RCA Web Site Enhanced
With the holidays fast approaching, consumers now have the perfect place to learn more about and buy the latest home entertainment products; www.RCA.com. The new RCA.com Web site is the latest move by Thomson Consumer Electronics to capitalize on the emerging Internet economy and electronic commerce. Thomson Direct, Incorporated (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thomson Consumer Electronics), has started online consumer sales and shipment of more than 100 models of television sets, DVD-Video players, VCRs, camcorders, select audio/video accessories, the RCA Digital Cable Modem, and audio products; including the new RCA LYRA personal digital audio player. ""Today, we announce the most comprehensive RCA database of home entertainment product information. Consumers will be able to compare features, find a dealer, check out the owner's manual, and even buy our products right from their computer through the new RCA.com,"" said Mike O'Hara, Senior Vice President of Thomson Consumer Electronics. The number of RCA products available online is planned to grow over time, according to O'Hara. ""It's clear to Thomson that the Internet is changing the world in which people research, shop, and ultimately buy goods and services. RCA.com will provide a valuable vehicle to position our brand, products, and support services directly to the consumer, which is an ideal way to develop a lifetime relationship. And we are committed to pursuing electronic commerce opportunities that also strengthen our current dealer relationships,"" said O'Hara. In addition to a Dealer Locator service, consumers will also have instantaneous access to more than 200 RCA product specification records for detailed comparisons. Consumers can easily print owners manuals for TVs, DVD players, DBS systems, VCRs, camcorders, cable modems, and a variety of audio products. Warranty information and online warranty registration is another feature of RCA.com. ""RCA.com is a destination site designed to provide a vast amount of information on RCA brand products,"" said Greg Bosler, Vice President of Thomson Direct, Incorporated. ""With detailed product specifications, customer service information, technology vignettes, and promotional offers, RCA.com contains the most comprehensive array of information about RCA available anywhere on the Internet,"" Bosler said. The revamped RCA.com is the latest Internet innovation from Thomson, which last year launched the industryís first business-to-business Web site; the Thomson Dealer Network. That service is the industry's first Web site to provide 24-hour, seven-day-a-week information regarding products, ordering and invoice status, claims filing, and current marketing promotions. More than 1,300 Thomson dealers in the U.S. are currently activated on the Thomson Dealer Network. The Thomson Dealer Network will soon expand to Canada, and a European launch through Thomson Multimedia is planned for the year 2000. This past July, Thomson went online with www.LyraZone.com to promote the new RCA LYRA personal digital player. The RCA LYRA is a personal digital player that plays multiple compression formats on Skip Free solid-state memory cards and was first available to online buyers through the LYRAZONE.com Web site. ""While Thomson sells hundreds of RCA models to a variety of retail customers, there has not been a single place for the consumer to find out about all of these products; until now, at the RCA.com Web site,"" Bosler said.