Bigstep.com Pledges to Assist Local Retailers Losing Out Online.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 5, 1999--

CEO Responds to National Studies Showing National Players Dominating

Online Retailing Says New Web Service Provider Can Reverse Trend

In the face of studies showing that national chains and e-tailers extending their domination of online commerce, a new San Francisco-based Web service today said it was working to reclaim the promise of the Internet by providing free, e-business services to local stores.

"We are delivering the services that allow Main Street retailers to level the commercial playing field," said Bigstep.com CEO Andrew Beebe. "Too much local business is sliding into the laps of the national online retailers."

Beebe said that their research showed that many small business owners and entrepreneurs wanted an Internet presence, but neither had the time, expertise or money to design web sites to take advantage of new technologies and compete with larger firms.

Problems facing small businesses in the new technological environment have been underscored by a series of studies showing that the Web is accelerating the nationalization of commerce in the U.S. The most recent study by Forrester Research showed that local retailers' share of Internet business will actually decline from their current and already low -- 9 percent share to 6 percent by 2003. Small to medium-sized businesses now garner half of all offline retail sales.

A recent study by the Gallup organization for GTE Corp. found that while nearly one-third of all U.S. small business owners were either online or listed in a Web directory, far fewer could leverage that presence.

New York-based small business advisor Terri Lonier said local retailers could thrive online. "Small businesses have been disadvantaged in competing in the Internet arena because of cost and complexity. Fortunately, those barriers are now dissolving, due in part to several new product and service offerings," she said. Lonier is the award-winning creator of the "Working Solo" collection of resources for entrepreneurs and a consultant to Bigstep.com.

National chains enjoy inherent advantages with which no local retailer can compete. "Small companies will never be able to compete with the mega-retailers in terms of price. They can, however, offer something that many of the larger firms cannot -- the personal touch," Lonier said. "Small businesses can use technology to its best advantage -- to augment the one-to-one relationships they've already established with their customers."

Bigstep.com gives local retailers a cost advantage over online and bricks and mortar megastores. The cost of building a "virtual store" for the typical national chain costs well over $1 million. Bigstep.com offers its services for free.

"We're focused solely on small business owners and their success, we're zealous about helping them build the kind of customer relationships they need to compete," said Beebe. "We want to be their advocate, partner and resource for building their online businesses and dreams."

The preview edition, available at www.bigstep.com, is a design-it-your-way service that includes a powerful suite of easy-to-use, integrated services. Among them are storefront building tools, web hosting and e-business services, including the same powerful targeted marketing, personalized customer service and reporting/tracking tools that the biggest and most successful businesses apply online today.