BizRate.com Salutes the 20 Best of the Best E-Tailers With ``Circle of Excellence'' Awards for Holiday 2000.

Business Editors & Internet/Retail Writers

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 1, 2001

Leading comparison-shopping marketplace recognizes very best

performing e-tailers as rated by online shoppers during the holidays

In its continuing mission to provide consumers with the most timely and relevant information about the top merchants on the Web, BizRate.com (www.bizrate.com) announced today its first "Circle of Excellence" awards recognizing 20 best of the best e-tailers -- for their outstanding performance over the critical holiday season(1).

The awards are based on the direct feedback, collected at the point-of-sale and after delivery of goods, from more than one million online buyers concerning six key merchant metrics including:

1. ease of ordering;

2. product selection and availability;

3. on-time delivery;

4. customer support;

5. overall satisfaction;

6. loyalty and repurchase intent.

"We are proud to induct these merchants into our inaugural 'Circle of Excellence' as they represent the best of the best of online shopping," said Chuck Davis, president and CEO of BizRate.com. "Overall shopper satisfaction was high this holiday season, so these merchants reflect an extraordinary commitment to meeting, and exceeding customer expectations."

BizRate.com "Circle of Excellence" award recipients, listed alphabetically and with categories, are:

-- 800.com (Electronics)

-- Booksamillion.com (Books & Magazines)

-- Cabela's Inc. (Sporting Goods)

-- Campmor (Sporting Goods)

-- Coldwater Creek (Apparel)

-- Cooking.com (Home & Garden)

-- Crucial Technology (Electronics)

-- Crutchfield (Electronics)

-- Fossil, Inc. (Apparel)

-- FragranceNet.com (Health & Beauty)

-- Handspring (Computer Goods)

-- Multiwave Direct (Computer Goods)

-- NokiaUSA.com (Telecommunications)

-- Outpost.com (Computer Goods)

-- Perfumania.com (Health & Beauty)

-- Powells.com (Books and Magazines)

-- Proflowers.com (Gifts & Flowers)

-- Ritzcamera.com (Electronics)

-- San Francisco Music Box Company (Gifts & Flowers)

-- Tower Hobbies (Hobbies & Toys)

In order to be admitted into the "Circle of Excellence," BizRate.com e-tailers have had to demonstrate outstanding performance during this past holiday season (November 20 - December 26, 2000) and achieve a performance rating above the BizRate.com Gold Star average on all six aforementioned service metrics -- based on at least 2,000 completed buyer surveys from each merchants' sites. These awards are based on the feedback from more than one million online buyers.

BizRate.com's marketplace already features more than 1,500 quality, customer-rated online merchants. Gold Star merchants allow themselves to be surveyed by consumers regarding their online shopping experience -- at the point of purchase. In addition, BizRate.com surveys customers a second time after a purchase has been delivered to better quantify such items as on-time delivery and a customer's intent to return to the merchant in the future.

"It has been our experience, based on the opinions of millions of online shoppers, that customer satisfaction is not based solely on price," added Davis. "On behalf of BizRate.com shoppers, I congratulate these merchants for providing a superior shopping experience from the moment consumers enter their site to the time when their purchase is delivered promptly on their doorstep."

About BizRate.com

Founded in 1996 and based in Los Angeles, BizRate.com (www.bizrate.com) is the No. 1 retail mall on the Web (according to Media Metrix, December 2000), connecting millions of buyers to thousands of sellers in a single, organized location. Designed as the ultimate comparison-shopping hub, the site provides the best efficiencies for both buyers and sellers. In BizRate.com's marketplace, shoppers have access to a powerful product search engine, standardized check-out, exclusive deals, "hot" product listings and gift guides to empower consumers to "shop smartly" across 20 popular store categories and more than 1,500 merchants. Through BizRate.com's unbiased consumer rating system, compiled exclusively from point-of-sale and fulfillment surveys of participating merchants, shoppers can compare merchants across 10 service dimensions. BizRate.com ratings appear on Consumer Reports Online and in Consumer Reports magazine.

(1) BizRate.com Holiday Season spans from November 20, 2000 to December 26, 2000.