Launch of ImagePump Provides Visually Rich, Interactive Solutions for E-Commerce Sites; Internet Shoppers Can Now Have a 'See it for Real' Experience of In-Store Buying - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, April 10, 2000

Xippix, Inc., a business-to-business Internet imaging company, Monday launched ImagePump, a scalable software imaging application platform that allows e-commerce sites to build brand identity and increase online purchasing behavior by enhancing image viewing experience on the Internet. ImagePump will be showcased during Spring Internet World 2000 in Los Angeles in Booth No. 5218.

Easily incorporating large, high-resolution images into e-commerce web sites, ImagePump enables online shoppers to examine image details closer and with greater flexibility than previously possible. ImagePump gives Internet users the ability to zoom, pan, scroll, rotate, and spin images. ImagePump also provides the ability to create complete imaging applications that include capabilities such as viewing synchronized side-by-side images for comparison and placing objects such as sunglasses or clothing on one's own image for previewing.

The ImagePump architecture combines a powerful client/server imaging engine with a flexible, scalable, standards-neutral development and hosting environment. Just as database servers have evolved into complete information access environments, the ImagePump imaging application platform provides e-businesses with a powerful image-processing engine for maximizing the impact of their web-based image content.

One of the first e-commerce sites to offer ImagePump is Styleclick.com, an e-commerce site for the fashion, accessories, footwear, cosmetics, home furnishing, decorating, and improvement industries. "Being a company who has our roots in technology, we rarely outsource and when we do, we almost never find a technology solution as strong as ImagePump," said Alan Cohen, senior vice president of Styleclick.com. "We are pleased with our decision to use ImagePump to dynamically exhibit the images on our sites."

Using ImagePump's unique magnifying glass, online shoppers can magnify individual portions of the image, such as drilling down to the stitching detail of a shirt or the brush stroke of a painting. ImagePump loads only the area the end user requests by employing "just-in-time" image serving and without slowing down delivery of the web pages.

"Robust imaging must be a part of every e-commerce site where image detail is essential to the sale. ImagePump allows a near-real viewing experience of a site's products, thus increasing purchasing behavior, building better brand recognition, cutting down on returns, and increasing loyalty and "stickiness" of the site," stated Ed Miller, president and CEO of Xippix. "While traditional brick-and-mortar retailers brand their store image through visual merchandising techniques, ImagePump enables e-retailers to create unique visual merchandising styles in their web space, thus increasing brand equity."

The ImagePump architecture offers various levels of implementation. A seamless off-the-shelf solution will allow an e-retailer to immediately enhance the usability of their images for end users. For e-retailing sites that require some degree of specialization or differentiation, the ImagePump solution can be easily tailored to their specific application requirements. For example, the ImagePump engine can be easily adapted to support side-by-side comparisons of different items, such as a sport coat, dress shirt and necktie, to aid in product evaluation and purchasing decisions.

In addition, ImagePump's flexibility and standards-neutral design also make it an ideal platform for building custom image-enriched e-business solutions from the ground up. For instance, the ImagePump server engine provides the processing core for integrating an eclectic shopping environment, which permits end users to navigate through a variety of enriched images, streaming video, audio, and text to provide an intimate and unique interaction with the e-retailing site and its merchandise. Any of these implementations may be instituted at the client's site or through Xippix's 24/7 image hosting service.

Supporting all major image file formats including TIFF, JPEG, BMP, PSD (Photoshop), EPS, DCS and Flashpix, ImagePump can be easily and seamlessly integrated into a web site. As a site's traffic increases, ImagePump can scale and adapt to support remotely mirrored servers or distributed content delivery systems.

The ImagePump architecture supports either a standard HTML viewer or a dynamically-loaded Java-based viewer, providing an interactive image experience for any end user, regardless of their browser and without the need for downloading, installing or configuring a separate plug-in.

Xippix, a privately held, Larkspur, California-based Internet imaging company, provides visually rich, interactive solutions to online retailers where imaging is essential to the sale. ImagePump, Xippix' flagship product, is a scalable software imaging application platform that allows e-commerce sites to build brand identity and increase purchasing behavior by enhancing the image viewing experience on the Internet. For more information on ImagePump, contact Xippix at 800/464-3877 or via e-mail at info@xippix.com or sales@xippix.com. The company's web site is located at www.xippix.com.