Sears Relaunches sears.com

Hoffman Estates, IL, Oct. 1--Consumers can now find more of the good life at sears.com, the Website of one of America's most popular clicks-and-bricks retailers. Sears, Roebuck and Co. today launched its redesigned Website with easier navigation and expanded product information, while retaining the popular "Buy Online. Pick-Up in Store" customer option. "Sears.com is now faster, easier to navigate and provides access to more product information than ever before," said Bill Bass, vice president and general manager, Sears Customer Direct. "Today's consumer wants the freedom to shop retailers in a variety of ways--in the store, online, over the telephone, or through the mail. Sears provides customers with all of these options, and the new sears.com is another way we are increasing the convenience of shopping at Sears." Utilizing customer feedback, the site has been redesigned to accommodate the needs of different categories of online visitors. Better organized product information enables mission-oriented shoppers to zero in on their selection in fewer clicks than before, while side and top navigation bars and visually oriented browsing tools aid consumers who are browsing through the site or doing research prior to making a major purchase. The architecture of the new site will also support the addition of apparel as an online category on sears.com. Sears has announced plans to add apparel by the end of 2004. Sears will continue to offer sears.com customers the option of picking up their online purchases at their local Sears store, saving them time and, potentially, money. Thousands of products on sears.com are available with this option. Approximately 40 percent of sears.com purchases are picked up at a local Sears store. With approximately 3,500 models of appliances online, sears.com is a primary destination for appliance shoppers. In addition to being the market leader in online appliance sales, the company estimates that as many as one in five appliance purchases made in a Sears store are influenced by online research at sears.com. Sears.com is also the leader in online sales of tools, treadmills, and lawn and garden equipment. Sears.com is a source for the wide range of products and services available from Sears. In addition to researching and buying products, customers can schedule service calls, order replacement parts, access Sears' gift registry or manage their Sears credit account. Sears also has kiosks in the appliance sections of its major stores for customers to access sears.com.