ATLANTA, May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- UPS has launched http://www.ec.ups.com, an
innovative web site to serve as an information clearinghouse for those
exploring ways to transact business over the Internet.  The site also provides
information on electronic commerce solutions offered by seven leading
technology companies with which UPS has strategic alliances to provide a
variety of software tools enabling businesses of any size to develop a web
site and transact business over the Web.
    The new UPS site provides background on E-commerce tools and strategies
ranging from simple entry-level software to advanced solutions that integrate
a company's entire business processes.  It showcases electronic commerce
solutions provided by AT&T, Harbinger, IBM, iCat, Lotus, Open Market and
Pandesic.  The products incorporate various UPS functions, from tracking and
rating to complete shipment processing, including international documentation
preparation and label printing that are available through integration with UPS
OnLine Professional.
    "We have sifted through the E-commerce noise to provide our customers with
valuable information about doing business via the Internet," said Dale Hayes,
UPS vice president of marketing.  "Opening a channel to leading E-commerce
companies to provide superior solutions to our customers is important to UPS.
It is an exciting innovation that is part of our overall strategy of
collaborating, not competing, with technology leaders to bring the best
solutions to the table."
    Visitors to the new, easy-to-navigate UPS web site can get answers to
questions commonly asked about electronic commerce or explore specific
products.  The goal is to make both the decision and the business processes
easy to understand and implement.
    If interested in purchasing one of the alliance members' solutions, UPS
offers customers three ways to learn more:  request a brochure, request that a
representative call, or be connected to the alliance's web site.  In addition,
visitors are given the opportunity to participate in a short survey about
current and future electronic commerce needs and issues.

    An essential part of the business process
    The launch of the web site is part of UPS's aggressive effort to integrate
its presence throughout the entire supply chain and become an indispensable,
branded part of the business process.  Through the various electronic commerce
solutions offered by the alliance companies, UPS becomes integral to the order
entry, accounting, inventory, pick and pack, shipping, returns and customer
service functions.
    "UPS is moving beyond the shipping room, beyond facilitating the physical
flow of goods," Hayes added.  "Through alliances with leading E-commerce
providers, we are positioned to facilitate the flow of information and funds,
the other two elements critical to commerce."
    In addition to the alliance program, UPS has introduced numerous services
available through the Internet, including UPS Document Exchange, a suite of
secure electronic delivery services that will enable UPS customers to ship
over the Internet anything that can be contained in a digital file, including
documents, images, video and software, and provide secure document delivery
and management via the Internet.
    UPS Document Exchange, which will be available globally later this
quarter, provides two distinct types of service.  UPS OnLine Dossier is a
unique double encryption process for maximum security from initial
transmission to opening by the receiver, as well as authentication of sender
and receiver.  UPS OnLine Courier is a sender-driven service with multiple
security options, works on the web site or as a client application, and
requires no special software at the receiver's computer.
    In addition, the UPS web site (http://www.ups.com) is a highly interactive site,
allowing visitors to track packages and documents, calculate and compare
shipping costs for the various UPS services, request a package pickup, order
shipping supplies and determine the nearest drop-off location.
    UPS is the world's largest express carrier and package delivery company,
offering an unmatched array of products and services.  With headquarters in
Atlanta, the company operates in more than 200 countries and territories, has
been named by Fortune Magazine as the most admired company in the
transportation industry for 15 consecutive years, and has received two
Computerworld Smithsonian Awards for technology leadership.

    Backgrounder:
    UPS, technology leaders provide EC solutions
    One of the newest UPS alliances is with AT&T, offering merchants complete
end-to-end solutions for e-commerce through AT&T Internet access via the
reliable AT&T Internet backbone.  AT&T e-commerce solutions include a highly
flexible set of hosting and transaction services that separately or combined,
simplify the process of setting up a secure online storefront.
    AT&T e-commerce products marketed through http://www.ec.ups.com, will give
businesses all the tools they need to quickly turn a web site into a powerful
sales channel.  Through hosting and transaction services like AT&T EasyWorld
Wide Web, AT&T Enhanced Web Development Package, and AT&T SecureBuy Services,
merchants have the ability to design and build basic or cutting-edge
interactive sites, set up an electronic store or even integrate a Web site and
call center.  UPS tracking is integrated into each of these services.
    Harbinger's TrustedLink Instant Net Presence is an entry-level solution
that allows merchants to establish an inexpensive, commerce-enabled Web site
containing up to 100 HTML pages in an estimated two to three hours, with no
need to learn programming skills or languages.  It features a searchable
catalog for up to 1,250 items, unlimited updates and Web site changes, and
automatic tax and shipping charge calculations.
    IBM HomePage Creator is another entry level solution that requires no
knowledge of HTML coding.  The IBM point and click Web site creator and
maintenance tool features security-rich, real-time credit card processing,
automated sales tax calculation.  The sites are hosted on IBM servers and IBM
offers  free site registration on 16 top search engines as well as support for
custom domain name or site alias.
    Also available is IBM Net.Commerce, a more advanced product designed for
larger companies looking to build a second generation Web site with additional
functionality, including integration with UPS OnLine Professional.  It
features Web-based authoring, administration and customizing tools, has three
pre-built sample stores with predefined catalog templates, and supports Domino
Web server for e-mail and discussion groups, as well as messaging order
fulfillment or confirmation of the order to the buyer.  It is available in
English, Spanish, French,  German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean,
simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese.
    Two iCat products are featured.  iCat Commerce Online is an entry level,
browser-based product.  It includes a variety of design templates, and has The
several "wizard" and help tools that allows the business to simply enter
information, customize the templates and begin selling products.  Merchants
get a direct link to the UPS Web site for tracking.
    The iCat EC Suite is an advanced solution that goes beyond creating a Web
site to information management and integrated secure transaction processing.
In addition to the ready-to-use templates, iCat EC Suite features a database
for organizing product information.
    It is web server and browser-independent and provides customizable
payment, tax and shipping options.  The product is suitable for Web
developers, hosting professionals and marketers interested in
sophisticated e-commerce.
    Lotus Domino Merchant provides a single infrastructure for messaging,
collaboration and Internet application development, allowing the e-commerce
system to be seamlessly integrated with other workflow applications.  Lotus
Domino Merchant can be integrated with existing systems or with other tools
from Lotus and its business partners.  In addition to UPS tracking, including
reference number tracking by either a UPS-assigned tracking number or a
merchant-assigned order ID number, customers who use the UPS OnLine
Professional can use Domino Merchant to generate flat files of UPS-related
order data.
    Open Market's Transact is a leading Internet commerce software product
that features a complete set of end-to-end online commerce applications,
including customer authentication and authorization, order and payment
processing, automated tax and shipping calculations, order tracking and status
and customer service.  Open Market and UPS joined together to develop an
integrated logistics and fulfillment module called the UPS Logistics Gateway
whereby users can prepare packages for shipment through an interface with UPS
OnLine Professional shipping software and can track packages with a standard
UPS tracking number or a reference number assigned when an order is placed.
Transact customers have the option of licensing and operating the solution or
"outsourcing" it to a Commerce Service Provider such as AT&T, who will perform
all the transaction and order management functions.
    Pandesic provides an integrated approach.  It supports all of the business
processes required for financial management, credit card validation,
electronic payment and settlement, catalog creation and management, order
processing and returns, as well as inventory management, merchandising,
shipping and customer service.  Pandesic can be integrated with virtually any
computer system currently being used.

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