IDT’s Net2Phone said it will launch the first
Web shopping portal powered by Internet telephony.
The new site, EZSurf, will integrate voice, graphics, and
eventually video and push technology to enhance the online shopper’s
experience, the company said.
EZSurf will be designed to provide users, particularly those living outside
the U.S., with the value-added information needed to buy products online.
As the international market increasingly becomes a focus in e-commerce, EZSurf
will provide visitors with an array of retailer sites as well as information
regarding each vendor, such as multiple payment options (including billing
against their Net2Phone accounts), availability of global shipping and ability
to track orders online, the company said.
Additionally, by incorporating IP telephony communication services, visitors
will be able to contact retailers free of charge via voice interaction in real
time without the need to visit the retailer’s Web site. EZSurf will launch on
February 1, and will be marketed directly to over 1 million Net2Phone users
and through online advertising.
“It is clear that customers have been spending more time online, but we want
to ensure that they actually make their purchases online as well,” said David
Greenblatt, chief operating officer of Net2Phone.
“Surfers can spend up to an
hour just looking for critical information such as e-mail addresses, phone
numbers and international shipping possibilities. . .EZSurf gives users value-
added content combined with Internet telephony services to make the experience
online significantly easier and faster.”
Hackensack, NJ-based IDT’s Internet telephony services, Net2Phone and
Click2Talk, will be fully integrated into EZSurf, allowing visitors to call
retailers, friends and family via the Internet. Net2Phone enables voice data
to be carried over the Internet’s packet switched network until it reaches
traditional telephone infrastructure. There the signal is converted to the
circuit switched network used by telephones, enabling the signal to be
received by any phone worldwide.
IDT will introduce and promote EZSurf to its current customers, and will embed
an EZSurf icon into the next release of the Net2Phone client software. EZSurf
will also feature Click2CallMe, IDT’s new Web-based callback service. This
service uses regular telephone lines for voice traffic and is designed for
customers who do not have multimedia PCs.
