Verizon Expands SuperPages.com to Offer the Most Comprehensive Online Shopping Experience

DALLAS - Verizon SuperPages.com today launched a preview version of three new search options that will expand the most popular Internet yellow pages site into a powerful, precise and comprehensive shopping destination. The preview version of the expanded site is available in beta form at http://www.bigbook.com/. The new search options will be commercially available on SuperPages.com before Thanksgiving - in time for the year's busiest shopping days.

The expanded SuperPages.com site exemplifies the future of local search and online shopping, in which consumers will search, buy and bid on products -- faster and more easily -- from a single shopping site. The new shopping enhancements include:

• Merchandise information, including product specifications, prices, ratings, reviews, pictures and availability. Users can comparison-shop and buy products from thousands of online merchants.

• Bidding that allows shoppers to bid on millions of products, buy at the seller's price, ask questions and view details about the items.

• Web Results focusing on delivering relevant online shopping content about products, brands, services and businesses. The section filters spam and inappropriate content.

A Yellow Pages section connects shoppers with local products and services information they need, from the best bakery to the closest tailor to a 24-hour veterinarian.

"SuperPages.com is now the ultimate shopping destination where consumers can research and purchase products and services without jumping from site to site," said Eric Chandler, vice president - e-commerce marketing for Verizon Information Services. "Users can learn, search, find and buy just about anything on one site. No other shopping site is as comprehensive or precise."

For example, a consumer shopping for a digital camera for a holiday gift would enter "digital camera" in the Key Word search box of SuperPages.com and then be able to "click" on the various sections to obtain detailed information including:

• A list of local stores that carry digital cameras (Yellow Pages).

• Product descriptions from digital camera manufacturers (Merchandise). Here, shoppers can also compare prices, read product reviews and buy the camera online.

• Purchase new or pre-owned cameras (EBay Results).

• Content and information about digital cameras, without conducting a separate Internet search (Web Results).

SuperPages.com teamed with Shopping.com, eBay and Fast Search & Transfer to deliver the most choices to online shoppers.

"In 2004, 75 percent of our users contacted a business found on SuperPages.com, and 45 percent of those made a purchase," said Chandler. "With our unique position in the buying process and expertise in providing national and local content, we will be able to provide the ultimate online shopping experience no matter how consumers want to buy."

Verizon Information Services and SuperPages.com

Verizon Information Services is the world's leading print and online directory publisher, a content provider for communications products and services, and the largest publisher of Hispanic directories in the U.S. With operations in 14 countries and annual revenues of more than $4.3 billion, Verizon Information Services publishes more than 1,200 U.S. Verizon yellow pages directories and nearly 400 international directories with a total circulation of approximately 150 million copies worldwide.

Based in the Dallas area, Verizon Information Services produces and markets SuperPages.com, the Internet's #1 online directory and shopping resource. SuperPages.com receives as many as 14 million visits and 9 million unique visitors a month and powers directory services on MSN, InfoSpace, Excite, Lycos, HotBot, and BigFoot as well as more than 2,500 affiliate Web sites.

Verizon Information Services is a unit of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), one of the world's leading providers of communications services. With a diverse workforce of approximately 208,000, Verizon has three other business units: Domestic Telecom serves customers based in 29 states with wireline telecommunications services, including broadband, nationwide long-distance and other services. Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 42.1 million voice and data customers across the United States. International includes wireline and wireless operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.