FirstNet isn't going to play the Visa/MasterCard routine of treating e-businesses like high-risk relatives, says CEO Eric DePrano. They're offering free merchant accounts and "significantly reduced chargebacks" with no chargeback fees. "Reportedly, only the largest of merchants online are escaping these prohibitive fees," said DePrano of the Visa/MasterCard chargeback fees and practices. "Many think this high-risk categorization is much too broad and believe it will stifle e-commerce for the small-to-medium sized Internet companies." DePrano said FirstNet's advantage is what he calls built-in security features unavailable in other credit cards. "This… reduces online credit card fraud, virtually eliminates chargebacks for merchants, thus allowing merchants to have reduced fees, and consequently improving profit margins," he said. For more information or to sign up online, visit www.firstnetcard.com.
LOS ANGELES - Two new versions of AdJuggler are coming forth, says Thruport Technologies, makers of the advertising software package - AdJuggler 4 and AdJuggler Classic. Written in "highly optimized C," AdJuggler Classic ($495) is a midrange ad serving product letting Webmasters manager advertising on highly complex websites and break ads into pools, Thruport said. That lets webmasters control which ads turn up where and in which positions. AdJuggler 4 ($1,495 introductory price; $1995 regular price), based on Java Servlets technology, can handle serving millions of ads per day, the company says, and supports such rich media as HTML, Flash, Java applet and other ads. And it lets webmasters bring compile detailed reports by client, by banner, by IP address, host, pages, and hours - isolating closely an ad's best effectiveness. You can buy the products the old-fashioned way or download a trial verion, not to mention find more information, at www.thruport.com - or call (714) 556-5865.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - One of the nation's most respected researchers on cyberspace says e-retailing is due for a pending shakeout - and quicker than anyone might have suspected; as in, next year. Forrester Research says intense competition and a dot.com stock selloff in the wake of the Microsoft antitrust ruling mean most e-tailers will be out of business due to buyouts and even bankruptcies. "There are just too many companies out there that don't have what it takes to last, and they won't last," said Forrester analyst Seema Williams. She says only the largest online players are likely to survive, including traditional brick-and-mortar chains hiking their online activities and presence. Forrester's analysis says that, based on surveying fifty leading online retailers, most companies aren't going to cope with intensified competition or money evaporating just before it comes time to beef up for Christmas season - not to mention investors tightening their belts. Published reports indicate some of the more prominent of the potentially-fallen dot.coms include CDNow, said to be running out of money, while others like Cybershop have given up e-retailing in favor of catering to businesses. And others might be bought up by their larger competitors - as was Gloss.com, an online beauty retailer, recently bought out by Estee Lauder.
--- Compiled by Humphrey Pennyworth
