Cardonet Expands Product Suite With Transactive Catalog Solution; Advanced e-Catalog Option for Multi-Vendor e-Marketplaces Introduced as Part of Catalog Automation Platform.

Business & Technology Editors

eB2B MarketplaceWorld 2000

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 2000

Cardonet, Inc. (www.cardonet.com), the definitive provider of catalog management solutions for business-to-business e-marketplaces, today announced the introduction of Cardonet Transactive Catalog(TM), a true multi-vendor catalog featuring advanced capabilities for handling identical products, built-in search technology, and easy integration with leading trading platforms.

Cardonet Transactive Catalog(TM) is part of Cardonet's e-Catalog Automation Platform, an extensible foundation of content-level software and services that enables marketplaces, buyers, and suppliers to more effectively conduct online commerce.

"In the past, e-marketplaces have been forced to go with a specific e-commerce vendor's catalog or build their own catalogs from the ground up," stated Itay Meiri, CEO of Cardonet. "Cardonet Transactive Catalog gives e-marketplaces an attractive alternative to expensive custom development with the advanced features needed to handle the unique requirements of a multi-vendor catalog."

Cardonet Transactive Catalog Introduces the "Master" Product Concept

Multi-vendor catalogs, which are typically characterized by large numbers of similar products, must be efficiently classified yet effectively differentiated for buyer discovery and evaluation. This often includes dealing with identical manufacturer products offered through multiple distribution channels, as well as equivalent functional products provided by different manufacturers. In most catalogs, buyers who search for one of these products would be presented with multiple listings of the same product. Cardonet Transactive Catalog features a robust structure that groups identical items under a single "master" product so that buyers can see it as one product offered by multiple vendors.

Under this system, catalog items are assigned to a "master" product, which defines the common set of supplier-independent attributes associated with that particular type of product. At the same time, products can carry a rich set of unique supplier dependent attributes enabling buyers to compare product alternatives on the basis of price, terms, warranty, delivery, availability, or a wide range of other considerations. Master products can be easily merged or unmerged at any time to adjust the catalog structure for maximum effectiveness.

Cardonet Transactive Catalog and the e-Catalog Automation Platform

Cardonet Transactive Catalog is fully integrated with the Cardonet Content Factory(TM) to provide a complete, front-to-back process for the capture, preparation, and maintenance of e-catalog content. The latest release of the Cardonet Content Factory features Cardonet's "smart taxonomy" technology providing e-marketplaces with a wide range of advanced capabilities for organizing disparate catalog structures, handling rapidly changing catalog information, and maintaining control of the catalog management process.

By combining the Cardonet Content Factory with Cardonet Transactive Catalog, updates can be quickly and easily reviewed and approved any time new supplier information is received, and the system automatically checks to make sure the taxonomies of the staging data and the production catalog remain fully synchronized. Cardonet Transactive Catalog also comes equipped with customizable search technology and an application programming interface (API) to support the development of a wide range of search and catalog browsing applications.

About Cardonet, Inc.

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., Cardonet, Inc., (www.cardonet.com) is a leading provider of catalog content management solutions for business-to-business e-marketplaces. Cardonet enables e-marketplaces to create and maintain transactive catalogs that enhance the buyer's experience and increase marketplace transactions, resulting in repeat customers and reduced time-to-market. Cardonet's growing list of leading customers and strategic partners include Ariba, Asera, Consolidated Commerce, CrossCommerce, Epylon, Escalate, Idapta, ProductSuccess, and Wiznet. Privately held, Cardonet is funded by leading venture capital firms including Sequoia Capital, Giza GE Capital, and Yozma Venture Capital.