Mercent Serves One Billion Targeted Retail Product Ads Through the Mercent Shopping Network

Expanded Advertising Program Offers Retailers One-Contract, One-Invoice Product Exposure Across 50 Leading Online Shopping Destinations


SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwire - December 4, 2007) - Mercent, a provider of online marketing technology and services for retail merchants, today announced that the company has successfully delivered more than one billion online retail product ads through the Mercent Shopping Network on behalf of retail merchant clients. The Mercent Shopping Network is a consumer product advertising network combining more than 50 leading online shopping engines and marketplaces, all accessible by retail merchants through a single Mercent contract, invoice, and product feed integration. Mercent first began publishing retail product advertisements through the Network in July of last year.

To mark the occasion, Mercent released information about the billionth ad served. The ad was published to Sortprice.com, a publisher within the Mercent Shopping Network, on October 30, 2007 at 2:09 pm PT. The ad promotes an AFE Cold Air Intake System product on behalf of Mercent customer Auto Anything. The ad was one of 161 million total ads served through the Mercent Shopping Network in the month of October.

"Mercent has realized profound growth in the reach of its online product advertisements over the last eighteen months," said Glen Hamilton, VP Performance Marketing and Product Strategy at Mercent. "With the Mercent Shopping Network, it's easier than ever for retail merchants to drive online transactions and profits through an automated one-stop, pay-for-performance product advertising program."

In the first half of 2007, Mercent Performance customers exceeded 900 percent average return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) through the Mercent Shopping Network.

The Mercent Shopping Network represents more than 200 million active shoppers purchasing consumer goods and services across more than 50 leading Internet shopping channels. The Mercent Shopping Network includes transactional online marketplaces Amazon.com, Buy.com, eBay Express, SHOP.COM, and the Shopping.com Cart Program. The Network also includes leading referral-based shopping portals such as NexTag and Shopzilla, and leading affiliate marketing programs LinkShare, Commission Junction and Performics. Mercent recently expanded the program to include emerging and innovative online shopping destinations such as Jellyfish.com, Like.com, TheFind.com, and Starstyle.com.

"We are excited to partner with Mercent and offer retail merchants seamless access to our shopping platform," said Chris Guerra, Director of Retail & Social Media for Entertainment Media Works, operator of Starstyle.com. "EMW's shopping platform provides a unique opportunity for consumers to identify and merchants to monetize the products featured in both Hollywood and social media."

Leading shopping channels within the Mercent Shopping Network include Amazon.com, AOL inStore, Become.com, BizRate.com, Buy.com, BuyersEdge.com, Commission Junction, CNET Shopper.com, eBay Express, Epinions, FindGift.com, Geardigger.com, Gifts.com, Google Base, Google Product Search, Jellyfish.com, LinkShare, Like.com, Microsoft Live Search, MSN Shopping, mySimon.com, NexTag, Performics, PriceGrabber.com, PriceRunner, PriceSCAN, Pronto, SHOP.COM, ShopLocal, Shopping.com, Shopzilla, Smarter.com, SortPrice, Starstyle.com, TheFind.com, and Yahoo! Shopping.

About Mercent

Founded by veterans of Amazon.com, Mercent provides online marketing technology and services to help retail merchants optimize performance across online channels. Mercent's on-demand platform, Mercent Retail, increases revenue and gross margins by promoting the right products with the right merchandising offers and placement. Mercent Retail provides a single point of integration between existing retail management systems and a network of more than 50 leading online marketing channels including transactional marketplaces such as Amazon.com and SHOP.COM, shopping portals such as Shopping.com and Shopzilla, and affiliate marketing programs such as LinkShare and Performics -- making it easy for merchants to automate, measure, and optimize online product merchandising campaigns through these channels. Mercent customers include 1-800-Flowers, Benefit Cosmetics, REI, GUESS?, Bass Pro Shops, Redcats Group, Celebrate Express, Levenger, and other leading retailers. Mercent is an Amazon.com Certified System Integrator, Buy.com Gold Certified Partner, and SHOP.COM Certified Data Feed Provider. Mercent is a venture-funded company based in Seattle, WA. For more information, visit www.mercent.com.