CenterStone Technologies announced record usage of the company’s online sales order management software application. The number of retailer long-ins to the application jumped 54%, to 57,400 in 2004 compared to 37,400 a year ago.

“The significant increase in usage demonstrates a need among specialty retailers for this type of service,” said Tom Detmer, president and CEO of CenterStone Technologies, Inc. “Clearly these retailers are experiencing a greater level of comfort in using online ordering systems. That is evidenced not only by the increase in log-ins, but by the record number of orders being placed.”

CenterStone vendor customers received a record number of orders placed online. In 2004, 35,600 orders were placed online through the company’s system. This is a 135% increase over the 15,100 orders placed last year. The record number translates into a 113% increase in the dollar value of those orders. In 2004, $190.4 million worth of wholesale orders were processed through CenterStone, compared to $89.2 million in 2003.

“Not only are retailers becoming more comfortable with our system, they see it as a significant improvement in the ease of doing business with their suppliers. As a result, they are spending more money with the manufacturers who offer CenterStone Technologies solutions,” Mr. Detmer added.

CenterStone’s online sales order management application has become an industry standard for thousands of specialty retailers. Every day more and more retailers are taking advantage of the many benefits offered by CenterStone’s sales order management application. Currently more than 8,000 retailers have access to the system. Company research found the top reasons retailers log-in are:

1. to check inventory,
2. reduce the time needed to complete order,
3. prevent phone tag,
4. place special orders for customers,
5. improve order accuracy,
6. receive quick order acknowledgement.

“In the past, communicating with vendors via telephone or email could be a real pain. The whole waiting game is so non-productive and is not very efficient. Now, I can order products without ever having to wait for someone to get back to me,” said Brandon Binkley, owner of Bink’s Outfitters in Murfreesboro, TN. CenterStone’s sales order management application has had a tremendous impact on our business. It allows me to reorder whenever I need to and lets me see live inventory so I can make calculated orders based on inventory levels. That ability positively affects the profit levels of the company. In fact, we have increased our orders by as much as 48% with vendors who offer CenterStone’s technology vs. the ones who do not because it is a very simple process that makes life easier. I wish more vendors would use CenterStone.”

CenterStone Technologies, Inc. provides Web-based sales order management applications that give retail dealers and sales reps the ability to create proposals, view online catalogs and product availability and to place preseason, reorders, and retail employee orders more effectively and efficiently with their vendors. CenterStone Technologies makes vendors more competitive by providing increased inventory turns at retail, reduced customer service costs, and greater speed to market, improving relationships with their customers-the retail dealer.

Among the brands currently making CenterStone Technologies solutions available to their retail customers and sales reps are: The North Face, Pearl Izumi, Marmot Mountain, Mountain Hardwear, Helly Hansen, Marker Apparel, Arc’Teryx, Sport Obermeyer, Redfeather Snowshoes, Marcolin, Fenwick, Garcia and Berkley Fishing, Remington Arms, and Malone Auto Racks. Product availability and orders for these brands are exchanged between retail dealers, sales reps and vendors’ back office (ERP) systems using EDI or XML. The Buyer’s Page, a retail dealer-to-vendor order management solution, RIDEPro, a POS to vendor order management solution and REstore, a retail employee/Pro to vendor order management solution are three of CenterStone’s ASP software products. Additional information about CenterStone Technologies, Inc. can be found on the company’s Web site at www.centerstonetech.com.