SAN DIEGO -- Sept. 16, 2004 -- Miva Corporation, a leading online provider of e-commerce software and services for small to medium-sized enterprises, and a FindWhat.com, Inc. company (NASDAQ:FWHT), today announced the launch of MivaCentral.com, a newly created retail outlet serving the software and service needs of online merchants. This follows the September 1st acquisition of MvCool, the retail destination website for aftermarket Miva Merchant plug-in modules.
Many Miva Merchant users go directly to Miva.com to look for enhancements to customize their Miva e-commerce platform. This strategic move by Miva Corporation, to link MivaCentral.com to Miva.com, creates more availability of third party Miva Merchant plug-in software for this ever-growing base of end users. At the same time, it creates a more integrated environment for its developer partners who build their software and service offerings upon the Miva e-commerce platform.
"Miva is all about community, and offering small to mid-sized businesses one place to go to easily find all the tools and resources they need to grow," stated Jason Williams, SVP/GM of FindWhat.com, Inc. Merchant Services Division. "MivaCentral.com extends this commitment by aggregating the hundreds of software and service resources, developed by the Miva developer community that can be integrated into the Miva Merchant platform, further enhancing the Miva e-commerce experience. We are also very pleased that Keith Hunniford, the founder of MvCool will be helping to create a stronger Miva community with his vast experience and knowledge in the e-commerce industry."
At launch, MivaCentral.com will offer Miva Merchant related software and services. Moving forward, MivaCentral.com expects to add complementary software, services and related media to help small and mid-sized businesses continue to expand their online offerings.
"In my long history with Miva, I see this as the most significant event yet for the Miva developer community," said MvCool founder, and new Miva director of merchant communities, Keith Hunniford. "There has always been a strong 3rd party developer base. Now, through MivaCentral.com, their offerings will be much more accessible to online merchants, creating value for the partners, for Miva and for the online merchants. I completely agree with Miva's vision of what MivaCentral.com can become and look forward to helping make that vision a reality as part of the Miva team."
For more detailed information about Miva Merchant, please view product information available on the Miva website at http://www.miva.com/products/merchant.
About Miva(R) Corporation
Miva Corporation, a FindWhat.com, Inc. company (Nasdaq:FWHT), is a leading supplier of e-commerce software and services to small and medium-sized businesses. Miva provides merchants, developers and hosting companies with the information and technology they need to be successful in today's online selling environment.
Based on a cross platform virtual machine which runs identically on Windows, Linux, BSD and Unix, the Miva product line ranges from Miva Merchant(TM), a point and click e-commerce site building application, to Miva Script(TM), an XML based server side scripting language. Additionally, storefronts built with Miva Merchant can automatically synchronize their product, customer and order data with QuickBooks Pro from Intuit, using Miva Synchro(TM). This best of both worlds approach allows merchants to build their online store with nothing more than a web browser, and lets developers provide aftermarket enhancements for the storefront.
Integrated into the Miva product line are services that help people market their online storefront and collect money on the Internet. Miva Marketplace(TM), which is powered by the FindWhat.com Network(TM), helps merchants use keyword-targeted, pay-per-click advertising to bring buyers to their online stores and websites. Once a buyer purchases a product, credit cards and online checks can be processed with Miva Payment(TM). Follow-up marketing can be done via email using Miva Mailer(TM), a service that automates un-subscribe functionality and mailing list management.
Miva propels business for tens of thousands of online merchants and developers on a network of hundreds of hosting partners and business portals. Miva hosting partners depend on the Miva Platform for its complete, reliable, expandable and easy-to-use e-commerce software and services. The list of Miva Premier hosting partners includes Apollo Hosting, Inc., Blueberry Hill Communications, CybrHost Corporation, E-Business Express, Earthlink, Hostasaurus, Inc., Hostmysite.com - LNH, Inc., VIA NET.WORKS USA, Website Source, WebNet Hosting Inc., Superb.net, C I Host, Hostway Corporation, Interland, OLM, LLC, ValueWeb.
The Miva approach to e-commerce is a key strategy for numerous well-known manufacturers and retailers like elietahari.com, laurenhutton.com, serta.com, tourneau.com, xterraparts.com, and many more. For more information about Miva, call 858-490-2570 or visit http://www.miva.com.
About FindWhat.com(R), Inc.
FindWhat.com creates and offers proprietary performance-based marketing and commerce enabling services that help businesses of all sizes throughout the business cycle in reaching prospects, converting prospects to customers and then retaining those customers. Its marketing division creates online marketplaces where buyers are introduced to sellers at exactly the right moment, when they are searching for products and services on the Internet; this introduction is based on a bid-for-position, pay-per-click, keyword-targeted advertising service. FindWhat.com offers this service directly to advertisers through the FindWhat.com Network(TM) in the U.S., the Espotting Network in Europe and offers a private label version of this service to large companies and portals worldwide, including Lycos and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. In addition to Miva(R), FindWhat.com also has a primary traffic division, currently offered through Comet Systems, a leading provider of connected desktop consumer software. More information on FindWhat.com is available on the Company's website at http://www.FindWhat.com.
