EasyAsk Search and Navigation Capabilities Light Up LAMPS PLUS
Nation’s Largest Specialty Lighting Chain Enhances Customer Satisfaction Through Self-Service Search and Navigation on the Web, at Store Kiosks and Call Centers
Littleton, Mass. - May 12, 2003 - EasyAsk, a market leader in information access software, and the only provider of Synchronized Search and Navigation™, today announced that LAMPS PLUS is now using EasyAsk to assist customers shopping online and at self-service kiosks at all LAMPS PLUS store locations. LAMPS PLUS is also using EasyAsk’s technology within its customer call centers, where online lighting consultants rely on precision search and dynamic navigation to find specific product models and designs to address customers’ needs quickly and efficiently.
As the nation’s largest specialty lighting chain, LAMPS PLUS carries thousands of lighting products - from chandeliers, ceiling fans, outdoor lighting and other fixtures to table and floor lamps. Each year, more than three million customers visit its 42 store locations. To ensure that customers can always find exactly what they’re looking for, whether shopping in stores or online, earlier this year LAMPS PLUS embedded EasyAsk search and navigation functionality into its Web site, www.LAMPSPLUS.com . Customers visiting LAMPS PLUS stores can conveniently access the Web site at centrally located information kiosks, also featuring EasyAsk’s search and navigation technology, which have quickly become popular starting points for customers and salespeople alike.
With the EasyAsk-enabled store kiosks, shoppers can pinpoint items of interest by using natural- language search terms like “tiffany table lamp” and “ contemporary desk lamps” and by navigating through a selection of related product attributes - lighting categories, finishes, brands, styles, sizes, usage and price ranges - to expedite the shopping process. Each time a shopper initiates a new search, new product attributes related specifically to that search are dynamically generated to match the item being searched for. This fast and accurate search capability is especially valuable for professional builders and designers, a rapidly growing segment of LAMPS PLUS customers, who often lack time to browse the vast showroom floors. Further, the kiosks offer access to the entire selection of LAMPS PLUS lighting inventory, which is only available through the Web site.
“At LAMPS PLUS, we think it’s important that the online shopping experience simulate the traditional shopping experience, and EasyAsk provides a sophisticated way of doing that,” said Dennis Swanson, president and owner of LAMPS PLUS. “In much the same way that a good salesperson would ask questions to refine a customer’s search, EasyAsk allows customers to drill down on the attributes important to them to find the items that match their interests. The beauty of EasyAsk is that shoppers can decide for themselves which attributes are most important.”
According to Bob Alperin, CEO and president of EasyAsk, “LAMPS PLUS is a prime example of how retailers can - and should - use e-commerce technologies like EasyAsk to align their cross-channel selling strategies. With EasyAsk, customers at home or at the store have the same search and navigation capabilities. This consistency is key to creating a high quality, cross-channel shopping experience since many customers rely on both the Web and a store visit to make purchasing decisions.”
About EasyAsk
EasyAsk is a leading provider of intuitive and precise information access solutions that empower enterprise users to quickly find and retrieve critical business information. Powered by a unique linguistic capability, EasyAsk’s Synchronized Search and Navigation* platform accesses both structured and unstructured data, intelligently interpreting users’ queries to find accurate and complete results with unprecedented efficiency. Leading retail, financial services and business-to-business companies such as Lands’ End, BASF Corporation, Siemens Medical Systems (SMS) and Glaxo SmithKline use EasyAsk’s technology. In addition to dozens of direct customers, over 100 companies have acquired EasyAsk’s core technology. Strategic partners include IBM-where EasyAsk is a preferred provider of IBM’s WebSphere Commerce Group-and SAIC. Leading investors include Sigma Partners and Flagship Ventures. EasyAsk is headquartered outside of Boston with sales and support offices throughout the U.S., as well as internationally in England, Belgium and Spain. For more information, please visit our website at www.easyask.com or contact us at 1-800-425-8200.
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