CoreMedia and IBM partner to inspire shoppers and drive online revenue for retailers

NEW YORK, USA: National Retail Federation Convention: CoreMedia, a leading Web Content Management (WCM) company, today announced at the annual National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Retail Show that it joins the IBM Smarter Commerce partner ecosystem with the recent validation of CoreMedia LiveContext for IBM WebSphere Commerce.

IBM will showcase CoreMedia LiveContext in its booth (#1818) at the show.

It's no secret that consumers have high expectations for a rich and engaging online experience. Shoppers expect more from online retailers and are not afraid to express those feelings by seeking out brands that can deliver the experiences and service they demand. According to a Harris Interactive survey 89 percent of consumers began doing business with a competitor following a poor customer experience and only 1 percent said that their expectations for a good customer experience are always met. Additionally, Aberdeen Research Group found that more than half of online companies cite heightened customer expectations as their number one challenge in building an effective online sales channel. Together, IBM WebSphere Commerce and CoreMedia LiveContext help retailers deliver exceptional customer experiences and infuse every aspect of the online experience with rich contextual content.

By leveraging pre-built integration with CoreMedia LiveContext, IBM WebSphere Commerce customers and their marketing teams can gain direct in-depth control of customer experiences - increasing the impact of digital content, helping to secure improved engagement levels, and translating improved loyalty into higher online sales through a greater emphasis on context provision at the point of purchase.

The CoreMedia LiveContext application will be available to IBM customers through IBM Commerce Composer for WebSphere Commerce, a new online storefront curator that helps retailers dynamically adapt their online presence to meet changing consumer demands. Part of the IBM WebSphere Commerce platform, IBM Commerce Composer cuts time to market by giving line of business leaders control over the look, feel and functionality of their online store fronts with no technical coding skills required. Using intuitive click-to-install templates, marketers and e-commerce leaders can quickly customize page layouts, optimize navigation and add new site functionality in minutes.

According to Gerrit Kolb, CoreMedia's chief executive officer:" CoreMedia LiveContext is an ideal added value solution for IBM WebSphere Commerce users as it helps to blend the world of e-Commerce and the brand experience. This allows marketers to concentrate on providing a seamless experience across the end-to-end customer journey and across all channels. Whether it's our highly efficient editorial interface that puts marketers and editors in charge of content creation, or CoreMedia's proven information-based content design that encourages effective re-use across multiple channels, CoreMedia LiveContext represents a powerful complementary solution for IBM WebSphere Commerce, and we look forward to sharing its benefits with IBM customers worldwide."