USATODAY.com Reports Multi-Million E-Commerce Deals

USATODAY.com, which describes itself as “the number one general interest news site on the Internet,” has announced several significant electronic commerce deals with leading online commerce companies. New agreements signed within the first two months of 1999 alone will yield close to $5 million (US$) in revenue this year for USATODAY.com.

The new Internet retailers working with USATODAY.com include Outpost.com, Discover Brokerage, HomeCom, Mammoth Golf, Justballs!, WebPersonals.com, and others.

“With the online advertising and e-commerce markets exploding, the USATODAY.com brand is attracting exciting new opportunities in these areas,” said Lorraine Cichowski, senior vice president and publisher of USATODAY.com.

Currently, 14 vendors make up USATODAY.com’s Marketplace, a dedicated e-commerce section offering online sales of books, travel, music, sporting goods and more.

The Big Picture

This is the second major online media publisher to announce substantial e-commerce deals this week. Earlier this week, CNET announced acquisition of KillerApp in a stock deal valued at approximately $46 million (US$). KillerApp, Corp. owns and operates KillerApp.com, an e-commerce site which provides online comparison shopping services for computer and consumer electronics products.

One More…

In related news, Wireless DimensionTM, an online shopping service for wireless consumers, and USATODAY.com announced on Wednesday an e-commerce agreement establishing Wireless Dimension as the exclusive wireless telecommunications retailer on USATODAY.com.

Serving the top 50 U.S. metropolitan areas, Wireless Dimension allows consumers to research and compare side-by-side virtually all available wireless phones and services in their markets, identify the package that meets their needs and buy it online.

The relationship gives Wireless Dimension high visibility in the form of ad banners, buttons and text links throughout the USATODAY site, and in the Technology and Business Tools Marketplace areas, in particular. The Wireless Dimension service is owned by Nth Dimension Corporation, a privately held, electronic publisher of comparison shopping services, based near Seattle, Washington.