FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Michael Zeglin Kira Perdue Jim Greene Sun Microsystems and AfterBOT Provide Smart and Final with Next Generation Online Customer Service Solution SANTA CLARA, CA and ATLANTA, GA (January 10, 2002) - Sun Microsystems, Inc., a leader in networked server-based computing, and AfterBOT, Inc. announced today that Smart and Final, a warehouse grocery chain with 233 stores, has implemented an online customer service solution utilizing AfterBOT's ReceiptsPLUSô web-service application with Sun Enterpriseô servers and Sun StorEdgeô arrays. AfterBOT's ReceiptsPLUSô solution is the first digital receipt implementation based on the ARTS standard relational data model and IX Retail standards. The solution provides retailers the ability to create, deliver and archive digital receipts using in-store point-of-sale (POS) transaction data. In addition to providing a digital version of the paper receipt, the ReceiptsPLUSô solution allows the retailer to provide new online self-service functions with each customer receipt designed to increase operating efficiency and enhance customer service. Smart and Final, based in Commerce, CA and among the top 100 retailers in the country, has already begun using the AfterBOT solution, powered by Sun, to generate what their analysis indicates will be in excess of 30 million digital receipts per year. Bob Graham, Smart and Final's Vice-President of Store Technology said, "Superior customer service is the cornerstone of our success. When fully implemented, AfterBOT's innovative ReceiptsPLUSô solution will give our customers the ability to securely view their receipt details and related purchase information on our website, a unique service that none of our competitors offer today. In addition, our analysis indicates that the ReceiptsPLUSô solution, combined with the flexibility and scalability of network server technology, will enable us to generate significant cost savings by streamlining key business processes and enhancing our loss prevention capability." "We are excited about working with AfterBOT to provide unique and powerful web-services which enable Smart and Final to offer the next generation of online services to their customers while reducing overall customer service costs," said Bob DeLaney, director, Retail Industry Solutions for Sun Microsystems. "Further proving our commitment to the retail industry, Sun consistently works with quality companies to develop cost-effective solutions for retailers and works closely with retail industry groups like NRF-ARTS to create and promote open industry standards. We are pleased to be working with like-minded companies such as Afterbot." Sun, Epson, Chelsea Market Systems and Afterbot will be demonstrating at the annual National Retail Federation (NRF) Convention & Expo (January 13-16) in New York a 'post to host' open standards demo at the Sun booth (#113) showcasing the ARTS data model, JavaPOS, IXRetail, IrDA, and Java retail standards. Jim Nadler, SVP of AfterBOT, said "We are excited about the Smart and Final's implementation of our ReceiptsPLUSô solution. Our relationship with Sun Microsystems has enabled us to deliver a breakthrough web-service solution for retailers. The ReceiptsPLUSô solution provides significant cost-savings for retailers by enabling superior loss-prevention, customer self-service and business process re-engineering through a digital receipt. We are looking forward to introducing AfterBOT's ReceiptsPLUSô to the retail industry at NRF 2002, both in Sun's booth and the ARTS Pavilion." The online customer service solution is an example of the iForce(sm) Initiative in action. Leveraging the iForce community, Smart and Final worked with Sun and Afterbot to create a solution that would help the company leverage the network to improve its business processes. The iForce community is designed as an intra-community exchange of products, services, tools, certification, programs and expertise to help fuel growth and allow partners to focus on their individual core competencies, while implementing "best-practices solutions" for customers. Built around a dynamic relationship model and providing access to iForce Ready Centers worldwide, the iForce program helps customers engage with Sun and its industry partners to reduce risk in deployment through tested and integrated iForce solutions. The hosted solution is powered by Sun StorEdgeô A1000 arrays and Sun Enterpriseô E420 servers running the Solarisô Operating Environment. About Smart And Final Sun in Retail About Sun Microsystems, Inc. About Afterbot, Inc. About ARTS About the National Retail Federation # # # Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Sun Enterprise, Sun StorEdge, iForce and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. |
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