Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

ONLINE SHOPS NEED TO BE READY FOR THE CHRISTMAS RUSH ACCORDING TO HYBRIS

....central product databases are key to ecommerce success....

London, 13 November 2007: According to a recent study by Forrester Research, 58 per cent of all customers in Europe will buy their Christmas presents over the Internet this year, spending around 51 billion euros online over the festive season. And, for those retailers who can provide a smooth and hassle-free on-line shopping experience, bumper sales can be expected, according to leading product information management and ecommerce vendor, hybris (www.hybris.com).

Commenting on the weeks ahead in the build up to Christmas, Ariel Ludi, Chief Executive Officer of hybris said: “The basis of successful online retail business, especially in busy periods such as the run-up to Christmas, is detailed and up-to-date product data displaying the goods as clearly as possible to customers. The amount of product information has risen dramatically in the last few years and requires a high measure of data management.

“To keep the costs required to do this to an absolute minimum, the product information should be managed centrally through a Product Information Management (PIM) system. This supplies all sales channels and ensures that all information is up-to-date. With this in place, Christmas shopping should be a trouble-free experience for customers and retailers alike.”

Many retailers have responded to the trend towards online purchasing by stepping up their marketing activities for their online operations. However, what they frequently forget is that an online shop can only make sales if its products can be located, and when information on its products, prices and delivery times is up-to-date.

“Many retailers have proved that the online channel is the way to go, but then do not have a platform that can support their business growth. So we see many companies turn to vendors such as hybris to build a best of breed ecommerce and PIM platform to support their online growth and development,” concluded Ludi.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About hybris

hybris supplies standard software solutions for the media-independent management of product information and its distribution over both online and print channels.

Manufacturers, vendors, marketplace operators and purchasing companies consolidate and manage their entire product information in every language on one platform, in the process creating a “single source of truth”. Enterprises are able to supply online and print channels with information from this central hub. Integrated solutions for catalogue management, ecommerce, e-procurement and database publishing provide you with personalised and channel-specific data recycling throughout all electronic procurement and sales channels. This also means that print catalogues can be published without media fragmentation.

The hybris solution’s integrative approach to managing and recycling product information leads to a reduction in process costs, clearing the path for companies to add new sales and procurement markets at low cost. The return on investment with hybris is very fast. As hybris has selected to use standards-based and future-proof basic technologies in its solutions, investments are secure over the long term.

Established in 1997, the company is based in Munich and has offices in the UK, Benelux, Denmark and Switzerland, with over 1,000 customers worldwide.

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For further info:

Michele Bayliss
Ascendant Communications
Tel: 01273 475672
Email: mbayliss@ascendcomms.net