Mercantec Press Release Contacts: Rachna Luthra Mercantec, Inc media@mercantec.com 630.305.3200, ext. 2111 Kristen Fundator Buzz divine 312-923-2060, ext. 37664 kristen.fundator@divineinterventures.com Mercantec First to Provide E-commerce Solution for New Dell Web Hosting Offering for Small- to Medium-Sized Businesses Leading e-commerce solution provider to enable Dell-hosted small businesses to sell goods and services via the Internet CHICAGO - February 29, 2000 - Mercantec Inc.® (www.mercantec.com), a leading provider of e-commerce solutions, today announced that Dell Computer Corporation (NASDAQ: DELL) is offering Mercantec's award winning e-commerce software at dellhost.com, the company's newly launched website hosting initiative to help small-to medium-sized businesses create an Internet presence. Mercantec will provide Dell-hosted e-businesses with the tools they need to quickly and easily create and manage virtual storefronts and generate revenue via the Internet. "Mercantec is pleased to be the first e-commerce provider to work with Dell on its new web hosting operation. The joint effort further solidifies Mercantec's position as the world's premier e-commerce software and services vendor for small- to medium-sized businesses," said Al Turnauer, vice president of sales for Mercantec. "With more than 14,000 e-merchants worldwide actively using SoftCart®, Mercantec is the defacto e-commerce solution provider for this growing market segment and a logical offering for Dell's web hosting operation." According to recent IDC research, the overall web-hosting market is expected to grow from $2 billion in 1999 to approximately $17 billion in 2003. Additionally, only one out of four small businesses currently have a website and only about one out of 10 of these sites have e-commerce capabilities*, presenting tremendous opportunity for Dell and Mercantec. Small businesses are playing a leading role in defining the new e-business economy and service providers are uniquely positioned to help them participate. The simplicity of the Mercantec solution allows a service provider to install the appliance quickly, on demand, without highly skilled technical personnel and take advantage of the fast growing e-commerce storefront hosting market. About Dellhost.com Dell's new Web site, www.dellhost.com, offers customers a variety of services related to Web hosting, including Web site design services and tools, access to reliable and scalable Dell PowerEdge™ servers and PowerVault™ storage, and a choice of hosting packages for either dedicated or shared servers. Customers can use DellHost to create and maintain an Internet storefront for as little as $29.95 a month. About Mercantec SoftCart The winner of NewMedia magazine's 1999 Hyper Award for best Out-Of-The-Box Store, SoftCart enables merchants to quickly and easily build and maintain their online stores. 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 allows a website designer or systems integrator to tie SoftCart's commerce capabilities into the merchant's website at any stage in the site's evolution - whether starting from scratch or adding commerce to an existing website. About Mercantec 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 180 strong and includes some of the industry's leaders, such as Verio/Hiway, EarthLink, MindSpring, Sprint, Interliant and Telephonica. Among those in the financial channel are American Express and DataPro Software. For additional company or product information, visit the Mercantec Web site, www.mercantec.com, or call 630-305-3200. ### *International Data Corporation, "Web-Hosting Services: Market Review and Forecast 1998-2003," December, 1999