ASI's Supplier Websites Now Faster And More Distributor-Friendly

TREVOSE, PA - October 14, 2013 - The Advertising Specialty Institute^® (ASI) today
announced that the latest features and enhancements to ESP Websites™ for suppliers includes branded websites for featured lines, more login and display options and smarter searching.

ESP Websites, designed specifically for suppliers, feature a fast, dynamic shopping engine and easy-to-use payment functionality that allows end-buyers to easily search and purchase products in a supplier’s customized online store. Each month, ESP Websites attract 700,000 unique end-buyer visitors and 4.5 million page views.

Bill Korowitz, CEO of Top 40 supplier The Magnet Group (asi/68507) and winner of the 2013 Counselor Supplier of the Year award, said he chose ASI to develop his company’s customized website because he wanted his distributors to enjoy a robust search capability coupled with outstanding flexibility in marketing. “It was amazing that a program built to handle the average industry supplier could meet so many of our core needs right from the start,” said Korowitz. “We are thrilled with the result.”

The latest ESP features include:

• Easier Customer Access. Create password-protected accounts for clients who aren’t ASI distributors.
• Featured Product Lines. Offer focused, branded websites for up to 10 product lines on each ESP Website.
• More Choice. Decide whether to show or not to show product numbers.
• Smart Search. With the new type ahead algorithm, start typing a site name and matching sites immediately appear.
• Dynamic Virtual Samples. Applied in the product compare tool and anywhere product images are displayed.

In addition to the websites that ASI creates for suppliers, ESP^® is used by over 30,000 distributors to search for suppliers in the ASI network. Additional ESP features announced today include an eighth Pay for Placement spot available in ESP Web and ESP Online. Plus, suppliers with The Joe Show sponsorship now qualify for a tile ad on the home page of ESP, the industry’s most powerful sourcing platform.

Over 72% of all product searches in the industry are conducted in ASI’s flagship ESP, which annually generates over 25 million product and supplier searches and is used by 100% of the Counselor^® Top 40.

“ASI’s User Experience and Product Development teams are always on the hunt for ways to make dramatic differences in the online tools suppliers rely on every day, while ensuring that the entire ESP experience remains accessible and easy to use,” said Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of ASI. “The latest round of new features and enhancements accomplish all that and more.”

For questions, please contact ASI Support at support@asicentral.com. For advertising info, contact Gene Rahill, ASI’s VP of digital advertising, at grahill@asicentral.com.

About ASI
The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) is the largest media, marketing and education organization serving the promotional products industry, with a network of over 25,000 distributors and suppliers throughout North America. ASI leads the industry in technology solutions, providing cloud-based e-commerce, enterprise resource planning software (ERP) and customer relationship management software (CRM). ESP Web^® is the industry’s leading tool for sourcing hundreds of thousands of products. A family-owned business since 1962, ASI also provides online research, marketing, advertising opportunities, trade shows, education, award-winning magazines, newsletters, custom websites and catalogs to help members sell, market and promote their brands. Visit ASI at www.asicentral.com and on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and the CEO’s blog.

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