Intel, Excite Partner for E-Commerce Initiative

Intel Corp. and Excite Inc. this week extended their strategic alliance by co-developing a new e-commerce service designed to simplify online buying and selling.

Excite said it will combine its personalization, direct marketing expertise and reach with Intel’s recent acquisition, iCat, an e-commerce technology firm. The service will provide information about goods and services from both large brands and boutique vendors that are tailored to the interests and preferences of consumers, the companies said.

The co-developed initiative is set to debut on Excite’s Shopping Service, a division of Excite’s shopping channel scheduled for launch later this year.

“This relationship forms the cornerstone of the next phase of our commerce strategy,” said George Bell, Excite’s chief executive officer.

“The service that Intel and Excite are developing together will let consumers search across the Web and immediately purchase exactly what they want through Excite.”

This week’s partnership extends the alliance already in place between Excite and Intel. The two firms paired in March to offer Excite Extreme, a multimedia portal site based on Intel’s Pentium III processor and WebOutfitter Service.