Flooz.com Inc., an online
gift currency provider, Monday signed a distribution
agreement with Microsoft Corp.,(MSFT)
on the MSN network of Internet services.
The agreement establishes Flooz.com as the preferred gift
currency
provider for the Hotmail e-mail
service, with a gift currency text link featured on the top
of the Hotmail compose, reply and forward pages. Subscribers
to Hotmail will be directed to a cobranded Web site where
they can purchase the electronic currency for others. The
gift dollars can be sent to anyone with an email address.
“MSN has created an integrated distribution plan that
enables Flooz.com to reach a wide range of consumers who are
most likely to shop and purchase on the Internet,” said Jed
Savage, eastern regional sales manager for MSN. “And since
Flooz.com’s online gift currency is distributed through
e-mail, its placement on MSN Hotmail is a natural fit.”
Additionally, Flooz.com links will be available through MSN
Search’s featured site listings, a short list of sites at
the top of search results, while banners will run on the
front page of MSN and Hotmail.
Similar to money, Flooz is accepted as a branded form of
payment on the checkout pages of more than 70 online
stores,including , Tower
Records and . Recipients get an account, which keeps
track of their purchases and their remaining balance.