THEPERK.COM SELECTS ORDERTRUST TO POWER BACK-END ORDER MANAGEMENT FOR ONLINE GOURMET COFFEE COMMUNITY

LOWELL, Mass., November 17, 1999 – OrderTrust, Inc., provider of integrated order management services for e-commerce, was chosen by thePerk.com to deliver order management and payment services for its e-commerce community. Using OrderTrust’s state-of-the-art order management network to manage the online orders and payment transactions, thePerk.com will offer millions of coffee lovers around the world a wide array of merchandise including premium estate coffees, specially grown teas and gourmet foods as well as coffee-making equipment, confectionery goods and gift baskets. (See today’s related release, "New Online Gourmet Coffee Store, thePerk.com, Selects OrderTrust and ALOM Technologies to Streamline Customer Orders.")

"As online communities, such as thePerk.com, gear up to meet the commerce demands of the holiday shopping season, they rely on OrderTrust’s services to quickly and efficiently get them up and running," said Jim Daniell, CEO of OrderTrust. "thePerk.com has tapped into one of the ‘hottest’ markets out there – gift and specialty item sales. Community sites like thePerk.com continue to leverage our expertise to supplement their unique concept and content with a positive commerce experience. Thanks in large part to OrderTrust, thePerk.com can offer a superior online shopping experience through unmatched order processing management and real-time communication with their consumers."

According to a recent IDC Research report, Internet sales of gift and specialty items will reach approximately $79 million this year and should top $6.3 billion by 2003. OrderTrust’s latest customer, thePerk.com, is capitalizing on this prevalent trend by targeting the second-generation e-shoppers as well as the affluent demographic, those who purchase high-end gift merchandise on a regular basis.

"OrderTrust offered us the best value per transaction for the dollars spent," said Bert DuMars, CEO of thePerk.com. "Besides being the most cost-effective solution, OrderTrust has the technology, reliability and experienced management team that made our decision easy. We were not simply looking to outsource our order management service, but to find a partner that we could rely on for the long run. We’ve found that partner with OrderTrust."

The OrderTrust network delivers a complete solution for managing the complexities of back-end order processing for established e-commerce merchants and start-up companies, such as thePerk.com. By linking the merchant’s front-end commerce server to its back-end points of fulfillment, OrderTrust’s "intelligent" network routes order information to all parties involved, provides real-time credit card authorization and alerts the merchant to exceptions in their order flow. By utilizing OrderTrust’s order management services, merchants can alleviate the burden of managing their online order process and concentrate their efforts on driving traffic to their online storefronts.

About thePerk.com

thePerk.com offers premium estate coffees, teas, accoutrements, gift baskets and gourmet foods via e-commerce beginning Fall 1999. Only the freshest, finest, most unique products from around the world are available at thePerk.com. Dedicated to exceptional customer service, thePerk.com guarantees a personalized, convenient shopping experience to each consumer. thePerk.com will move into the business-to-business and international markets in early 2000. ThePerk.com is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and has offices in San Francisco, Calif. and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

About OrderTrust, Inc.

Privately held and based in Lowell, Mass., OrderTrust, Inc., provides integrated order management services for e-commerce. Through its fully redundant and highly scalable 24x7 order processing network, OrderTrust securely and reliably manages information throughout the lifecycle of an order, ensuring 100 percent monitoring and auditing of all transactions. Services include real-time credit card authorization and inventory availability checking, routing of separate fulfillment requests to multiple suppliers, order status notification, and financial settlement. By taking advantage of the OrderTrust network with its established connections to over 650 trading partners, including fulfillers, suppliers, drop shippers and manufacturers, merchants can focus on front-end e-commerce initiatives, such as building brand identity and driving traffic to their sites, while gaining access to critical order information required for superior customer service. For more information, visit our Web site at www.ordertrust.net.

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Carrie A. Marino
Lois Paul & Partners
(781) 238-5734
[email protected]

Margie Ferro
OrderTrust, Inc.
(978) 551-5077
[email protected]