12:00 AM ET 10/01/98
Netscape to woo Microsoft customers to its Web site
PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept 30 (Reuters) - Netscape
Communications Corp Thursday will unveil a new
strategy to grow its overall Internet business even while its
share of the Internet browser market is shrinking.
The company said it will pursue customers of rival
Microsoft Corp's browser -- not to get them to switch
to Netscape's browser, but to get them to visit Netscape's
online service once they are on the Internet.
Ever since Netscape began giving away its Internet browser
earlier this year, it has focused on building revenues from its
Netcenter Web site.
Netcenter is one of the leading Internet directories, or
portals, offering news and other content as well as links to
other Netscape software products. Any Internet user can go to
the Netcenter portal, regardless of what browser they use, and
the new strategy is designed to point Microsoft browser
customers in that direction.
Later this month, Netscape will introduce new software that
users of Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) browser will be
able to download from the Internet. The software, called
Netscape Tuneup for IE, will connect them to many of
Netcenter's services, such as its refined searching services,
its personalized Web pages and its e-mail.
Netscape generates ad revenue on its Netcenter site based
on the number of visitors, so building an audience is critical.
While the Netscape browser links customers directly to the
Netcenter site, the company has started to recognize the
importance of pursuing customers who use other browsers.
Netscape once controlled around 80 percent of the browser
market, but has gradually lost ground to Microsoft's Internet
Explorer. Earlier this week a new study showed Microsoft had
surpassed Netscape as the leading browser provider.
Ken Hickman, Netscape's Netcenter program manager, said the
new strategy was "just a recognition that we might as well make
Netcenter and its services available to anybody."
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