WEB STORE/ECOMMERCE

The Old Way

Ecommerce isn’t new. In fact, as the web goes, Ecommerce has been around pretty much since the beginning. However, what is sold, how it is presented and how it is paid for are aspects of Ecommerce that continue to evolve. Thinking about eCommerce as more than an online catalog can lead to many powerful business uses of this technology. Businesses can improve many internal processes or create distributed self-help purchasing with Ecommerce, however, most commercial eCommerce applications aren’t set up for the business rules required. Today Ecommerce between businesses can include customizable documents, personalized sales collateral, secure eDocuments as well as tangle items and can be paid for with departmental charge-backs, purchasing cards, monthly billing credit cards or no charge at all.

Business to Business Ecommerce

Business to Business Ecommerce requirements are different than business to consumer requirements. Where a business to consumer site might be concerned with cross selling a consumer on a companion product, a business to business eCommerce program might be more concerned with improving process efficiency, accountability or enforcing conformance. A business application of eCommerce might be tuned to only allowing a group from the eastern region to access items designed for their market or other examples such as:

• 500 printed collateral items moved to eDocs and print on demand, reducing inventory cost, waste and making items available instantly.
• Stationery for remote offices available online. Items such as business cards use the corporate template but personal information can be added, proofed and approved online.
• Trade show support program. Re-usable trade show items including signage and booth components as well as consumables including ad-specialty promotional items, personalized name badges and collateral can be ordered online complete with pre-paid return shipping so that items can be re-used at the next event.
• Self help marketing program. A sales person can order a postcard or email campaign using corporate approved designs and his list of prospects. Use can be tracked by management to see which campaigns and what frequency leads to the best close rates.

Ecommerce Checklist

• Making sure your Ecommerce solution covers these issues can make the difference between a smooth operation and a constant headache.
• Skin – can the site be easily configured to have your brand identity? 
• Catalog organization – do you have control over how items in your eCatalog of items will be presented? Can items be categorized under more than one heading? Can you include multiple images that depict the item? Can different pricing models such as per unit, per pack or sliding volume discounts be programmed? 
• Hosting – is hosting included? If credit, debit or corporate p-cards will be used for payment, is the site secure? Is card information stored on the server?
• Fulfillment – what controls exist between the eCommerce site and fulfillment? How is inventory tracked? Are confirmations of orders and shipment sent out? How are out of stock situations handled? 
• Reporting – are online reports supported? Do reports include both purchase and fulfillment/inventory activity? Can custom reports be built in? Can different level users be allowed to see only reports specific to their area of responsibility?
• Business rules / payment methods – can special organizational rules be built in? Approvals for orders over a specific amount? Split payments for amounts over a corporate limit? Cost center billing? Display of items by geography? Tiered pricing based on status? “Free” items that are billed back to another individual?
• Configurable/Personalized items – Is there an online proofing and approval system? Can corporate standards be maintained while enabling certain elements to be changed? Can rules be created to check for specific formats?