify the administrative overhead, and we lose our traffic when they click away to another merchant's site. CrossCommerce addresses each of these deficiencies. By outsourcing all of our e-commerce requirements to them, we can concentrate on working with their merchandising experts to select the products most relevant to the content on our pages."
The CrossCommerce E-Merchandising Platform completely automates the entire e-commerce process including product sourcing, product placement, transaction processing, and order fulfillment. It features the E-Merchandising Application, which is easily accessible through a standard Web browser, and enables non-technical site administrators and marketers to quickly identify and merchandise relevant products within the content of their Web site pages. The application also allows them to control the presentation of products so that the resulting consumer experience is completely consistent with their Web site design.
"With the start of the football season upon us, we're consumed by the ongoing development of the constantly changing content our site visitors have come to rely on," explains Walters. "That's why the CrossCommerce E-Merchandising Application is so critical to us. They've provided us with a quick and simple way to merchandise targeted products within the native look and feel of our site. The implementation time is literally minutes per page, which frees us up to focus on what we do best--provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on every facet of professional football."
The ability of CrossCommerce subscribers to quickly merchandise relevant products on their sites is also due to the CrossCommerce Virtual Product Warehouse(TM), which provides immediate access to millions of intelligently categorized stock-keeping units (SKUs) across a broad range of product categories. The warehouse is accessible through the CrossCommerce E-Merchandising Application and represents the largest online inventory of merchandise offered by any vendor in the industry.
"By tapping into CrossCommerce's huge Virtual Product Warehouse, we never have to deal with the risk or management overhead of maintaining physical inventory," adds Walters, "and the broad product selection gives us the ability to find the right products for our audience. Cookie-cutter storefronts stocked with the latest bestsellers just won't do it. Our visitors are coming to thehuddle.com for very specific information--they want products that are as targeted as the content."
About thehuddle.com
thehuddle.com was founded in 1997 as a gathering place for fantasy football players to exchange views, pick up some new tips and strategies, or get a different slant on a particular player. The site was voted as the #2 fantasy football Web site in its first year.
thehuddle.com has continued to grow from that initial season. In both 1998 and 1999, thehuddle.com was voted as the #1 fantasy football Web site in the Dick Butkus/Internet Sports Awards.
thehuddle.com provides articles, analysis, and rankings for draft help each summer. For each week of the season, insightful, helpful columns and articles are provided to assist fantasy team owners in managing their team. With player projections, game predictions, starting lineup advice, roster recommendations, and breaking news, there is something for everyone each week of the regular season. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.thehuddle.com.
About CrossCommerce
Formed in 1999 as the industry's first E-Merchandising Service Provider, CrossCommerce is transforming content-centric sites into next-generation providers of online commerce. The company enables these sites to quickly monetize their traffic and maintain direct ownership of the customer relationship without disrupting their primary focus on creating compelling content and services.
CrossCommerce automates core e-commerce business practices, which until now have required expertise in merchandising, product sourcing, transaction processing, fulfillment, and customer service. The company also provides comprehensive Merchandising Intelligence that is a prerequisite to successful selling online. As a result, content, community, entertainment, and affinity sites can now offer targeted commerce to their customers without complex, expensive, and lengthy system integration and product sourcing.
The company's co-founders--Peter Nordberg and Jim Oliver--are industry veterans with backgrounds at leading companies that include WebLogic, Apple Computer, and Hewlett-Packard.
Privately held, with blue-chip investors that include The Sprout Group, Nexus Group, Osprey Ventures, and Beneventure Capital, CrossCommerce is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.crosscommerce.com or call 415/315-1000.
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