Mercantec Press Release Contacts: Rachna Luthra Mercantec, Inc media@mercantec.com 630.305.3200, ext. 2111 Belen Amatriain Corbi Telefonica Publicidad e Informacion bamatriain@paginas-amarillas.es 011-34-91-339-6240 Mercantec Licenses E-Commerce Software to Spain's TPI Telecommunications Giant Will Offer SoftCart to 1.6 Million Members CHICAGO - Tuesday, January 18, 2000 - Mercantec® Inc., leading provider of Internet commerce software products and services, and its Spanish distributor, Tiendas Virtuales, today announced that they have licensed the latest version of Mercantec's award-winning SoftCart® e-commerce solution to Telefonica Publicidad e Información (TPI), the largest telecommunications company in Spain. SoftCart will be included in a comprehensive electronic commerce service designed for more than 1.6 million small- to medium-sized businesses in TPI's yellow pages online directory. TPI began offering SoftCart as part of its electronic commerce service beginning in early November. According to TPI, their goal is to be the definitive source for e-commerce solutions in Spanish markets by leveraging its business directory for the Spanish language. When TPI researched solutions, Mercantec's brand kept coming up over and over again. TPI said it was pleased with this arrangement because Mercantec offers a flexible solution that can be used to build out compelling e-commerce sites for customers. They are looking forward to a lot of success in this market. TPI is backing the new service with an expansive marketing campaign. The campaign includes national television, radio and print advertising and extensive direct marketing to small- to medium-sized businesses, systems integrators and developers who build web sites for this group. "Building on relationships with companies like Tiendas Virtuales allows us to expand our reach into the International market," commented Andrew Parker, president and CEO of Mercantec. "This is just the beginning of SoftCart's expansion into the worldwide market." TPI provides a comprehensive solution to the merchant: Custom site development teams that allow them to build a Web store from scratch whether the merchant has Web-based content or not based on forms that have been prepared and suggests optional services to the merchant (payment and logistics). A customer care service hotline for merchants and for their customers. BANESTO AND BBV, two key financial institutions that have experience in the Internet, have been signed as partners. Their systems have been integrated and are available to the merchants to process online credit card transactions. TPI meets the merchants' fulfillment demands through SEUR and TNT, logistic companies whose services are being linked to SoftCart so the merchants can contact and use their fulfillment services. The virtual stores are immediately placed in their online directory to be accessed by Internet users for traffic generation. TPI has also subcontracted Tiendas Virtuales to offer their consulting services to merchants to help them implement SoftCart. Tiendas Virtuales will assist in deployment, product definition and construction, engaging the partners to provide a complete solution for the merchant, marketing and selling the solutions and signing up partners to sell and produce the stores. A complete solution for building and maintaining an online storefront, SoftCart gives merchants the tools they need to create and manage a virtual shopping environment. Mercantec SoftCart is already the leading virtual storefront software delivered through ISPs and Web hosting providers. SoftCart is a robust, easy-to-use electronic commerce solution that offers Internet Service Providers maximum performance and security, making it easier than ever for them to deliver and support the electronic commerce demands of their merchants. Designed to be compatible with a merchant's existing business systems, SoftCart has an open, API-based architecture that accommodates the widest range of databases, Web servers and browsers, order delivery options, tax and shipping models and payment systems. This open architecture also allows a Web site designer or systems integrator to tie SoftCart's commerce capabilities into the merchant's Web site at any stage in the site's evolution - whether starting from scratch or adding commerce to an existing Web site. About TPI TPI-Páginas Amarillas, a division of Telefonica, is the largest telecommunications company in Spain. Services include editing and commercialising directories, information contents and advertising. The company markets the following products: Páginas Amarillas (Yellow Pages paper edition). Páginas Amarillas Online (Inernet online directory). Páginas Amarillas Habladas (Telephone Yellow Pages). Páginas Blancas (White Pages on paper). Europages (Paper edition, CD-Rom and Internet). About Tiendas Virtuales Tiendas Virtuales, established in 1997, provides electronic commerce solutions, both software and services. Their services range from Internet consulting and system integration to marketing plan development and assessment. Tiendas Virtuales is Mercantec's Spanish distributor for the SoftCart product family. About Mercantec Inc. Established in 1995, Mercantec, Inc. is a leading provider of software products and services that enable Internet commerce. Mercantec distributes complete e-commerce solutions through leveraged channels to small- to medium-sized businesses. Among those channels are service providers, financial organizations, and Internet content providers. Mercantec's service provider channel is more than 135 strong and includes some of the industry's leaders, such as Earthlink, MindSpring, and Verio/HiWay. Among those in the financial channel are American Express and DataPro Software. For additional company or product information, visit the Mercantec Website, www.mercantec.com, or call 630-305-3200.