Fingerhut Chooses EasyAsk to Achieve Next Generation of Integrated Search and Merchandising
New Search Solution Will Benefit Site Users and Call Center Agents
MARLBORO, MASS. - August 3, 2004 — EasyAsk, a trusted provider of search and information retrieval solutions, today announced that that after an extensive evaluation of search vendors, Fingerhut Direct Marketing, a leading direct marketing company, has selected the EasyAsk Enterprise 9 platform to provide a comprehensive search engine for its website, www.fingerhut.com. Fingerhut will use EasyAsk to increase the accuracy of search results and to integrate dynamic merchandising with its new search capabilities for both their site visitors and their call center agents.
With EasyAsk, Fingerhut’s loyal shoppers can quickly locate items from the direct marketer’s inventory of thousands of SKUs spanning home furnishings, electronics and jewelry. EasyAsk’s plain-language processing ensures that shoppers previewing merchandise in the print catalog can simply type in a word or descriptive phrase to find the same items at Fingerhut.com as well as other products matching their exact criteria. Using EasyAsk’s dynamic navigation, shoppers can further refine their search results according to specific product attributes. These capabilities will also be used by Fingerhut call center representatives to more efficiently process phone orders and to fulfill merchandise-related inquiries.
By selecting EasyAsk, Fingerhut is now able to embrace next-generation online and call-center merchandising capabilities as well. EasyAsk Enterprise 9 provides a full-featured dashboard that enables merchandising managers to add new product definitions or to create custom rules establishing cross-sell and up-sell relationships. Merchandising managers can modify these rules at any time, without assistance from IT administrators.
According to Mike Sidders, director of e-commerce for Fingerhut, "We’re excited about having this capability in place by the fall and prior to this year’s holiday season. Our original search simply lacked the sophistication to intelligently interpret complex search queries or to intuitively guide shoppers to items matching their interests. EasyAsk delivers these advanced capabilities and much more, with an easy-to-use solution that enables us to offer Fingerhut online customers a markedly superior, more enjoyable online shopping experience and to increase the productivity and efficiency of our internal call center team."
"Since search is very often the most popular feature on a website, the importance of having a highly accurate, feature-rich search capability cannot be underestimated," said Bob Alperin, president and CEO of EasyAsk. "With our extensive experience in supporting the search requirements of the leading brands in e-commerce, EasyAsk fully understands the power that search has to convert browsers to buyers, to increase average order size, and to enhance the overall shopping experience. We’re committed to making sure that our search technology performs flawlessly and integrates seamlessly with other key components of retail operations, such as merchandising."
About Fingerhut Direct Marketing
Fingerhut Direct Marketing, Inc. is a direct to the consumer marketing company selling a broad selection of merchandise including electronics, housewares, home textiles, jewelry and furniture. Products are marketed through catalogs and the Internet to millions of consumers nationwide. Fingerhut maintains a proprietary database to provide credit, target offers and build lifetime relationships with customers. For more information visit www.fingerhut.com.
About EasyAsk
EasyAsk delivers search and information retrieval solutions that help organizations requiring scaleable, secure, single point access to critical business information and insight, drive sustainable competitive advantage and rewarding customer experiences. Powered by a deep linguistic capability, EasyAsk’s Synchronized Search and Navigation™ platform accesses both structured and unstructured data, intelligently interpreting users` queries to find fast, accurate and complete results. Over 100 industry leading brands including retail, financial services, high technology and manufacturing companies such as Lands’ End, The Gap, E-Loan, Forbes.com and Warner Home Video rely on EasyAsk for increased effectiveness of their B2C or B2B cross-channel eCommerce efforts. Leading investors include Sigma Partners and Flagship Ventures. EasyAsk is headquartered near Boston with sales and support offices throughout the U.S., and Europe. For more information, please visit our website at www.easyask.com or contact us at 1-800-425-8200.
Kim McCrossen
RF Binder Partners
781.455.8250
kim.mccrossen@rfbinder.com
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