Indiana Botanic Gardens Successfully Re-launches Website with Ecometry .NET e-Commerce Framework from Escalate Retail

Business Wire, June 3, 2008

SAN DIEGO -- Escalate Retail today announced that Indiana Botanic Gardens Inc., a leading direct-to-consumer retailer of vitamins, nutritional supplements and beauty products, has successfully re-launched its website, www.botanicchoice.com, built with Escalate's Ecometry Commerce .NET framework.

While Indiana Botanic Gardens has utilized Ecometry's Order Management component for the past decade, the company had not deployed the components that allowed for seamless channel integration. While Ecometry always offers web integration functionality, Indiana Botanic Gardens' previous e-Commerce technology did not match the level of sophistication in pricing and promotions that its Ecometry back-end had, so users worked hard to try to recreate the Ecometry promotions for the web channel and maintain consistent pricing--a necessity for customer satisfaction.

The company decided the time had come to take full advantage of Ecometry's web integration capability. In its search for an e-Commerce solution that could help them achieve this, Indiana Botanic Gardens evaluated a number of vendors and found its solution in Ecometry's .NET e-Commerce framework. Once this decision was made, the retailer looked to SnapShot Design, an Ecometry partner, for the design portion of the new site. An Escalate Retail partner, SnapShot Design provides web design and development services specifically for Ecometry users. "The search for the best solution to integrate with our Ecometry-based back-end was not easy," said George Golfis, Director of IT, Indiana Botanic Gardens. "When we came to the table with the Ecometry .NET and SnapShot partnership, we knew it was the right way to go. Ecometry's .NET site framework enables our website to be linked to synchronized real-time data."

In production since 2003, Escalate Retail's Ecometry Commerce .NET website framework has been driven by customer requirements to extend Ecometry's data and business rules into an e-commerce technology application. The Ecometry .NET e-Commerce framework offers retailers a solution that:

* uses proven technology that integrates seamlessly with Ecometry back-end;

* presents consistent pricing and promotions between the call center and website;

* features multi-faceted navigation that allows customers to easily locate products and guides them to additional products for potential cross-sells and up-sells; and

* improves the responsiveness of a website and shortens the development cycle for quicker time to market.

"Our new e-Commerce site has an exciting, fresh design and has been optimized for organic search," said Brian Minogue, Vice President of Marketing, Indiana Botanic Gardens. "It includes customer-friendly features, making it easier for customers to shop their favorite vitamin supplements, herbs, and teas. It also allows us to market the full spectrum of our promotional offers via the web. The new site enables us to provide better support, speed, and consistency to our customers, no matter how they choose to shop with us."

"We are excited about the vision and direction of our Ecometry .NET website framework," said Brian Johnson, Vice President and General Manager, Escalate Retail. "The decision to implement Ecometry .NET was a natural evolution of the longstanding relationship between Indiana Botanic Gardens and Escalate, and we look forward to continue supporting the company in its e-commerce initiatives."

About Indiana Botanic Gardens, Inc.

Founded in 1910, Indiana Botanic Gardens, Inc. is a leading provider of more than 500 natural vitamins, specialty supplements, teas and beauty products. Branded under the Botanic Choice and Botanic Spa names, products are sold through their catalogs and web site: www.botanicchoice.com.

About Escalate Retail

Escalate Retail software solutions are behind the scenes at many of the leading customer-focused retail organizations. Escalate products help over 650 retailers simplify the challenge of cross channel commerce, in the store, on the web, and over the phone, turning valuable customer insights into actions that drive sustainable loyalty and repeat business by creating passionate customers. The company maintains headquarters in San Diego, CA with five additional offices located across North America and Europe. For more information, visit www.EscalateRetail.com.

Escalate Retail, Ecometry, and the Escalate Retail logo are trademarks of Escalate, Inc.