Dutch-American ASP Recruits Marketing Director to Build Payment Processing Brand in Europe; Verza Localizes E-Commerce Services for Dutch-Speaking Internet Merchants and Customers.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers AMSTERDAM, Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 2000 Verza, Inc., (www.verza.com), a Dutch-American risk management services provider for small Internet merchants, today announced that Ries Bode has joined the company as European marketing director. With 20 years of combined IT and ISP (1) See in-system programmable. (2) (Internet Service Provider) An organization that provides access to the Internet. Connection to the user is provided via dial-up, ISDN, cable, DSL and T1/T3 lines. managerial experience, Bode will aggressively drive the Verza brand to attract small European vendors who want to make the move to online sales. Verza also announced that its website has been translated for Dutch-speaking customers, the company's first step in localizing its online services in Europe and Asia. Now i-merchants can easily switch from English to Dutch text when they go to the site to register. Reaching i-merchants and buyers on five continents, Verza provides a package of services including online shopping, credit card payment processing with anti-fraud security, shipment tracking and referral marketing Referral Marketing is a proven method of advertising. People, typically users of a get-paid website, are encouraged to refer their friends (or indeed anyone) through a personal referral link, which would look something like: www.getpaidsite. without any upfront or monthly fees. Verza merchants report doubling and tripling sales within one to three months when they transition from check payments via postal mail to credit card payments online. With Verza's current merchant base of 5,000 and over 40,000 registered products, Bode will support the company's goal of capturing the small e-business sector (10 or less employees) in Europe and signing on 30,000 i-merchants over the next two years. In addition to helping develop awareness programs to build the Verza brand, Bode will manage day-to-day marketing operations, including email marketing, online advertising and public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most . "Ries brings a wealth of experience in both backend systems management and services marketing Services marketing is marketing based on relationship and value. It may be used to market a service or a product. Marketing a service-base business is different from marketing a product-base business. so he really understands the company's capabilities and how to bring our services into new markets," said Paul Kraaijvanger, co-CEO of Verza. "We look forward to tapping Ries' expertise in creating a truly global e-business service." Bode joins Verza after holding various data- and telecommunications management positions at European companies. Most recently he served as managing director of UUNET (UUNET Technologies, Inc., Fairfax, VA, www.uunet.net) Founded in 1987, UUNET was the first commercial Internet service provider. Originally offering e-mail and news, it became a full Internet service organization providing dial-up and leased line accounts as well as archive space for Netherlands, and as a member of the UUNET EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) Refers to that region of the world. For example, one might see products packaged differently for the UK, EMEA and Asia Pacific markets. management board. Bode spent 10 years at KPN KPN Koninklijke PTT Nederland (Royal Dutch Telecom) KPN Konfederacja Polski Niepodleglej (Polish conservative party) Telecom as marketing director for the company's IP/data and call center organizations. Bode introduced KPN's ISDN ISDN in full Integrated Services Digital Network Digital telecommunications network that operates over standard copper telephone wires or other media. services to market and helped launch the company's joint venture, Unisource Business Networks, headquartered in Germany. He also led a business process re-engineering See reengineering. (business) Business Process Re-engineering - (BPR) Any radical change in the way in which an organisation performs its business activities. BPR involves a fundamental re-think of the business processes followed by a redesign of business activities to initiative at KPN and cut the company's time-to-market for new services by 30%. About Verza Since 1998, Verza has been providing transaction and marketing services to small Internet merchants, helping them become profitable as soon as they open their online stores. Based on a cost-per-transaction model, Verza's packaged services combine transaction processing and marketing functions, including virtual online shopping; real-time credit and debit card debit card, card that allows the cost of goods or services that are purchased to be deducted directly from the purchaser's checking account. They can also be used at automated teller machines for withdrawing cash from the user's checking account. processing in U.S. and foreign currencies; anti-fraud screening; shipment tracking; sales reporting; and reseller marketing for increased visibility and sales. I-merchants sign up for free at the Verza website and within minutes begin exchanging goods for credit and debit card payments, paying a small percentage per transaction to Verza. According to In-Stat Group, small Internet businesses will spend more than $7 billion on web-hosted services by 2004 and Verza is poised to be a notable player in this booming market with its payment processing, state-of-the-art anti-fraud technology and unique affiliate marketing capabilities, especially designed for small online merchants. The company has offices in San Francisco, CA and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. |
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