Impulse! Buy Network Launches in Beta

The Impulse! Buy Network Inc. in Burlingame, CA, announced the beta launch of On Impulse!, an e-commerce site designed to offer online consumers a targeted “feed” of great deals through an affiliated distribution network.

The Impulse! Buy Network is aimed at matching buyers and sellers on the Internet, enabling Web-based retailers and marketers to reach and target consumers with limited-time offers.

Beginning this week, consumers will see the first On Impulse! offers appearing on the Visa Shopping Guide by Yahoo!

On Impulse! capitalizes on the advantages of the Internet by re-creating the
world of traditional merchandising–sales circulars, end-caps, point-of-
purchase displays and sales racks–on the Web, the company said.

Offers are presented at a price guaranteed to be lower than what is available
at the manufacturer’s Web site. The offers include real-time “countdowns” that
remind people to act before quantities disappear. The company said its mission
is to make the phrase “I bought it On Impulse!” synonymous with getting a
great deal on the Internet.

Charter sellers include ACER America, Chip Shot Golf, Fragrance Net, Garden
Escape, Hammacher Schlemmer, Hickory Farms, J.Crew, NEC, NECX, Omaha Steaks,
Packard Bell, Red Rocket, The Sharper Image, The Territory Ahead, Virtual
Vineyards, Wal-Mart and 1-800 Flowers.

Impulse! Buy Network said it has established a distribution network of
companies that includes IMGIS, InfoBeat, Intellipost, iVillage, The Mining
Company and Yahoo! Technical partners include iCat, Junglee, Netcentives and
OrderTrust.

Sellers use the Java-based Impulse! Selling System to produce their own deals, including auctions, blowouts and promotions, in a variety of customizable banner ad-like formats. These become the On Impulse! offers consumers see online. Impulse! pre-qualifies orders and transmits them directly to the seller, who processes and fulfills the order.