BizRate.Com Recognizes the Best of the Best E-Tailers with ``Circle of Excellence'' Platinum Awards for Holiday 2003

Business Wire, Jan 16, 2004

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 2004

Leading Shopping Search Site Recognizes Very Best Performing

E-Tailers as Rated by Online Buyers During the Holidays

BizRate.com announced today its fourth annual Circle of Excellence winners, recognizing the 35 "best of the best" merchants in customer satisfaction as judged by online buyers from those merchants. The Circle of Excellence winners were the top satisfaction performers during the busiest online shopping season of the year -- the holidays, from November 28 to December 24. This year, 35 online retailers won the Circle of Excellence Platinum award based on over 1,500 completed surveys compiled both at the point of sale and the follow-up after-delivery-of-goods fulfillment period.

BizRate.com is most proud to announce that Campmor.com, Crutchfield.com, and TowerHobbies.com are our first four-time winners, showing the consistency of having the best customer satisfaction over the last four holiday periods. Winners from the last three consecutive holiday periods include Carrot Ink, CircuitCity.com, Lenox, QVC Inc., and Scentiments.com.

Merchants were awarded Circle of Excellence Platinum awards based on above-average performance on seven key satisfaction metrics:

                                               Industry Average
                                             (on a 10-point scale)

1.  Overall Satisfaction                             8.61
2.  Product Selection                                8.45
3.  Ease of Finding Products                         8.52
4.  Repurchase Intent                                8.66
5.  Product Met Expectations                         8.93
6.  On-time Delivery                                 8.73
7.  Customer Support                                 8.25

"Customers reward service, and the best stores reaped the best holiday returns," said Chuck Davis, president and CEO of BizRate.com. "We are particularly proud of these Platinum Award-winning merchants, which put the customers first during a time when consumers are seeking more and better quality of service. Day in and day out, these merchants make it a priority to make every purchaser feel special, and in return, these merchants will reap loyalty rewards for years to come."

BizRate.com "Circle of Excellence" Platinum award recipients, listed alphabetically and with categories, are:

--  AbtElectronics.com, www.abtelectronics.com. (Electronics).
--  Bass Pro Shops, www.bassproshops.com (Sporting Goods).
--  Blue Nile, www.bluenile.com (Jewelry & Watches).
--  Boardgames.com, www.boardgames.com (Toys & Games).
--  Booksamillion.com, www.booksamillion.com (Books & Magazines).
--  B&H Photo Video, www.bhphotovideo.com (Electronics).
--  Build-A-Bear Workshop, www.buildabear.com (Toys & Games).
--  Campmor.com, www.campmor.com (Sporting Goods).
    A fourth-year winner.
--  Carrot Ink, www.carrotink.com (Office Supplies).
    A third-consecutive-year winner.
--  Christianbook.com, www.christianbook.com (Books & Magazines).
--  CircuitCity.com, www.circuitcity.com (Electronics).
    A third-consecutive-year winner.
--  Cooking.com, www.cooking.com (Home & Garden).
--  Crutchfield, www.crutchfield.com (Electronics).
    A fourth-year winner.
--  Clinique, www.clinique.com (Health & Beauty).
--  Crucial Technology, www.crucial.com (Computer Hardware).
--  Cutlery and More, www.cutleryandmore.com (Home & Garden).
--  DiscoveryStore.com, www.discoverystore.com (Entertainment).
--  EBgames.com, www.ebgames.com (Video Games).
--  GameStop.com, www.gamestop.com (Toys & Games).
--  Gloss.com, www.gloss.com (Health & Beauty).
--  Lenox, www.lenox.com (Home & Garden).
    A third-consecutive-year winner.
--  Musician's Friend, www.musiciansfriend.com (Music).
--  New Egg, www.newegg.com (Computer Hardware).
--  Perfume Bay, www.perfumebay.com (Health & Beauty).
--  QVC, Inc., www.qvc.com (Electronic Retailing).
    A third-consecutive-year winner.
--  Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI.com), www.rei.com
    (Sporting Goods).
--  Scentiments.com, www.scentiments.com (Health & Beauty).
    A third-consecutive-year winner.
--  Shoebuy.com, www.shoebuy.com (Clothing).
--  The Perfume Spot, www.theperfumespot.com (Health & Beauty).
--  The Vermont Teddy Bear Company, www.vtbear.com (Toys).
--  The Vision Forum, Inc., www.visionforum.com (Books & Magazines).
--  TowerHobbies.com, www.towerhobbies.com (Hobbies & Toys).
    A fourth-year winner.
--  Zappos.com, www.zappos.com (Clothing).
--  ZipZoomFly.com, www.zipzoomfly.com (Computer Hardware).
--  Zzounds, www.Zzounds.com (Music).

Circle of Excellence Methodology

In order to win a "Circle of Excellence" Platinum award, BizRate.com e-tailers must demonstrate outstanding performance during the 2003 holiday season (November 28 - December 24) and achieve a performance rating above the BizRate.com Gold Star average on all seven aforementioned service metrics, and based on at least 1,500 completed buyer surveys from each merchant's site. The awards are based on feedback from more than one million online buyers. BizRate.com's shopping search engine already features more than 3,000 quality, customer-rated online merchants. Customer Certified merchants allow themselves to be surveyed at the point of purchase by consumers regarding their online shopping experience over the holiday period. In addition, BizRate.com surveys customers a second time after a purchase has been delivered to better quantify such items as on-time delivery and a customer's intent to return to the merchant in the future. BizRate.com's point-of-sale monitoring system is free of charge to merchants. Ratings are unbiased buyer ratings to ensure the independence of all ratings.