San Francisco-based INTERSHOP Communications, a provider of
electronic commerce software, and AOL Bertelsmann Online, the European
subsidiary of America Online, launched AOL UK’s first electronic shopping
mall.
Part of AOL’s Shopping Channel and currently hosting three stores, this
solution marks the beginning of AOL UK’s aggressive expansion of electronic
commerce in Europe, the companies said. Financial terms of the deal with
INTESHOP were not disclosed.
“We were looking for a complete and scalable solution that was easy to
localize, quick to deploy and that offered superior functionality,” said Mark
Frost, programming director of AOL UK. “We evaluated several standard packages but INTERSHOP Mall was the only one matching all our requirements within our budget.”
In the near future AOL UK said it plans to aggressively expand the Shopping
Channel, marketing this service to first-tier shops selling books, music,
gifts, flowers and jewelry.
Merchants who open online stores through AOL UK retain their brand but receive a complete e-commerce solution including promotion, store-design, documentation, database uploading, user training, and assistance with electronic payment systems.
AOL UK is part of a joint venture established in March 1995 by America Online
and Bertelsmann AG, Europe’s largest media group, to bring interactive
services to the European market.