CarToys.com Launches! -- The Premier Car Stereo and Wireless Phone Site On The Web -- Engineered by the E-Commerce Experts at CobWeb

    BELLEVUE, Wash.--April 17, 2001--Car Toys, the No. 1 independent car stereo and wireless retailer in the USA, and CobWeb, the West Coast's leading e-commerce provider, today announced the launch of www.CarToys.com.
    This much anticipated website was designed to be the premier car stereo and wireless site on the Web, and is the latest site to be developed by CobWeb using its E-$torefront(TM) e-commerce platform.
    CarToys.com has been developed to deliver the ideal "click and brick" Internet relationship, and to compliment Car Toys' commitment to exceed customer expectations. Offering nearly 2000 products, and 500 varying wireless rate plans, the site includes the latest electronics for Car Stereo, Wireless, Auto Security, Paging, In Car Theatre, Navigation and Road Safety.
    With 39 stores in four states, CarToys.com will give customers the opportunity to buy products online, research products online, schedule installations and pick up their products in-store. By giving customers the option to pick their orders up at a Car Toys location of their choice, it will enable customers to save on shipping and pick up their orders at their convenience. Additionally, buy online kiosks will be placed in all Car Toys retail locations to further enhance product selection.
    What makes this site even more special is, with its unique Car Audio Fit Guide, the customer has the ability to find products specific to their make and model of car. This ensures that all necessary adaptors and fit kits will be included with the customers order for their convenience.
    Additionally, CarToys.com will offer wireless phones and daily updated rate plans so that customers can take advantage of the most up to date offers from wireless providers. Customers can also search for plans that are specific to their area and their wireless needs.
    "With our unique Wireless Scholar, all the customer has to do is enter their zip code and answer a few easy questions. Our Wireless Scholar will then recommend the right service plan choices for the customers needs," said Dan Brettler, Car Toys Chairman and CEO. "No one makes it easier to buy a wireless phone in our stores and now on the Web."
    CarToys.com will also offer product warrantees, product rebates, and live customer service.
    Despite the complexity of the CarToys.com project, the flexibility of CobWeb's E-$torefront platform, and their expert team of e-commerce developers, enabled them to implement the necessary technology to make CarToys.com the premier car stereo and wireless phone site on the Web.
    "It is a pleasure to work on the CarToys.com project because it is really pushing the envelope with the level of functionality available to the customer," commented Richard Lancaster, CEO of CobWeb. "E-$torefront is a powerful platform and has been engineered front to back to handle even the most difficult applications. CarToys.com really lets our technology shine."
    In order to provide the highest degree of sophisticated functionality, and the very best online experience for the customer, CobWeb had to integrate E-$torefront with several third party data sources, including systems that provide real-time inventory information, wireless phone plans, warranty information, and real-time transaction processing.
    "The systems integration work required to build a fully functioning e-commerce site is one thing that makes CobWeb a leader in our field," said Lancaster. "By tying real-time critical data into the site from various remote sources we significantly increase the customer experience whilst decreasing operational overhead."
    CarToys.com also includes a business-to-business section that will enable their many retail clients to purchase products using multiple payment methods, including purchase orders. "The combination of business-to-consumer functionality and business-to-business functionality wrapped in to one site represents a very powerful solution for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers going online to reap the benefits of Internet distribution," commented Lancaster.
    "For fourteen years Car Toys has been committed to giving its customers the largest selection of car audio and wireless products available, at guaranteed low prices. In our retail stores, we have combined these benefits with our certified car stereo and wireless customer service experts. Online, this expertise is delivered with our Car Audio Fit Guide and Wireless Scholar. With the launch of CarToys.com, it is now EVEN EASIER for our customers to do business with us," Dan Brettler, Car Toys Chairman and CEO added.

    About Car Toys

    Founded in 1987, Car Toys is the No. 1 independent retailer of car stereos and wireless phones in the USA. With 39 stores, and over 900 employees in four states, Car Toys has built their business based on outstanding customer service and expertise. Car Toys carries all the major brands including Alpine, Kenwood, Pioneer, Sony, AT&T Wireless, Nextel, Sprint PCS, Verizon Wireless and VoiceStream.

    About CobWeb

    Founded in 1994, CobWeb is a leading E-Commerce Application Service Provider in the mid-sized company marketplace. CobWeb's E-$torefront provides B2B and B2C merchants with a sophisticated turnkey solution that includes complete site development, hosting, site management and real-time transaction processing in a secure, redundant, hosted environment. E-$torefront keeps costs under control, frees up internal resources, and helps merchants realize a greater return on investment. E-$torefront customers include Microsoft, T. Rowe Price, EltonJohn.com, ADIC, Cahners, Hilo Hattie, Pacific Trail/London Fog, Information Week and many more.
    For additional information or questions, please contact Dan Brettler at brettler@cartoys.com or Richard Lancaster at rlancaster@cobweb.com