Product Alert, the latest feature of Asian Sources On-Line (http://www.asiansources.com), Asia's leading business-to-business web site, will reduce the time taken to get new product information into the hands of buyers from weeks or even months to just days. Product Alert, the first Internet 'push' technology application to deliver Asian product information directly to the PCs of international buyers gives suppliers selling Asian-made merchandise a competitive edge over those relying on traditional means of reaching customers.

Product Alert applies ‘push’ technology to send international buyers updates via e-mail on new products posted on Asian Sources On-Line. Buyers get updates only on the new products they have specified, and only when the products are new to the site. The service is free of charge to the more than 7,000 suppliers which advertise over 34,000 products on the site.

"The benefits Product Alert offers are vital for suppliers," said Sarah Benecke, CEO of the Asian Sources Media Group. "Product Alert will deliver their vital information to the market within a matter of days. That's a fraction of the time they previously had to wait for brochures to be printed, or for the next trade show."

Product Alert’s ‘push’ delivery of information provides a real advantage for buyers, especially for importers of seasonal items. "It is critical for buyers of fashion products in London or Boston, garden furniture in Sydney, or Christmas decorations in Chicago, to get these seasonal items into their stores at the right time. Product Alert is so useful because it tells these buyers about new lines as soon as they are available," continued Benecke.

According to Benecke, the computer and electronic components industries are just as time-sensitive. "Technology is progressing so quickly that up-to-date information is not just a luxury, it's an absolute necessity. All the evidence shows that the first to get a new product to the market gets the lion's share of the profits."

A recent Asian Sources survey indicates that Product Alert will receive an enthusiastic response from buyers. The survey revealed that 96% of buyers thought that being provided with up-to-date information about new products and suppliers was important/very important to their business success. Other research has shown that at least 94% of international buyers use a PC, almost all on a daily basis.

Product Alert is available free of charge to all users of Asian Sources On-Line, as well as being an added value service for the 7,000 companies with home pages on the site. Product Alert is also set to boost the current levels of 9,000-plus inquiries received from buyers on Asian Sources On-Line each week.

To register for Product Alert, go to http://www.asiansources.com/PA/PAHOME.HTM

Editors’ information
The ASM Group is Asia’s biggest independent trade data resource. For more than 26 years the group has actively promoted international commerce with a wide range of trade, technical and management magazines and, recently, by supplying trade information via CD-ROM and the Internet. Last year the group’s software arm pioneered ASM eTrade which is now providing electronic trading solutions, including order processing and EDI, for international corporations such as Liz Claiborne, Reebok and Coles Myer as well as many Hong Kong buying agents representing major international importers in the US and Europe.

As the leader in global electronic trade, the group intends to focus its efforts on further developing innovative transactional software for the international trading community.

Issued by the Rowland Company on behalf of the Asian Sources Media Group. For more information, please contact:

Ronny Pang
The ASM Group
Tel: (852) 2555 4777
Fax: (852) 2553 0998

Janet Middlemiss / Patricia Johnson
The Rowland Company
Tel: (852) 2543 8882
Fax: (852) 2543 3030

For an e-mail version of this release, please contact:
jmiddle@rowland.com.hk or rpang@asiansources.com