buySAFE and TRUSTe Form Strategic Partnership, Announce Groundbreaking New Trust and Safety Offering for Online Merchants

buySAFE and TRUSTe Form Strategic Partnership, Announce Groundbreaking New             Trust and Safety Offering for Online Merchants

   

"TRUSTe for Small Business" Combines Companies' Privacy, Merchant Performance Certifications to Help Merchants Increase Shopper Confidence

       

ARLINGTON, VA and SAN FRANCISCO, CA (June 20, 2007) – buySAFE, Inc. (www.buysafe.com), the leading trust and safety company for e-commerce transactions, and TRUSTe (www.truste.org), the leading privacy certification and seal program, today announced that they have partnered to create "TRUSTe for Small Business," a first-of-its-kind program that combines buySAFE's merchant performance certification process with TRUSTe's privacy certification process. The new program allows merchants with monthly sales of $1 million or less to signal compliance with the buySAFE and TRUSTe standards for trust and privacy, thereby increasing shopper confidence and driving higher conversion, sales and revenue.

   

To be eligible for the TRUSTe for Small Business program, online merchants must pass the buySAFE certification process and remain in good standing with buySAFE. Approved merchants will be designated with the buySAFE Seal, which certifies that the merchant is trustworthy and reliable, is continually monitored, and that its customers' purchases can be fully guaranteed with a bond from buySAFE and its surety partners Liberty Mutual, Travelers, and ACE USA. Merchants in the program will also display the TRUSTe for Small Business seal, indicating that they adhere to TRUSTe's strict privacy principles and comply with the TRUSTe Watchdog dispute resolution process.

   

"We are tremendously excited to join forces with TRUSTe, a true pioneer in the areas of online privacy, safety and security," said Jeff Grass, buySAFE CEO. "Just as buySAFE creates confident shoppers by providing the strongest third-party endorsement of a merchant's trustworthiness and reliability backed by a bond guarantee, TRUSTe generates trust between merchants and shoppers by verifying adherence to rigorous privacy standards. Together, these efforts will increase shopper comfort, which benefits online shoppers, merchants, and e-commerce as a whole."

   

"As the industry leader in guaranteeing trustworthy, reliable online transactions, buySAFE is a complement to TRUSTe's suite of offerings," said Fran Maier, executive director and president of TRUSTe. "With the launch of the TRUSTe for Small Business program, we've created an affordable, comprehensive way for small and medium-sized merchants to let their shoppers know that they adhere to the highest standards of privacy, trust and merchant performance."

   

To qualify for buySAFE, online merchants must pass the buySAFE certification process, which ensures that they are financially sound, reliable, and committed to delivering on their terms of sale. Merchants that use buySAFE experience higher conversion rates, higher sales, and more frequent repeat shoppers, and also earn additional revenue from any buySAFE bond guarantees their customers purchase. buySAFE is completely free for merchants to use on their websites. Merchants who would like to apply should visit www.buysafe.com.

   

buySAFE has built significant momentum in the e-commerce arena in recent months, announcing the addition of several new customers including leading home improvement etailer Home Décor Products, and DVD Planet, part of Infinity Resources, the third-largest DVD retailer online. Shopping cart providers MIVA Small Business Solutions, Zoovy, and Cart32 recently integrated the buySAFE trust solution into their products, and 3dCart and CRE Loaded have announced plans to do so shortly.

   

About buySAFE
buySAFE, Inc. is an expert at ensuring safe, reliable and virtually risk-free online shopping. buySAFE and its surety partners – Liberty Mutual®, Travelers®, and ACE® USA – certify online merchants to ensure they are trustworthy and reliable, monitor them continuously, and stand behind the certification by guaranteeing a shopper's purchase with a bond, up to $25,000. buySAFE is the only company in the world that provides online merchants with an explicit third-party endorsement of their reliability and trustworthiness, backed by a bond guarantee.

   

buySAFE has been proven to increase buyer confidence by providing certified merchants with the buySAFE Seal for display on their website and by enabling shoppers to guarantee their purchase with a bond. In so doing, buySAFE also benefits merchants because shoppers are more likely to buy when they have trust and confidence that the merchant will perform as promised. With increased buyer confidence, buySAFE Merchants typically enjoy higher website conversion, more repeat buyers and a better ROI on all their marketing dollars. buySAFE has guaranteed more than 12 million online purchases with a surety bond. buySAFE is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. More information is available at www.buysafe.com.

   

About TRUSTe
TRUSTe helps consumers and businesses identify trustworthy online organizations through its Web Privacy Seal, Email Privacy Seal and Trusted Download Programs. An independent, nonprofit organization celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2007, TRUSTe certifies more than 2,000 Web sites, including the major internet portals and leading brands such as AOL, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Intuit and eBay. TRUSTe resolves thousands of individual privacy disputes every year. To learn more about internet privacy visit www.truste.org.