Costco.com Increases Online Sales with Microsoft Technology

Microsoft Corp. (www.microsoft.com) announced that Costco Wholesale Corp. has chosen Microsoft® Commerce Server 2002 to drive the Costco.com online store. Commerce Server, part of Windows Server System (TM) , is an industry-leading e-commerce server that enables customers to rapidly build online commerce solutions.

"Our Commerce Server solution is providing a solid return on investment," said Luke Friang, director of e-commerce technologies at Costco. "The functionality of our Commerce Server solution, combined with our own customization, has allowed our merchants and site managers to create and manage their categories, products, discounts and other general content needs without the assistance of IT."

Costco.com faced real challenges when it came to providing a new, more flexible infrastructure for its' business. Commerce Server 2002 Feature Pack 1, a free download for Commerce Server 2002 customers, facilitates business data staging and management.

"Commerce Server helps Costco connect quickly and efficiently to line-of-business applications and better streamline its' order management processes." said Ted Kummert, corporate vice president in the Business Process and Integration Division at Microsoft.

The interfaces in Feature Pack 1 are a preview of the investments being made for the next full Commerce Server release in early 2006. The next version will enable customers to accelerate the delivery of online services and products and integrate order management processes more tightly with trading partners and customers.

Microsoft Windows Server System is a comprehensive family of server software providing the infrastructure for IT operations, application development, integration and information work. Built on the Windows Server (TM) operating system and designed with Common Engineering Criteria, Windows Server System is focused on making it easier for IT professionals to connect and manage their IT environments.