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PhotoChannel and DataWave sign Point of Sale Activation Agreement New service will be marketed to expanding North American Customer base of both companies
VANCOUVER, BC - September 2, 2004 - PhotoChannel Networks Inc. (TSX-V: PNI, OTCBB: PHCHF) ("PhotoChannel"), one of North America's leading digital imaging technology providers, and DataWave (TSX-V: DTV, OTCBB: DWVSF), an innovator and developer of prepaid and stored-value programs, today report that the two companies have signed a Point of Sale Activation Agreement. Under the agreement's terms, PhotoChannel's market leading online solution for photofinishing retailers and DataWave's state-of-the-art point of sale activation (POSA) technology will be integrated and made available for both companies' expanding North American retail customer base. The integration of these technologies will allow PhotoChannel to provide its base of North American photofinishing retailers a completely automated and secure solution for selling a variety of digital photofinishing products through their cash registers and POSA devices. DataWave will expand its offering of prepaid services to its list of retail chains, which currently sell prepaid long distance and cellular services. "We are very pleased to be working with DataWave in this new initiative. Although PhotoChannel's retailers are currently experiencing success with the sale of online prepaid cards (e.g. sold through the internet), this agreement will increase our mass merchants' acceptance of prepaid cards sold in-store by eliminating the present threat of these live cards being lost," stated Peter Scarth, CEO of PhotoChannel. "DataWave's proven and accepted POSA system eliminates this risk, as activation occurs at the cash register. PhotoChannel and DataWave's customers will instantly be able to use and benefit from this new service. In addition, having both companies' sales teams market the service to their respective customers will accelerate the adoption of prepaid photofinishing cards," said Scarth. PhotoChannel pioneered the sale of an online prepaid digital photofinishing service two years ago and the acceptance from its customer base and the end user has been very positive. Retailers that have made use of this technology have witnessed a significant growth in online orders due to the ease and simplification of the transaction for the end user. The next logical step for PhotoChannel is to extend the reach of its prepaid systems to allow for in-store activation of its prepaid cards within the retailers' Point of Sale (POS) systems. DataWave's proprietary POSA (Point of Sale Activation) technology gives retailers the capability for instantaneous, electronic delivery of prepaid PIN products. DataWave currently supplies long distance phone cards and cellular PINS from all major carriers, on demand and directly at the retailers' point of purchase, through either small free-standing terminals or by a host-to-host infrastructure that is incorporated into the retailers' already existing cash register system. "We have been actively pursuing new prepaid products to market to our retail customer base and with the growth of digital imaging we see online prepaid photofinishing as a natural fit," said Bill Turner, VP Business Development of DataWave. "The explosion of prepaid services as a viable payment alternative is no longer confined to just the domain of the telecommunications industry and their product offerings. Consumer demand is coming from all demographics and our retailer base is well positioned to profit from this new relationship with PhotoChannel." About DataWave DataWave has been an innovator and developer of prepaid and stored-value programs and merchandising solutions since it was founded in 1994. DataWave pioneered systems that allow for point-of-sale activation of high value, high shrinkage products, such as cash cards, prepaid phone cards and prepaid wireless time. These systems work equally well over the Internet, through intelligent freestanding vending machines and POSA terminals, or with various card activation devices, including cash registers.
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