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Bluelight.com and Kmart complete phase one of country’s largest in-store internet shopping kiosk program

Imagine a Kmart where the aisles are endless, filled with everything anyone could possibly want. Shoppers, with just a click of a mouse, could increase their selections at their local Kmart store by more than 100,000 products (SKUs). BlueLight.com and Kmart Corporation today announced the first-phase completion of the largest in-store Internet shopping kiosk network in the world. More than 3,500 BlueLight.com online shopping kiosks are now available for use in over 1,100 Kmart stores, with plans to rollout BlueLight.com kiosks in every Kmart store nationwide.

BlueLight.com self-serve kiosks connect directly to the BlueLight.com shopping site (www.bluelight.com), virtually expanding the inventory of the nation’s second-largest discount retailer, while bringing immediate online shopping access and added convenience to the more than 30 million Americans who shop at Kmart each week. If a customer cannot find what he or she is looking for at their local Kmart, an associate can direct them to the kiosk to find the item, thus avoiding a potential lost sale. If a product is out of stock at the store, the customer can order the same product online. In addition, BlueLight.com online shopping kiosks offer the convenience of having hard-to-carry items, such as big-screen televisions, shipped directly to consumer’s homes or sent as gifts.

“The BlueLight.com online shopping kiosk is a major cornerstone in our e-selling strategy,” said BlueLight.com CEO Mark H. Goldstein. “Working with Kmart, we are developing multi-channel programs that answer the consumer’s needs and wants – no matter where they are, no matter what they are looking for. We are taking the traditional retail model and are super-charging it for the new millennium.”

BlueLight.com kiosks give the Kmart shopper full access to the BlueLight.com online shopping site and can currently be found in three locations at participating Kmart stores: the service desk, electronics and sporting goods departments. The easy-to-use kiosks feature a familiar personal computer interface directly connected to the BlueLight.com site and utilize BlueLight’s secure fulfillment and ordering functionality. Using a credit card or Kmart cash card, users can choose from BlueLight.com’s selection of more than 200,000 value-priced items, including Kmart exclusives like the Martha Stewart Everyday collection.

“The BlueLight.com online shopping kiosk program is a perfect example of Kmart’s new, focused customer service initiatives,” said Randy Allen, executive vice president of strategic planning and chief information officer of Kmart Corporation. “Kmart realizes the inherent strengths the Internet represents in retailing and is one of the first companies to leverage these opportunities in-store for the benefit of its consumers.“

The launch of its online shopping kiosk program is a key component in BlueLight’s “Sticky Bricks” business model, which fully integrates the online assets of BlueLight with the vast resources of Kmart, creating a seamless shopping experience for the consumer. Already, BlueLight.com purchases can be returned or exchanged at any of Kmart’s more than 2,100 stores nationwide. The Kmart Sunday sales circular that reaches 72 million households every week is also available online at BlueLight.com.

BlueLight plans on outfitting the remaining Kmart stores with kiosks by 2002.

Based in San Francisco, BlueLight.com is an independent company formed to leverage the substantial assets of Kmart Corporation, the nation's second-largest discount retailer. As Kmart's e-commerce channel, BlueLight's goal is to meet the online shopping needs of the more than 30 million Americans who visit a Kmart retail location each week, turning those consumers into BlueLight customers by offering "Great Brands at BlueLight Prices."

BlueLight operates the BlueLight.com online shopping site (www.bluelight.com), which features hundreds of thousands of products across multiple categories, including Martha Stewart EverydayÒ, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon, Route 66 and other nationally recognized brands. BlueLight also runs 3,500 Internet shopping kiosks in 1,100 Kmart stores nationwide, and offers in-store returns of all products at any of Kmart’s more than 2,100 retail locations. BlueLight’s ‘free’ Internet access service currently supports more than six million subscribers. BlueLight.com was formed in 1999 by Kmart Corporation (NYSE: KM) and SOFTBANK Venture Capital with investments by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO). For more information, visit www.bluelight.com.

Source: Bluelight.com 01/10/01

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