edu.com today launches an online shopping service exclusively for verified college students at http://www.edu.com

Product categories available today include computers, peripherals, software, textbooks, publications, bank services and credit cards.  Additional product categories to be introduced starting in September include phone services, health & beauty care, travel, consumer electronics and more. 

Highlights from the edu.com product catalog include selections from Adobe, Apple, BankBoston, Citibank, Corel, Epson, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Microsoft, Olympus, Symantec, Toshiba, and many others.  Strategic partners of edu.com include BankBoston, Citibank, Sony and Varsity Books. 

"Students today are marketing savvy and aware that their collegiate status makes them appealing to companies anxious to cultivate life-long relationships with their consumers.  However, after being marketed to since childhood, students are weary of the inflated claims and empty promises that most companies make," said Adam Kanner, edu.com founder and chief executive officer.  "edu.com has created an entirely new marketing model where students' needs come first and marketers are happy to offer exceptional value in exchange for the opportunity to reach students directly."

The Student's "Online Advocate"

Acting as the "online advocate" for college students across the country, edu.com only negotiates with top-tier brands that share a commitment to serving student customers.  Together, they offer students unbeatable pricing and value on key items such as computers, laptops, cell phones, pagers, bank cards, textbooks and more.  Students immediately see edu.com's value via a price guide that clearly illustrates comparable Internet prices. Students can expect to always receive a better value package at edu.com than anywhere else.  Eligibility for priority student treatment is determined solely by the shopper's collegiate status – no other restrictions or limitations apply.

Starting in September, edu.com will further enhance the online shopping experience by providing students' with robust tools to facilitate smart purchasing decisions.  For instance, when shoppers arrive at the edu.com homepage, they will be given the option of perusing offers in one of the multi-brand commerce categories or going specifically to a marketing partner's  "Company Store," which will feature a wide selection of brand-specific products.  edu.com also features "The Professor", an advanced shopping wizard especially useful for students who require guidance when making complicated purchase decisions.  Furthermore, edu.com includes extensive buyer's guides, feature stories and third-party product reviews that help students identify the product or service that fits their specific requirements.  Shoppers with questions, issues or problems may contact edu.com's Student Resource Center 24 hours a day year-round. 

"College students represent the largest online user group and buy at three times the rate of other adults," continued Kanner.  "We are confident that the intuitive, user-friendly shopping experience we've developed for students will be warmly and quickly received.  Our goal is to revolutionize the way students prepare themselves for their college lives and become a trusted resource in the process."
 

The Marketer’s “Online Advisor”

 In exchange for best-in-market value, edu.com guarantees marketing partners a 100-percent pure college audience.  No other multi-category, e-commerce or college-focused site can stake this claim.  For the first time, marketers can cost-effectively reach a first-time buying audience while gaining the opportunity to cultivate a lifelong customer relationship.  Always considering the best interests of students, edu.com has a strict privacy policy (available at the helpdesk at www.edu.com) that promises the company will not sell, rent or trade personal information to any partners or affiliates of the site.

“Many marketers are willing to offer students low prices in exchange for branding opportunities, but have lacked a vehicle to showcase their wares without conflicting with other retail channels,” explained Kanner.  “The Internet has changed all that.  With 95 percent of college students online, edu.com is able to draw the college market to one place, providing the first cost-effective channel for marketers to reach this audience without alienating other customers at retail.”

All You Need Is A College ID

While anyone is free to browse the site to “window shop” or research products and buying opportunities, valid student identification is mandatory for purchases.  In fact, all a shopper needs to derive value at edu.com is a valid higher education student ID.  Once a student is authenticated, he/she may immediately start buying and is cleared for all future purchases while still in school. 

Student ID verification techniques are made possible through the cooperation of all edu.com constituents including college students, marketing partners and universities.  Students who visit edu.com through marketing partners receive valuable gift coupons.  Prior to today’s announcement in a preview period, edu.com garnered thousands of registrations from students at leading universities such as Harvard, Cornell, Duke, Columbia and Stanford. 

Rewards Programs

 Consistent with a “students first” approach, edu.com “pays” students for their purchases and time spent on the site in the form of a rewards program. Whether making a purchase or filling out an edu.com questionnaire, students earn “eduPoints” redeemable for a variety of products from CDs and videos to mountain bikes and television sets.

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