BooksOnBoard Selects ORCA for Branded Payment Solution, Providing Consumers More Choices and a Simpler Purchase Process

NEW YORK -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- BooksOnBoard, the largest independent eBook store and a pioneer in the online distribution of digital books, has partnered with ORCA, a leading provider of payment and transaction solutions for digital media companies, to provide consumers with a new and easier payment option to be available in mid-December. With eBooks the major buzz this holiday season and consumers moving to cash and debit cards due to the economy, the new BoB Pay system anticipates both increased eBook sales volume and the customer’s need to purchase with debit cards.

Supported by ORCA’s platform, BoB Pay will allow customers to make repeat purchases of eBooks and MP3 audio books faster and more efficiently without re-entering checkout data. Importantly, BoB Pay enables customers to use debit cards for payment. With the BoB Pay platform seamlessly – and securely – integrated into the site itself, consumers can create a BoB Pay account, designate a source of funds such as a credit card or bank account, and pay for an item, without ever leaving the site to use a third-party payment system. After the first checkout, there are no more forms for customers to fill out as ORCA easily handles future transactions with a single click.

“BooksOnBoard has always been a business focused first and foremost on the customer’s wants and needs. ORCA allows us to offer a comprehensive, branded VIP service that greatly simplifies the checkout experience and provides debit card transactions,” said Bob LiVolsi, President, CEO and founder of BooksOnBoard. “While we will continue to offer our existing checkout options, BoB Pay offers the best customer experience and provides our customers with a cleaner, more efficient and highly personalized buying experience. This platform provides a foundation for other enhanced offerings to our customers in the near future. ”

The elegance of ORCA’s open API architecture helps BooksOnBoard leverage its brand equity with its famously loyal subscribers. ORCA enables BooksOnBoard to develop a stunning array of loyalty club and rewards program offers, utilizing the same account structure.

“Digital media pioneers like BooksOnBoard understand that their own brands elicit as much trust as any digital payment brand among their loyal subscribers. With ORCA, they truly own the customer relationship from subscriber acquisition all the way through purchase,” said Roger Wood, CEO of ORCA. “ORCA is providing an online equivalent of the gift cards, credit cards and gift certificates that have come to define private label options. We feel the time is now for digital media companies to present their strongest asset — their own brand — in creating trusted payment relationships.”

ORCA stocks eBook retailers with the tools to manage subscribers’ online transactions, while offering:

• loyalty and monetary rewards programs;
• single screen check-out process;
• special deals; and
• advance orders of popular titles.

The platform brings all of the flexibility, and most importantly, security of traditional payment solutions directly to social media communities.

About ORCA

The ORCA Platform is a digital payments solution for digital media. The open-API architecture platform enables Web sites to integrate payments, virtual currency, loyalty programs and per-ordering seamlessly into the web experience using a company's own brand without a third party owning the transaction, information or the relationship. More information on ORCA (Optimized Real-Time Currency Application) can be found at (http://OrcaOne.com). OneTXT is based in New York City, with additional offices in San Francisco.

About BooksOnBoard

BooksOnBoard (www.booksonboard.com) is the largest independent online retailer of eBooks. BooksOnBoard is also one of the largest retailers of downloadable Audio Books and eBook Readers. While 67% of BooksOnBoard customers read on PCs, laptops and the new, popular netbook category, BooksOnBoard also supports and sells eBook readers, i.e., Sony PRS-300 eBook Readers, Sony PRS-600 eBook Readers, Cybook Opus Pocket eBook Readers, Cybook Gen3 eBook Readers and Astak EZReader Pocket Pro eBook Readers. Known for strong 7 day a week customer support and aggressive prices, BooksOnBoard has the largest eBook catalog online with over 400,000 titles. BooksOnBoard also offers a mobile site for the iPhone; directions on how to download to your iPhone or iPod Touch are available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le2-qEWfaGY. For the latest from BooksOnBoard, subscribe to the RSS feed: http://www.booksonboard.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6107703&lang=en