Pre-Holiday Tip: Verizon Online Customers Get Special Deals on Millions of Products Through SHOP.COM

Co-Branded Online Marketplace Supports Shopping via the Internet With Convenience and Special Rebates for Individuals and Businesses

Customers Can Get Up to 10 Percent Back Every Day on Co-Branded Web Site

NEW YORK - With an overwhelming majority of Internet users reporting that they shop and buy online, Verizon Online is making the whole process easier - and with exclusive special offers at hundreds of stores -- through a co-branded, multi-merchant marketplace established by SHOP.COM.

The new, co-branded virtual marketplace is easily accessible from http://verizon.shop.com or through Verizon’s consumer portal (http://surround.verizon.net/shop) and business portal (http://business.verizon.net/shop).

Verizon broadband customers, both individuals and small to medium-sized businesses, have fast and easy access to thousands of brands and products - such as office supplies, clothes, furniture and electronics - while managing all their activity through a single, secured account.

“At Verizon, we strive to give our customers an enjoyable and valued online experience,” said Colson Hillier, director of broadband services for Verizon. "We’ve further enhanced the experience by providing an online marketplace for our customers to buy the things they need and want.

“The co-branded Verizon and SHOP.COM virtual marketplace offers simplicity and convenience: one site where our customers can buy from hundreds of name brand merchants, using one account and one shopping cart, and receive up to 10 percent off already low pricing on every purchase,” Hillier said. “It’s definitely online shopping made easy -- and with perks.”

Non-Verizon customers can also enjoy the special discounts offered on the co-branded portal by first visiting http://www.verizon.net/activatenow to create a Verizon account, then logging into http://verizon.shop.com to use the site.

The online marketplace allows the shopper to easily and quickly - and without spending a dime for gasoline or adding an ounce of carbon to the air - search for an item such as a table, and then receive various item suggestions that match the keyword. If more than one merchant is selling a specific item, the shopper can check to see which item receives the most generous Verizon rebate.

At http://verizon.shop.com, shoppers can even sign up for gift registries, wish lists, date reminders, eGifts, SHOPcompanion, a desktop shopping widget, and a “save-for-later” function to temporarily set aside intended purchases. Shoppers can also check the status of an order.

For example, Verizon customers can create a wedding registry across multiple stores featuring both traditional gifts like Reidel wine glasses from Sur La Table and KitchenAid mixers from Cooking.com as well as non-traditional gifts like golf clubs from FogDog Sports, luggage sets from eBags and gardening tools from Brookstone.

Verizon’s small- and medium-sized business customers can purchase office supplies ranging from paper and ink cartridges to furniture and computer equipment from such SHOP.COM merchant partners as OfficeMax, Buy.com, TigerDirect.com, Stacks and Stacks, NextdayPC.com, EverythingOfficeFurniture.com and ReStockit.com, among others.

Bruce Sellers, president of SHOP.COM, said, “This co-branded virtual marketplace represents the best of the Internet - connecting Verizon customers with the SHOP.COM merchants and the products they want, whenever they want, no matter where they are. Verizon’s customers now have easy access to name-brand merchants and products, the convenience of managing all of their online shopping experiences - from search to purchase - through one account, and the ability to receive rewards as loyal Verizon customers.”

Hillier said, “Beat the holiday rush and skip the parking nightmare by shopping online at this virtual marketplace, where you get great prices and product rebates. And shoppers should check the http://verizon.shop.com site often, as it will be featuring various promotions, including a cash sweepstakes, very soon.”

Broadband Internet access makes shopping and surfing much more gratifying. Verizon offers a variety of high-speed Internet services ranging from 768 Kpbs (kilobits per second) up to 50 Mbps (megabits per second) with Verizon FiOS Internet (where available) for individuals and businesses. For more information on Verizon visit www.verizon.com.