NCR To Support Microsoft's Smarter Retailing Initiative

NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) today announced it will support Microsoft's Smarter Retailing Initiative with the release of NCR Advanced Store 5, a high-performance software suite designed to enhance operations, drive incremental revenue, expedite return on investment and increase retail agility.

Debuting at the National Retail Federation's 2004 "Big Show," Jan. 11-14 in New York, NCR Advanced Store 5 utilizes numerous Microsoft technologies, including Visual Studio .NET, Windows XP Embedded, Windows Server 2003, Pocket PC and SQL Server. To help retailers better manage an increasingly dynamic, multichannel marketplace, NCR Advanced Store 5 provides support for IXRetail standard message formats via the XML Message Broker.

"We are excited to be working with NCR in the launch of NCR Advanced Store 5 that will support the Smarter Retailing Initiative," said Brian Scott, general manager, retail and hospitality industry solutions group, at Microsoft Corp. "The functionality made possible by NCR Advanced Store is a great example of how our partnership is enabling retailers to create a more efficient operation for themselves and a more seamless experience for their customers."

Being able to market to those customers where and when they choose is becoming increasingly challenging. NCR Advanced Store's powerful price-determination engine, multichannel support and customer relationship management functionality enable retailers to integrate their pricing and promotional strategies across channels to quickly and efficiently deliver customer-specific offers.

NCR Advanced Store is also helping retailers capitalize on the wide acceptance of wireless and mobile devices. Working in tandem with m-Qube, a leading provider of mobile-messaging solutions, NCR Advanced Store makes it possible for retailers to deliver customized promotions directly to a cell phone.

"With the release of NCR Advanced Store 5, we are bringing significant new capabilities that allow retailers to keep ahead of competition through the rapid deployment of new technologies," said Dave Ashcraft, vice president and general manager of NCR's general merchandise software business. "Through our open-software architecture and hardware platform independence, NCR is also offering long-term investment protection by ensuring that as new technologies become available, they can be easily integrated into a retailer's existing infrastructure."

About Microsoft's Smarter Retailing Initiative
The Microsoft Smarter Retailing Initiative helps retailers win today by leveraging current investments, and win tomorrow by easing delivery of new retail experiences. Consisting of Smarter Shopping, Smarter Selling and Smarter Operations, the Smarter Retailing Initiative is designed to close the loop between the retailer's strategy, the in-store execution and familiar technologies already in the consumer's hands. More information can be found at (www.microsoft.com/smartretail).

About NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a leading global technology company helping businesses build stronger relationships with their customers. NCR's ATMs, retail systems, Teradata data warehouses and IT services provide Relationship Technology solutions that maximize the value of customer interactions. Based in Dayton, Ohio, NCR (www.ncr.com) employs approximately 29,300 people worldwide.