ShopNow, 24/7 Launch Click2Buy Banner Ads

E-commerce operation ShopNow.com Inc. and 24/7 Media launched Click2Buy commerce-enabled banner ads.

Click2Buy allows consumers to transact purchases within online banner advertisements, making the banner ads the actual point-of-sale. Visitors are not required to leave the current site.

ShopNow.com developed the technology, which will be licensed to 24/7 Media for use across the 24/7 ad network.

The two companies, which entered into a co-marketing agreement six months ago, have a mutual investment in each other. 24/7 Media has a 15 percent equity stake in ShopNow.com that allows 24/7 Media to offer e-commerce technology to its advertising clients.

24/7 Media said it will deploy the Click2Buy technology across its network of 300-plus Web sites, which reaches more than 55.5 percent of the online audience in the U.S., according to Media Metrix.

ShopNow.com’s business-to-business commerce division CommerceTrust.com will provide the technology platform powering the payment processing for Click2Buy customers. 24/7 Media will participate in transaction revenue.

Visitors to any Web site click through a banner ad that is clearly branded with the Click2Buy logo. This provides a consistent look and feel to assure customers that they will not be driven from the site they are currently viewing.

Once the banner is clicked on, a new window opens up on the current site. The user purchases the product or service, fills out an order form and enters a credit card number all within the pop up window. The transaction is entirely contained within the pop-up window. After the purchase is complete the user returns to the site from where they began.

“This positions 24/7 Media squarely in the midst of the e-commerce space,” said David J. Moore, CEO of 24/7 Media.

ShopNow.com Inc. offers business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-commerce services to businesses. The ShopNow Network is comprised of online access to more than 30,000 businesses. Its CommerceTrust.com division provides business-to-business e-commerce products and services.