Webridge PX application suite selected by oswego.group

Webridge, Inc, recently announced that oswego.group, a leading provider of technology solutions for the marketing and sales processes of retail companies, has selected and deployed Webridge PX to run StyleStandard, oswego.group`s Web-based suite of applications.

StyleStandard automates the sales and marketing processes of major apparel, footwear and consumer goods manufacturers to improve business processes and speed product-to-market turn-around. The Webridge-powered solution is already being used by leading footwear and consumer goods manufacturers, including Bostonian, Ocean Pacific (OP), Alpine, Panasonic and Pioneer.

Webridge is the leading provider of sell-side B2B applications built on the Microsoft platform. The company`s packaged solution, Webridge PX, enables global enterprises to use the Web to integrate the marketing, sales and collaborative activities of employees, customers and business partners - improving efficiency and increasing revenue.

Unlike standalone point offerings, which require significant integration and IT resources, Webridge`s complete solutions are deployable in weeks rather than months, and enable business managers to directly and easily control business commerce activities.

"We chose Webridge PX as the base for StyleStandard because the applications are ready out-of-the-box, and the solution is specifically designed for non-technical users," said Tanya Kimbell, oswego.group. "With Webridge, we are not only able to quickly and easily combine different components to develop highly-customised solutions for our customers, but also to provide a user-friendly solution for retail companies who want to digitise their sales and partner activities without investing in extensive, company-wide technology training."

StyleStandard and its applications ensure easy access to updated, accurate information such as online product catalogues and graphics, and the solution includes full activity reporting, order tracking and account transaction functionality.

By moving all of this information to a collaborative Web environment, oswego.group and Webridge have effectively eliminated the retail industry`s cumbersome and expensive reliance on rapidly outdated print catalogues for partner sales demonstrations, as well as its slow and de-centralised communication and design collaboration methods such as fax, postal mail, logo sheets and image disks.

"The Web and electronic ordering processes have created an environment where information moves at such a rapid pace. Now more than ever our business has a great need for digital assets," said Laurie Doxer, Bostonian marketing communications manager. "We regularly receive requests from multiple retailers and resources that consume a lot of our designers` time. Using the Image Courier feature of StyleStandard, we are now able to service those requests one-on-one with the customer in a timely manner. For our industry, this is the right tool at the right time."

The Webridge-based StyleStandard solution consists of five modules - Image Courier, Product Presenter, Brand Manager and Collateral Manager - that allow manufacturers to integrate graphic assets and product information, which can be updated in direct alignment with the product development cycle. All applications operate within a standard Web browser, allowing product developers, sales people and retailers to access StyleStandard files from any Internet-connected laptop or desktop computer.

"Before we deployed StyleStandard Product Presenter, our sales people were taking scissors to their expensive catalogues in order to create account-specific sale presentations," said David Friend, director of US sales planning, Reebok. "With Product Presenter, we can electronically access centralised, up-to-date information to easily develop customised sales presentations that can incorporate multi-media audio and video, interactive product feature screens, buy sheets with pricing, as well as quantity and delivery information."