Please direct your media and public relations inquiries to: mediarelations@cdw.com 800-800-4CDW CDW takes online shopping to the next level Vernon Hills, Illinois, May 18, 1998 --- CDW Computer Centers (Nasdaq: CDWC), one of the country's leading direct marketers of brand-name microcomputer products, today announced it has taken online shopping to the next level. The company's award-winning e-commerce Web site, http://www.cdw.com, now includes automatic price availability alerts, more products available for side-by-side comparisons and advanced searching functionality. The new Buyers' Alert, expanded CDW Compare and powerful SmartSearch tool from CDW create a dynamic, one-stop shopping experience and help online shoppers sort through the myriad computer products and features to make smart purchasing decisions. "Our mission is to make shopping at cdw.com a cost-effective, simple and enjoyable experience," said Greg Zeman, CDW president. "We've incorporated Buyers' Alert, CDW Compare and SmartSearch into our Web site after tracking customer use patterns and in response to customer requests. Since the site is updated continually, our valuable tools allow users to maximize their purchasing dollars and make buying decisions based on the very best and most timely product information available. We make it easy to find the right product, right away." Unique Buyers' Alert Automatically Notifies Customers Unique to the industry, CDW's Buyers' Alert allows customers to set defined criteria, such as in-stock availability and/or a specified price range, and build a shopping list of products they would like to purchase. Then CDW automatically notifies customers by e-mail when products on their shopping lists become available or reach their targeted price points. Online shoppers can take advantage of the Buyers' Alert functionality by registering online for a free CDW E-Account at cdw.com. With an E-Account, customers can purchase products simply and securely, check the status of their orders and streamline the shipping and billing process. CDW Compare Adds Printers and Monitors Setting the industry standard for online product comparisons, CDW has added two new product categories to CDW Compare, its online product comparison shopping tool. Formerly called PC Compare, CDW Compare now allows users to compare information on 50 top-selling models of laser and ink jet printers and 77 monitors in addition to the more than 500 PC and Macintosh desktops, portables and servers previously available to compare. CDW Compare enables shoppers to create extensive side-by-side comparison charts of up to five products at a time available from CDW within and across brands, as well as within and across product categories. Users can examine different product types side-by-side, such as portables and desktops, desktops and servers, PCs and Macintoshes or 15-inch and 17-inch monitors. Previously accessed only from the CDW home page, the popular product comparison tool is now available from anywhere within cdw.com, making it even easier and more convenient to use. "Our customers have found CDW Compare to be a valuable resource that saves time and effort. It's one of the most popular features on CDW's online shopping site, which is one reason why we expanded its product categories and fine-tuned it to allow users to call it up from anywhere in our Web site," said Zeman. "CDW is the only company to offer such advanced product comparison capabilities at its Web site, and we intend to keep improving CDW Compare until online shoppers find it hard to remember the day they tried to make a purchase without it." SmartSearch Offers Extensive Search Criteria CDW has dramatically stepped up its Web site search functionality with SmartSearch, the definitive online shopping search engine. SmartSearch allows users to search cdw.com's database of over 27,000 products using a robust choice of criteria, such as price or price range, in-stock availability, manufacturer name, manufacturer part number, CDW part number, product category or user-defined key words for truly individual, simple online shopping. Multiple search criteria can be used on a single search further simplifying information gathering for customers. "People want to search for products that meet a specified price and are in stock today so they can purchase them immediately. SmartSearch allows them to do just that. We know of no one else in the industry that offers such extensive search criteria," said Zeman. "SmartSearch also has made searching for information much quicker overall. Loading pages, moving from page to page and executing searches are strikingly faster now, so shoppers can find exactly what they want quickly and easily. "We've already received tremendous feedback from our customers on our Web site's new features and enhancements," Zeman continued. "Our goal is to provide all the information an online shopper needs to make a buying decision, and then present it in a clear and organized format that is easy to access and assess. We are taking advantage of our technological expertise in providing our customers with the most current product, price and availability information 24 hours a day." About CDW CDW Computer Centers is one of the country's leading direct marketers of brand-name microcomputer products. The company's customers primarily include business, government, educational, institutional and home office users in the United States. CDW sells more than 30,000 microcomputer hardware, software and peripheral products through account managers and the company's e-commerce Web site, http://www.cdw.com. Nearly 27,000 computer products - with detailed specifications for over 7,000 - are available to search and order online. The CDW Web site currently represents about five percent of the company's total sales, and approximately 40,000 unique users visit cdw.com per day Additional information can be found by visiting CDW.com.