Ernex Marketing Technologies Enables Expanded Visa 'Real-Time' Rewards Program For Royal Bank...

Business Editors

VANCOUVER, B.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 6, 2001

Revolutionary Customer Loyalty Program Rewards Customers

in Real-Time During Point of Purchase

Ernex Marketing Technologies today announced 75 new merchants in the Toronto area have signed on

This unique program awards points and prizes to Royal Bank VISA credit-card customers at the point-of-sale within the network of merchants participating in the Ultimix program. Ultimix is based on Ernex's real-time multi-merchant loyalty technology that provides merchants with the ability to easily track customer behaviors over time and provide them with rewards to help influence purchases and attain incremental spending.

The Ultimix(TM) program is the first in North America to reward cardholders across a multi-merchant network in real-time. Ernex has enrolled more than 150 merchant locations in Toronto and Vancouver. The program was successfully launched with merchants in Greater Vancouver last fall, using the sophisticated real-time technology from Vancouver-based Ernex.

"Ernex's real-time technology has the ability to offer rewards to customers that are merchant-specific," said Debbie Douez, vice president of card programs at Ernex. "This flexibility offers merchants of all sizes a cost-effective and innovative method of driving repeat business."

"Our cardholders have been asking for more ways to earn rewards," said Andrew Mitchell, senior manager of loyalty programs in Cards Services at Royal Bank. "Now with the Ultimix(TM) program we can deliver not just more points but new promotional opportunities like instant win contests at the moment the customer makes a purchase at a participating merchant. This breakthrough credit-card technology is unprecedented in Canadian retailing."

The first to benefit from Ultimix(TM) instant rewards will be holders of Royal Bank Gold Preferred, Platinum Preferred and AVION Visa credit cards. These cardholders can double their points at all participating merchant locations until March 31, 2002. During two promotional periods in the spring and fall (now to June 30 and September 1 to November 30), cardholders will be able to earn up to five times their regular points at select locations. The way the program works is that for every dollar spent, the cardholder receives one point from the credit card issuer as well as an additional one to four points from the participating merchant. The bonus promotions rely on Ernex's Points Multiplier feature which accelerates the reward points earned by a cardholder based on repeat visits to the same merchant. During the promotional periods, cardholders will have a chance to win prizes such as gift certificates, dinners, and grand prize trips for two in Canada.

Ultimix(TM) is the first program to use Ernex's new multi-merchant loyalty application - "ERNEX Accelerator(TM)". For credit-card issuers and large membership organizations, Ernex's real-time marketing technology can be used to "accelerate" the value to customers by offering instant reward points, instant sweepstakes contests, personalized messaging and couponing - all at the merchant point-of-sale.

(For a list of merchants participating in the program and more information, visit www.royalbank.com/cards/ultimix.)

About Ernex Marketing Technologies and the Royal Bank of Canada

Ernex Marketing Technologies is a provider of innovative real-time marketing solutions for merchants, bankcard issuers, large membership organizations, and product manufacturers. Its solutions include loyalty programs, stored-value gift card programs, and loyalty database hosting services. For more information, contact Ernex at 877-GO-ERNEX or visit www.ernexinc.com. Ernex is a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada.

Royal Bank of Canada (RY) is a diversified financial services company. It provides personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking, and transaction processing on a global basis. The company employs more than 54,000 people who serve 10 million personal, business and public sector customers in North America and in some 30 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.royalbank.com