Clinique's Web Site Puts A New Face On Beauty Retailing.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 1998--Clinique, a leading prestige cosmetic brand, today unveils a new fully interactive online shopping site at www.clinique.com.

As the first major prestige cosmetic brand to offer complete shopping online, clinique.com gives customers a convenient way to buy the company's full skincare, cosmetic and fragrance lines. The electronic commerce section was created in response to the growing number of women turning to the Internet.

At present, women comprise 45 percent of online users. It is predicted that women will reach 60 percent of all users and will spend $3.5 billion online by 2005. To accommodate this growth, Clinique has developed an online store, which enables fast product purchasing for online shoppers.

"Clinique.com is a valuable resource for the growing number of time-pressed women," said Angela Kapp, Vice President of Special Markets and New Media for the Estee Lauder Companies, Inc., and developer of clinique.com. "It provides personalized information, an extensive selection of new products, and convenient ordering in an easy-to-navigate site." Noting Clinique's formidable base of loyal customers, many of whom require product replenishment on a regular basis, Kapp explains, "Whether at home or on a business trip, women can get desired products from clinique.com."

By extending its well-known personalized service and strong customer relationship from retail stores onto its site, Clinique enables online visitors to receive personalized information, as well as product details and usage instructions. The site also makes personalized product recommendations.

Clinique continues to build and maintain relationships with its customers by e-mailing site updates and new product information monthly. And the site remembers skin type and color preferences every time a registered user visits.

All order information is protected with the latest Secure Socket Layer Software (SSL) to ensure high levels of safety. Because ordering is in real-time, it is received immediately by Clinique and shipped out within 24 hours. A confirmation, including tracking number and shipping date, is e-mailed to the customer within an hour of when the order is shipped. There is also a "no questions asked" return policy.

By providing customers with the flexibility of obtaining products and service on demand, clinique.com expects them to keep clicking back to the site. The site currently boasts 350,000 registered users. Clinique was among the first cosmetic brands to launch a Web site in 1996.