ATG (Art Technology Group, Inc., NASDAQ: ARTG), the top-ranked
e-commerce platform and e-commerce optimization services provider, today
announced that ForRent.com, a leading online marketplace for apartment
seekers, property managers and owners, has launched enhanced online
conversation applications for its advertisers powered by eStara Click to
Call and eStara Save and Send. ForRent.com is owned and operated by For
Rent Media Solutions™, a leading apartment
resource for searching apartments nationwide.
As first-time homebuyers who can't afford adjustable rate mortgages
return to the rental pool, new opportunities are emerging in apartments
leasing. A recent report by Marcus and Millichap, a national brokerage
firm specializing in real estate investments, states that apartment
demand is expected to rise because of the impact of the home-buying
slowdown. The long term outlook for apartment rentals also looks
promising as echo boomers - the children of the baby boomers, born from
1977 through 1994 - have already moved into the housing market. With
less attainable home-buying goals, echo boomers will boost demand for
apartment residences sharply, according to the National Multi Housing
Council. To capitalize on this trend, For Rent Media Solutions™
turned to ATG’s e-commerce optimization
services and selected eStara Click to Call and eStara Save and Send,
making it easier for advertisers to instantly connect with prospective
renters.
“For Rent Media Solutions is proud to be the
first in the online multi-housing industry to offer eStara’s
Click to Call and Save and Send applications to property managers and
owners, so they can create a memorable experience for apartment hunters
at no additional cost,” says Terry Slattery,
vice president/general manager, For Rent Media Solutions. “We
realize consumers are changing the way they seek and share information;
as For Rent continues to generate more inquiries on behalf of our
advertisers, eStara technologies will allow them to immediately validate
many apartment-seeking leads and turn them into signed lease agreements.”
With Click to Call and Save & Send, ForRent.com can help property
managers and owners keep up with the increased demand for apartment
rental inventory by qualifying new leads and quickly converting them to
lease agreements. The combination of Click to Call and Save & Send can
help close the loop between online and offline conversion of ForRent.com’s
more than 50,000 apartment community listings nationwide.
eStara Click to Call allows apartment seekers to immediately speak with
a property manager to receive real-time information about an online
listing by simply clicking a button to connect via phone, encouraging a
much more personalized sales experience. eStara Save & Send provides
apartment seekers the ability to save or send an apartment listing in an
electronic format – to a PC desktop, the Web
or mobile device – for reference so that no
lead is lost and an account of every phone call is recorded. Because an
apartment hunter can file a listing to be accessed at a later time,
eStara Save & Send extends the life of each online apartment listing and
improves the chances of closing the deal on lease agreements.
“eStara Click to Call and Save and Send
technologies will make a significant impact in the ForRent.com community,”
said Shari Solis, vice president, media for ATG’s
eStara services. “As the apartment rental
industry sees an uptick in demand, eStara services will help ForRent.com
differentiate itself in a competitive marketplace and provide a
customized channel for their advertisers to effectively manage apartment
seeker inquiries.”
About For Rent Media Solutions™
Headquartered in Norfolk, Va., For Rent Media Solutions is a division of
Dominion Enterprises. As the multi-family housing solution for apartment
seekers, property/apartment managers and owners, For Rent Media
Solutions provides superior products, outstanding customer service, and
tangible results. For Rent Media Solutions is a leading resource for
choosing your next apartment for rent,
townhouse, condo, duplex, efficiency, studio or loft and provides a free
customizable apartment search
from more than 50,000 apartment listings nationwide. For Rent Media
Solutions operates For Rent Magazine®,
as well as ForRent.com™-The
Magazine, and publishes 94 magazines covering more than 190 markets
nationwide, including After 55™
Housing & Resource Guide, Apartamentos Para Rentar®
and Florida Condominium and Townhome. For Rent Media Solutions
operates five additional Web sites: ForRent.com®,
SeniorOutlook.com™,
CorporateHousing.com®,
ParaRentar.com™
and FLCondoGuide.com. For Rent
Media Solutions is a company dedicated to the needs of the apartment
industry, bringing prospective residents and apartment communities
together.
About Dominion Enterprises
Dominion Enterprises, a division of Landmark Communications, is a
leading marketing services company serving the automotive, real estate,
apartment, recruitment and marine markets. The company operates a
variety of businesses that offer Internet marketing, Web site design and
hosting, lead generation, CRM, and data capture and distribution
services. The company has more than 40 market-leading Web sites reaching
more than 12.5 million unique monthly visitors, and more than 500
magazines with a weekly circulation of over 5 million. Headquartered in
Norfolk, Va., the company has nearly 6,000 employees nationwide and
annualized revenue of more than $946 million. For more information,
visit http://www.DominionEnterprises.com.
About ATG
ATG (Art Technology Group, Inc., NASDAQ: ARTG) provides the e-commerce
platform and e-commerce optimization services that the world's most
customer-conscious companies use to power their e-commerce Web sites,
attract prospects, convert them to buyers and ensure their satisfaction
so they become loyal, repeat, profitable customers. Our e-commerce suite
is ranked the #1 current offering and #1 in strategy by the industry's
most influential analyst firms, and powers more of the top 300 internet
retailers than any other vendor. Our eStara brand of e-commerce
optimization services - including the world's most widely used click to
call offering - dramatically increase conversions and order size and
enhance customer support. ATG's solutions are used by over 900 major
brands, including AT&T, Best Buy, Bulgari, Coca Cola, Continental
Airlines, CVS, Dell, Diane von Furstenberg, DirecTV, eLuxury, El Corte
Ingles, Expedia, France Telecom, Harvard Business School Publishing,
Hewlett-Packard, Hilton, HSBC, Intuit, Jenny Craig, Louis Vuitton,
Macy's, Mercedes Benz, Meredith, Microsoft, Neiman Marcus, New York &
Company, NutriSystem, OfficeMax, PayPal, Philips, Procter & Gamble,
Sears, Sony, Symantec, Target, T-Mobile, Tommy Hilfiger, Urban
Outfitters, Verizon, Viacom, Vodafone and Walgreens.
This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes
of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Further details on these risks are set forth in
ATG's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings
are available free of charge on a website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.
Additional risk factors related to the subject matter of this press
release include: the possibility that eStara’s
product and service deployments will not be successful, on time or
significantly enhance the user's Internet experience; the need to adapt
to rapid changes so products and services do not become obsolete; the
possibility of errors in eStara’s software
products and services; the possibility that eStara’s
offerings will not enhance its customers’
online sales or otherwise provide the expected benefits to its
customers; and the possibility that eStara's product strategy may change
in the future. eStara and ATG undertake no obligation to update any of
the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.
