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December 31, 1999
CNET Data Services and Soliloquy Announce Strategic Partnership
Partnership Provides Cross-Promotion of E-commerce Services
CNET Data Services, a Swiss affiliate of CNET Inc., (Nasdaq: CNET) today announced a partnership agreement with Soliloquy, a New York-based e-commerce-enabling company. Soliloquy creates next-generation user interfaces that humanize online shopping by making the experience interactive and conversational rather than passive. The companies have agreed to cross-promote each other’s services to PC Channel clients. The bundling of these two services from a marketing perspective represents a huge opportunity for e-commerce players; both contain essential commerce components – a technology product database and a unique means of interacting with this database.
Soliloquy’s Conversational Sales Experts are natural language systems that allow shoppers to hold intelligent two-way dialogues with web sites by typing (and later speaking) using their own words. Talking to a Soliloquy Expert such as Pick-a-PC™ feels like chatting with a live person -- except that it has 100% knowledge of all products, is available 24/7, and is a fraction of the cost. CNET Data Services, the premier source of Transactive Product Data‰, provides a standardized database of detailed technology product descriptions, technical specifications and product images. The service’s multi-lingual functionality enables customers to deliver locally-focused information on a global scale.
“We want to base products such as Pick-a-PC‘ on the definitive computer product data standard in the Channel, and we believe this to be CNET Data Services,” said Catherine Winchester, president and CEO of Soliloquy. “The combination of our natural language system with their product data solution brings to market a winning combination unsurpassed in the field.”
“Soliloquy provides unique, best-of-breed configuration tools,” said Albert de Heer, president of CNET Data Services. “Soliloquy is perfectly in line with our vision; giving buyers access to robust data in an intuitive, interactive setting. The services are complementary and provide excellent solutions to otherwise complex aspects of e-commerce.”
About Soliloquy
Founded by Catherine Winchester in mid-1997 in New York, Soliloquy is at the forefront of the next generation of web infrastructure technology. Soliloquy creates natural language user interfaces that humanize e-commerce by making the online shopping experience conversational and interactive rather than passive. Soliloquy’s Conversational Sales Experts are natural language products that allow shoppers to hold intelligent two-way dialogues with web sites by typing (and later speaking) using their own words. Talking to a Soliloquy Expert, such as Pick-a-PC‘, feels like chatting with a live person -- except that it has 100% knowledge of all products, is available 24/7, and is a fraction of the cost.
About CNET Data Services
CNET Data Services' Transactive Product Data is now available on a licensing basis to online computer retailers, distributors, VARs, computer dealers, manufacturers, IT consultants, systems integrators and other vendors. The service includes management, maintenance and dynamic updating of database content. CNET Data Services’ clients include companies such as Tech Data France, Commerce One, Buy.com and BizRate.com. For more information on CNET Data Services licensing opportunities, please contact info@data.cnet.com or visit http://data.cnet.com.
About CNET
CNET, Inc. is at the leading edge of media companies, producing a branded Internet network and television programming for both targeted and general audiences. Online and on television, CNET is the leading authority on computers, the Internet and digital technologies. CNET's network serves millions of users each day. CNET television programming airs on CNBC, USA Network, the Sci-Fi Channel and in national syndication, as well 61 foreign countries. CNET currently has investments in cash and marketable securities that today are valued at over $700 million including its 13 percent stake in NBC Internet Inc.
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