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GTE SuperPages.com®
Service Evolves
Into a Premier Shopping Destination
Fresh, Intuitive Interface Provides One-Stop Online Shopping
DALLAS,
TX (June 29, 1999)
- GTE SuperPages.com (NYSE: GTE) is adopting a new image. The leading
online Yellow Pages service today launched an extensively redesigned site
with a comprehensive focus on online shopping. Building on its strong
Yellow Pages foundation, SuperPages.com (http://superpages.com) now also
boasts a better integration of shopping information and tools, allowing
users to shop in many different ways and to more easily find the products
and services they want.
Leveraging in-depth user feedback and research, the site redesign illustrates
the continued execution of GTE Directories Corporation's long-term strategy
for SuperPages.com, established in 1995. The company's strategy is to
focus on enabling local e-commerce while offering consumers access to
national businesses. To stay ahead of consumer demand, SuperPages.com
plans further technology and user interface enhancements for the site,
with major feature releases scheduled for August and October 1999.
"SuperPages.com is a study in evolution - it's not only growing but getting
better. We are by no means moving away from the online Yellow Pages; rather,
we are adding more tools for shoppers at SuperPages.com," said Earl A.
Goode, president of GTE Directories Corporation. "Our research and user
feedback shows that people are searching for information, buying products
and services, and shopping with online Yellow Pages like never before.
We wanted to ensure that the site would be a one-stop shopping destination
for Internet users. SuperPages.com is the ultimate shopping service."
Visitors to SuperPages.com can locate both local and national merchants
and engage in a virtually endless variety of search and purchasing activities
- from finding information on restaurants, florists and hotels to buying
clothing, gifts and lifestyle products.
Web novices told GTE Directories that they use the Web primarily to search
for information. In contrast, experienced users said they are more interested
in using the Internet to complete every step of the shopping process including
searching for information, evaluating and comparing products and services,
and executing the transaction. The new SuperPages.com site directly addresses
both types of consumers by offering the following features:
- Shopping Pages.
A shopping content area for consumers who know what they want to purchase
and simply need to locate and buy it. Categories in this area include
Books/Magazines; Hobbies/Crafts/Collectibles; Career/Education; Computers;
Home/Garden; Dining/Food/Beverage; Kids/Family; Electronics; Music/Video/DVD;
Entertainment/Attractions; Pets; Fashion; Software; Financial/Legal
Services; Sports/Recreation; Flowers/Gifts; Toys; Video Games; and Health/Wellness.
- Idea Pages.
Designed for the shopper who has a specific need but is not sure of
what to buy, the Idea Pages is a more in-depth shopping channel. By
providing product reviews, helpful tips and suggestions, direct links
to online merchants, and classifieds, this area will help users become
more informed shoppers. Idea Pages features some of the Internet's hottest
categories: Planning a Wedding; Planning a Party; Buying a Home/Relocation;
Buying a Car/Maintenance; Starting and Running a Business; and Planning
a Vacation.
- City Pages. A
local shopping guide that allows users to shop based on geography. City
Pages features links to AOL Digital Cities and Lycos City Guide, as
well as links to local classifieds, maps and driving directions, and
places to shop locally.
- Yellow Pages.
The Internet's leading online Yellow Pages service, SuperPages.com features
a searchable database with more than 11 million U.S. business listings,
maps, driving directions, and links to other shopping content based
on what a user searches for. In addition, the Yellow Pages search tool
is more intuitive than ever before. When search is conducted, the most
popular categories are returned first to make it easier for consumers
to find the information that they need.
Each category features
links to online merchants, classifieds, Yellow Pages, Consumer Guide Best
Buy product reviews, and Auto Guide car comparisons and buying tips, where
appropriate.
For users performing searches, SuperPages.com features a new shopping
engine that uses advanced, patent-pending classification technology from
GTE Laboratories. The shopping engine returns complete, unbiased lists
of the online storefronts that sell specifically what shoppers are looking
for - an Internet first. Because GTE's shopping engine retrieves information
from all e-commerce-enabled shopping sites, it allows consumers to quickly
locate online merchants that sell a particular product.
"Right now, our efforts are focused on building an online shopping destination
that is rewarding for all Internet users," said Goode. "The shopping engine
represents a powerful tool for them. And the simple navigation gets users
where they want to go. Our next step is to offer personalization capabilities
and to continue developing innovative online shopping features."
About SuperPages.com and GTE Directories Corporation
With over 11 million businesses listed and thousands of advertisers, SuperPages.com,
offered by GTE Directories Corporation, is a rich, comprehensive shopping
tool designed for people who want the convenience of finding information
and purchasing products and services online. A leading Internet Yellow
Pages service, SuperPages.com receives as many as 4.5 million visits per
month and conducts as many as 12 million Yellow Pages searches per month.
GTE Directories Corporation is a leader in linking buyers and sellers
through a spectrum of multimedia advertising solutions, ranging from traditional
Yellow Pages advertising to interactive Internet-based services to cable
television advertising. The company provides sales and other directory-related
services for approximately 2,600 directory titles, including GTE's Yellow
Pages directories, in 13 countries with a total circulation of 96 million.
GTE Directories Corporation is a part of GTE Corporation, one of the world's
largest telecommunications companies and a leading provider of integrated
telecommunications services.
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