OrderTrust








VERTICALNET SELECTS ORDERTRUST TO MANAGE BACK-END ORDER PROCESSING FOR ITS MARKETPLACE

HORSHAM, Pa. and LOWELL, Mass., July 6, 1999 -- VerticalNet, Inc. (Nasdaq:VERT), the premier online business-to-business marketplace of virtual communities, and OrderTrust, a provider of integrated order management services for e-commerce, announced today that VerticalNet� has selected OrderTrust to deliver back-end order management services for its e-commerce Marketplace.

VerticalNet’s extensive Marketplace contains thousands of business-to-business products and services that demand a high-end order management service to allow the e-store to run efficiently. While OrderTrust manages the back-end order processing, VerticalNet is free to focus on growing its online communities, expanding its product and service offerings and driving traffic to the Marketplace.

"As our communities and e-commerce initiatives grow, we realize the need for a flexible processing system," said Mark Walsh, CEO of VerticalNet. "The OrderTrust network will help VerticalNet handle the operational complexity involved in routing orders to third-party participants, while we continue to address the expansion of our business-to-business communities on the Internet."

OrderTrust’s system manages information throughout the entire lifecycle of any VerticalNet Marketplace order. For example, when a Marketplace customer places an order, the OrderTrust network captures that order, parses it by line item, and routes order information to the appropriate third-party supplier. In addition, OrderTrust receives order acknowledgements and status updates back from the third-parties and manages financial settlement through a payment processor connected to the network. These capabilities combine to provide a complete and efficient order processing service, which enables VerticalNet to better service its MarketPlace customers and focus resources on growing its business.

"Managing the intricacies of order processing can be a complicated and resource-draining process," said Jim Daniell, CEO of OrderTrust. "OrderTrust understands what VerticalNet needs to sustain a successful e-commerce offering. We eliminate the headaches of order processing, enabling VerticalNet to concentrate on enhancing its business-to-business outreach."

About VerticalNet
VerticalNet, Inc., (www.verticalnet.com) is the Internet’s premier developer of business-to-business communities of content and commerce.

The company currently operates 43 vertical communities grouped into ten sectors:

  • ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES: Aerospace Online, Computer OEM Online, Medical Design Online, Test and Measurement.com, Plant Automation.com, Embedded Technology.com
  • COMMUNICATIONS: Wireless Design Online, Photonics Online, Fiber Optics Online, RF Globalnet.com, Premises Networks.com, Digital Broadcasting.com
  • ENVIRONMENTAL: Water Online, Pollution Online, Public Works Online, Solid Waste Online, Power Online, Pulp and Paper Online, Safety Online, ElectricNet.com
  • FOOD AND PACKAGING: Food Online, Food Ingredients Online, Beverage Online, Bakery Online, Meat and Poultry Online, Dairy Network.com, Packaging Network.com
  • FOODSERVICE/ HOSPITALITY: Foodservice Central.com
  • HEALTHCARE: Hospital Network.com, Nurses.com and E-Dental.com
  • MANUFACTURING AND METALS: TechSpex
  • PROCESS: Chemical Online, Pharmaceutical Online, Hydrocarbon Online, Semiconductor Online, Paint and Coatings.com, Adhesives and Sealants.com, , Oil and Gas Online
  • SCIENCE: Bioresearch Online, Drug Discovery Online, Laboratory Network.com;
  • SERVICE: PropertyAndCasualty.com

    VerticalNet is the registered trademark of VerticalNet, Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of
    their respective owners.

About OrderTrust
Privately held and based in Lowell, MA, OrderTrust provides integrated order management services for e-commerce. Through its fully redundant, 7 x 24 x 365 network operations center, OrderTrust securely and reliably manages information throughout the lifecycle of an order, ensuring 100% monitoring and auditing of all transactions. Services include order capture, routing of separate fulfillment requests to multiple suppliers, credit card authorization and appropriate merchant compensation, and e-mail notification of order status to consumers. By taking advantage of the OrderTrust network, merchants can focus on front-end e-commerce initiatives, such as building brand identity and driving traffic to their sites, while providing superior service to their customers. For more information, visit our Web site at www.ordertrust.net.

OrderTrust is a trademark of OrderTrust LLC. All other names and trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.

# # #

Contacts:

Robert Richter
PepperCom for VerticalNet
(212) 931-6113
[email protected]

Carrie A. Marino
Lois Paul & Partners
(781) 238-5734
[email protected]

Margie Ferro
OrderTrust LLC
(978) 551-5077
[email protected]