Electronic Retailing Association and AmeriNet Join to Offer Check Processing Services to ERA Members; Debit-It To Provide Check Processing for Electronic Retailing Association.

Business Editors

WASHINGTON/PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 14, 2001

AmeriNet's Debit-it Saves Merchants Money/Gives Consumers Secure

On-line Payment Options -- Enhances B2B and B2C E-Commerce 

The Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) and AmeriNet, Inc. have joined forces to provide state-of-the-art check processing services for ERA members who market goods and services on-line.

Under terms of the agreement, the ERA and AmeriNet will launch a proprietary, ERA-dedicated electronic transaction system called Debit-it designed exclusively for ERA membership. Providing a highly effective, low cost option for high-speed electronic transaction processing, Debit-it will give the customers of ERA members secure, on-line checking account debit transactions that makes their on-line purchases as easy as paying with a credit card.

Features of Debit-it include a user interface that mirrors a 'real time' credit card transaction; batch processing of checks; an AmeriNet Parsing engine that eliminates 8 - 10% of errors up front; fraud screening built into the check processing system, processing of web and phone orders; paperless transactions; custom reporting, and ease of integration through a transaction server that integrates in less than two hours.

The ERA will introduce Debit-It as a convenient means of registering for the upcoming 2001 Conference & Exposition of the Electronic Retailing Association via the service. The ERA Conference will occur October 14-17 in Las Vegas at the Paris Hotel.

"We look forward to providing the association and its customers with a convenient and secure payment option without credit cards," said Pat Dane, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at AmeriNet. "Electronic retailing is dependent on systems that allow for remote payment, payment verification and processing since 40 percent of consumers don't have the ability to use credit cards, but do have access to checking accounts," Dane added.

"The ERA is committed to identifying new ways in which we can continuously empower our members to build their businesses. Because many e-merchants have been foregoing potential sales and are relying on mailed checks or COD, our alliance with AmeriNet allows ERA members to immediately begin accepting checks electronically. The application of this technology for B2B and B2C commerce is huge because of the large transactional and administrative cost saving," said Elissa M. Myers, President and CEO of the ERA.

About AmeriNet, Inc.

AmeriNet, Inc., founded in 1994, has an established history of providing checking account debit transactions over the phone and the Internet. AmeriNet's proprietary system, called Debit-it, makes purchases as easy as a credit card payment, which gives customers without credit cards or those concerned with security a convenient an easy-to-use option that is very similar to credit card transactions. Debit-it is the exclusive check processor for the Electronic Retailers Assoc. It's the leader in the DRTV industry for paperless debit transactions supplied NACHA with open source code for merchants' use of debit devices. Its Web site is located at www.debit-it.com.

About The Electronics Retailing Association

The Electronic Retailing Association is the trade association for companies who use the power of electronics to sell goods and services to the public. The purpose of ERA is to foster growth, development and acceptance of the rapidly growing electronic retailing industry worldwide. Its membership -- Internet retailers and direct response television (DRV) companies and their suppliers -- is involved in infomercial and short-form commercials, television shopping channels, Internet and multimedia marketing.