The Body Shop Launches ATG Powered US E-Commerce Business; ATG Custome

    Business Editors/Technology Editors

    CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2005--ATG (Art Technology Group, NASDAQ: ARTG) the software provider behind the most consistent and relevant marketing, commerce, and customer service experiences, today announced that The Body Shop International plc has launched the company's U.S. E-Commerce initiative on the ATG Customer Experience Platform. Thebodyshop.com provides consumers with an integrated brand experience across multiple sales channels, and has been nominated by the Webby Awards as one of the five best Internet sites of the year in cosmetics and beauty.
    For the international retailer of naturally inspired skin and hair care products, creating an online shopping experience became critical to increasing market presence and strengthening relationships with consumers actively seeking easier access to the full breadth and depth of The Body Shop product line anywhere, anytime. Before choosing the ATG Customer Experience Platform, The Body Shop conducted a thorough evaluation process that involved possible solutions from five vendors.
    "Throughout our initial evaluation process, it became very clear that ATG continues to possess the depth of expertise and retail industry leadership we believe is necessary to create the outstanding customer experience The Body Shop customers deserve," said Mariam Naficy, vice president, e-commerce, The Body Shop. "The scalability of ATG solutions and promotional and personalization capabilities of the ATG Customer Experience Platform allow us to support our diverse customer base and the unique physical characteristics that define them. Offering an adaptive, personalized e-commerce site is critical to our strategy because we are offering a wide range of products to customers with varying skin, hair, and complexion types."
    ATG's dynamic, multi-channel commerce capabilities can push relevant information and promotions across any purchase point, such as a register, kiosk or online portal. The Body Shop has implemented this technology in their Web storefront in order to provide a unique and rich customer experience.
    "Having worked with early versions of ATG's solutions in the past at other leading Internet companies, and now working with today's comprehensive marketing, selling and servicing solution, I have seen consistent evolution and innovation in the ATG platform from both a business and technical standpoint," continued The Body Shop's Naficy. "To me, there is no better platform available on the market for The Body Shop to leverage in order to achieve its goal of providing our multi-channel customers with the finest Internet experience possible."
    "The Body Shop is a premier global retailer and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to provide the personalization, commerce and online self-service backbone of the company's e-commerce initiative," said Cliff Conneighton, senior vice president of marketing, ATG. "With the ATG Customer Experience Platform, The Body Shop will be able grow their brand while creating a unique, relevant online experience for their multi-channel customer base.
    This announcement comes on the heels of ATG's recent number one rating in e-commerce/e-marketing by both of the leading market research firms, Gartner and Forrester.
    The Body Shop has launched the new site with a managed service provider model, with hosting and operation of the site off-premises.

    About the Body Shop

    The Body Shop International plc has over 1,900 shops in 52 countries worldwide. The Company is not simply a global retailer of toiletries and cosmetics. We are committed to environmental protection and respect for human rights; we develop trading relationships with communities in need; we are against animal testing in the cosmetics industry; and we encourage education, awareness and involvement among our staff and customers.

    About ATG

    ATG (Art Technology Group, Inc., NASDAQ: ARTG) delivers innovative software to help high-end consumer-facing companies create a richer, more adaptive interactive experience for their customers and partners throughout the lifecycle of marketing, commerce, and customer service, and across the Web, e-mail and call centers. ATG has delivered category-leading e-business solutions to many of the world's best known brands including A&E Networks, Airbus, American Airlines, American Eagle Outfitters, AT&T Wireless, Best Buy, Boeing, France Telecom, Friends Provident, GE, Hewlett-Packard, HSBC, InterContinental Hotels Group, Kingfisher, Merrill Lynch, Neiman Marcus, Philips, Procter & Gamble, SBC, T-Mobile, Target, US Army, US Federal Aviation Administration, Wells Fargo, Warner Music, and Yahoo! The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with additional locations throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information about ATG, please visit www.atg.com.

    (C) 2005 Art Technology Group, Inc. ATG and Art Technology Group are registered trademarks of Art Technology Group, Inc. All other product names, service marks, and trademarks mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

    This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause ATG's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important risk factors affecting ATG's business generally may be found in their periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov. Risk factors related to the subject matter of this press release include the possibility that the ATG product deployment will not be successful, on time or significantly enhance the user's Internet experience or will not increase customer revenue across brands; that those customers leveraging ATG won't have the opportunity to increase revenue and decrease future costs; the need to adapt to rapid changes so products do not become obsolete; the possibility of errors in ATG's software products; the possibility that the solution will not make customer implementations faster or more flexible or permit the customer to meet its customer-facing or infrastructure requirements; that the ATG product will not continue to be integrated with third party applications servers or will not support all Web services enabled systems; that ATG's product strategy may change in the future; and the risks and costs of intellectual property litigation. ATG undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.

--30--MW/bo*

CONTACT: ATG Tucker Walsh, 617-386-1159 twalsh@atg.com

KEYWORD: MASSACHUSETTS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RETAIL TELECOMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE INTERNET E-COMMERCE SOURCE: Art Technology Group

Copyright Business Wire 2005