Keynote Acquires Vividence Corporation

September 14, 2004  - (HostReview.com) - Keynote Systems (www.keynote.com), the worldwide leader in e-business performance management services, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Vividence Corporation of San Mateo, Calif. Vividence is the market leader in Web-based customer research that provides actionable insight into online customer experience, market trends and industry strategies.

"Understanding how and why customers behave as they do in an online environment with the continuing goal to improve the customer's experience and improve conversion rates is an absolute mission critical requirement for e-business," said Umang Gupta, chairman and CEO of Keynote.

The agreement to acquire Vividence underscores Keynote's mission to improve e-business performance from both an operational and business perspective. Customer experience is a key contributor to an e-business' overall performance. Unlike traditional market research firms, Vividence combines technology, research and consulting to provide new ways of understanding online customers, competitors and markets.

This marks Keynote's eleventh acquisition in a little over four years, and is the company's third in the customer experience management space, having already acquired Enviz in October 2002 and NetRaker in April 2004.

As result of the acquisition, Keynote is acquiring 130+ active customers for customer experience management services and access to over 250+ companies that have ever purchased services from Vividence. Vividence's customers have included a broad and impressive range of leading companies such as Citibank, Clear Channel Entertainment, eBay, FedEx, Microsoft, Timberland, USA Today, Williams Sonoma and Yahoo!

Keynote currently offers its WebEffective Intelligence Platform, known as WIP, as a complete solution for engagement-driven or subscription-based customer experience management. Keynote WIP measures, tests and improves e-business performance by delivering online market research, usability and Web analytics in an integrated, cost-effective, easy to use service.

By acquiring Vividence, Keynote will significantly increase its revenues and customer base from this important business, while at the same time greatly increase its consultative resources and capacity to grow the overall business.

The acquisition of Vividence is subject to various customary closing conditions and is expected to close within 30 days. Fifty people will join Keynote from Vividence, bringing the total number of Keynote employees to approximately 240.

Vividence's solutions will be integrated with Keynote's existing WebEffective Intelligence Platform (WIP) to provide a complete solution for client-driven and engagement-driven customer experience management solutions.