Hello? Videophones planned as e-commerce devices

If J.D. de Haseth has his way, customers of HSN and Paramount Pictures will press buttons on their Internet-based telephones early next year to purchase general merchandise and movie tickets.

De Haseth is president and CEO of ViseonMedia, a Viseon Inc. subsidiary that is planning to launch early next year what it describes as the world’s first digital home telephone, the VisiFone.

Peter Ruben, executive vice president of affiliate relations for IAC/Interactive Corp.’s Home Shopping Network, says HSN sees the phone as an important new selling channel. “As the originator of the TV shopping industry, HSN continues to lead the evolution of electronic retail beyond the limits of traditional retail with exciting new products and programming for our viewers to enjoy,” Ruben said.

Using Voice Over IP technology, or VoIP, the digital VisiFone will feature a 10.5-inch multi-media viewing screen that will let users see products for sale on HSN, lists of movies offered by Paramount, and assorted other content offerings from the likes of Fox News, Accuweather and TV Guide. Users will also be able to press a button on the phone’s receiver to order products or to call for additional information, de Haseth says. “You can pretty much do all that you can on a web page viewed on a computer,” he tells InternetRetailer.com.

ViseonMedia is already talking with additional partners to participate in pilot projects early next year. “We’re partnering with a large grocery chain to do online shopping by phone,” de Haseth says. Though the grocery project may start with simple lists of products available for purchase, it may eventually let users place orders from ads viewed on the phone screen. “Traditional weekly circulars will be integrated into online phones,” he says.

De Haseth says he expects 5-10,000 homes to be using a VisiFone in pilot projects early next year. The phones will cost consumers about $100, including a one-time set-up fee. Consumers will also have to subscribe to broadband Internet access with VoIP capabilities.

HSN will provide live retail shopping shows, featuring products ranging from designer fashions from Nicole Miller to Wolfgang Puck cookware and consumer electronics from Sony and Samsung, HSN said. "Participating in VisiFone`s pilot program further illustrates how HSN embraces new technologies to make it easier and more convenient for our viewers to shop with us, whether it`s through interactive TV, online or videophone," Ruben said.

Home Shopping Network`s HSN.com is No. 31 in the Internet Retailer Top 400 Guide to Retail Web Sites.