IBM Positioned in the Leaders Quadrant for E-Commerce Magic Quadrant

ARMONK, NY - IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the Leaders Quadrant in its new Magic Quadrant for E-Commerce(1) report.

The Gartner Magic Quadrant for E-Commerce defines Leaders as “technology providers that demonstrate the greatest degree of support for B2B and B2C Internet sales.” According to the report, “These providers lead the market in e-commerce by consistently demonstrating customer satisfaction, strong support and professional services, leading to the implementation of a successful e-commerce site.” In addition, these leaders should also have “demonstrated longevity in the e-commerce market, as well as a commitment to new product innovations for Internet sales. In addition, leaders represent technology providers with the strongest capability to meet Internet selling requirements.”

More than 1,000 companies worldwide, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Harry and David, Staples and Home Depot, are using WebSphere Commerce as a powerful platform for cross-channel, online and mobile commerce -- supporting all of a company’s business models while providing a rich, differentiated customer experience. For example, the IBM WebSphere Commerce solution is a critical component in Harry and David’s initiative to grow Internet sales.

“The world of e-commerce has gone through several major transformations over the past decade and we’ve always tried to keep our clients ahead of the competition,” said Tom Rosamilia, general manager, IBM WebSphere. “WebSphere Commerce provides retailers with a wide range of features and capabilities to help sell goods and services through various channels to an increasingly global and mobile marketplace.”

WebSphere Commerce is designed to enable deployment and management of multiple e-commerce sites through a single, unified platform, thereby maximizing performance, scalability and adaptability. Last year, IBM enhanced Web 2.0 functionality in WebSphere Commerce, and also added the capabilities to track and analyze cross-channel behavior to gain insight for sales and interactive marketing to increase conversion rates, basket size and return visits. The latest enhancements also extend search functionality, protect online shoppers’ credit card information and ensure compliance to the latest Payment Card Industry (PCI) security standards.

For more information, go to www.ibm.com/websphere

(1) Source: Gartner, ’Magic Quadrant for E-Commerce’ by Gene Alvarez, July 18, 2008.