Learn & Earn: Three Million “Edu-Games” Taken on 3point5.com

SALT LAKE CITY, UT (November 7, 2008) – 3point5.com users surpassed the three million “Edu-Game” mark on Oct. 31, utilizing the online retail training leader’s unique, interactive testing system to learn and earn deep discounts on the products they sell.

The latest benchmark was achieved just one year after 3point5.com recorded its one-millionth Edu-Game. That means, on average, 3point5.com users completed an Edu-Game – interactive quizzes that test retail employees on brand, technology and product knowledge – every 15.8 seconds over the course of the last year.

Retail sales employees can access training on the products they sell for free – manufacturers pay 3point5.com to build the online training sites. Retail managers find out what brands their employees are training on and buying, and 3point5.com administers store employee purchase programs online.

The training site’s rapid growth is no surprise to Yuk Ming Ng, assistant manager at Coast Mountain Sports in Markham, Ontario and a frequent 3point5.com user.

“I like the fact that it’s interactive, it’s fun to learn,” Ng said. “There’s a lot of stuff that I already know because I’m fanatical about brands but 3point5.com is very easy for someone who knows nothing about brands to find out about them. And the Edu-Game is hilarious, the way the answers drop down on the page – then you get the “cheering” when you guess right. It’s exciting and then you earn great discounts.”

Ng, 38, completed his first 3point5.com Edu-Game and ordered his first discounted products – an Arc’Teryx Gamma SV softshell and a Covert Zip – on May 17, 2007. Since then, the camping and fishing enthusiast has logged on to 3point5.com 574 times, testing his brand, technology and product knowledge on the brands he sells and using his discounted purchasing power to place 15 orders with brands like Marmot and The North Face.

Coast Mountain Sports sales associates appreciate the competitive aspect of 3point5.com, Ng said. Users are timed taking Edu-Games and can win prizes like free gear and adventure trips.

“Most of my team is on it – probably 99 percent of them,” Ng said. “Everybody uses it, everybody loves it, everybody tries to win the contests.”

“This is not only good news for 3point5.com, it’s good news for manufacturers who are reaching thousands of the retail sales associates who sell their products with a tailored, online message,” 3point5.com’s CEO Duncan Robins said. “And it’s good news for retailers that are gaining a consistent training message and assistance with employee and pro purchases.”

“The 3 million mark was reached as 3point5.com has rapidly grown into new markets like Hunt/Fish, Action Sports, Bikes and Footwear. The increasing pace of Edu-Games is a testament to 3point5.com’s evolving business model as an online campus for retail sales employees,” Robins added.

About 3point5.com:
3point5.com is an online campus that represents over 100,000 registered pros and sales professionals, 250 manufacturers and over 12,000 retailers in an increasing number of industries, including Outdoor, Snow, Bike, Action Sports, Golf, Tennis and Hunt/Fish. 3point5.com offers a fun and secure place for retail sales professionals to train, access information and interact within their industry.
www.3point5.com