Introduction to e-Commerce

E-Commerce Software

Objectives

In this chapter, you will learn about:

Š Finding and evaluating Web hosting services

Š Basic functions of electronic commerce software

Š Advanced functions of electronic commerce

software

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 Objectives (continued)

Š Electronic commerce software for small and

midsize businesses

Š Electronic commerce software for midsize to

large businesses

Š Electronic commerce software for large

businesses that have an existing information
technology infrastructure
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Web Hosting Alternatives

Š Self-hosting
„ Running servers in-house
Š Commerce service providers (CSPs)
„ Provide Internet access to companies and
individuals
„ Offer Web server management and the renting of
application software

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 Web Hosting Alternatives
(continued)
Š Shared hosting
„ Client’s Web site is on a server that hosts other
Web sites simultaneously
Š Dedicated hosting
„ Service provider makes a Web server available
to a client
Š Co-location
„ Service provider rents a physical space to the
client to install its own server hardware
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Server evaluation

Š Key questions to ask both management and

sales staff:
„ What is the target audience that accesses our
site?
„ Are transactions going to be taken via the
website, how often, and how many?
„ What is the level of staffing that is required to
maintain the server on a daily basis?

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 The List Web Host Directory

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Host evaluation

Š Compare Web hosts feature for feature :

http://www.hostindex.com/compare.asp
Š Web Host Guild :http://www.whg.org/

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 Basic Functions of Electronic
Commerce Software

Š All electronic commerce solutions must

provide

„ A catalog display

„ Shopping cart capabilities

„ Transaction processing
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Basic Functions of Electronic

Commerce Software (continued)
Š Additional software components
„ Middleware
„ Application integration
„ Web services
„ Integration with enterprise resource planning
(ERP) software
„ Supply chain management (SCM) software
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 Catalog Display
Š Catalog
„ Listing of goods and services

Š Static catalog
„ Simple list written in HTML that appears on a
Web page

Š Dynamic catalog
„ Stores information about items in a database
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Small Electronic Commerce

Site

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 Shopping Cart

Š Problems with forms-based shopping

„ Shoppers had to write down product information

before going to the order form

„ Customers sometimes forgot whether they had

clicked the submit button

„ Confusing and error prone

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Using a Form to Enter an Order

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 Shopping Cart (continued)

Š Forms-based method of ordering has given

way to electronic shopping carts

Š Shopping cart

„ Keeps track of items a customer has selected

„ Allows customers to view contents of their carts,

add new items, or remove items
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Typical Shopping Basket Page

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 Transaction Processing
Š Occurs when a shopper proceeds to the
virtual checkout counter by clicking a
checkout button

Š Calculation complications

„ Computing taxes and shipping costs

„ Provisions for coupons, special promotions, and

time-sensitive offers
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Advanced Functions of
Electronic Commerce Software

Š Middleware
„ Establishes a connection between electronic
commerce software and an accounting system
Š Interoperability
„ Making a company’s information systems work
together

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 BEA Technology Solutions
Page

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Enterprise Application
Integration and Databases
Š Application program
„ Program that performs a specific function
Š Application server
„ Computer that takes request messages received
by the Web server and runs application programs
Š Business logic
„ Rules used in the business
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 Application Integration and
Databases (continued)

Š Page-based application systems

„ Return pages generated by scripts
Š Component-based application system
„ Separates presentation logic from business logic
Š Database manager
„ Software that stores information in a highly
structured way
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Application Integration and

Databases (continued)

Š Distributed information systems

„ Large information systems that store the same

data in many different physical locations

Š Distributed database systems

„ Databases within distributed information systems

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 Web Services

Š Combination of software tools that let

application software in one organization
communicate with other applications over a
network

Š Companies are using Web services to offer

improved customer service and reduce costs

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SOAP, UDDI, and WSDL

Š Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)

„ Message-passing protocol
Š Web Services Description Language (WSDL)
„ Describes characteristics of logic units that make up
specific Web services
Š Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration
(UDDI) specification
„ Set of protocols that identify locations of Web services
and their associated WSDL descriptions
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 Integration with ERP Systems
Š Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software
packages
„ Business systems that integrate all facets of a
business
Š Major ERP vendors
„ Baan, Oracle, PeopleSoft, and SAP
Š Typical installation of ERP software costs
between $2 million and $25 million
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ERP System Integration with

EDI

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 Electronic Commerce Software for
Small and Midsize Companies

Š CSPs
„ Have same advantages as ISP hosting services

„ Low cost is biggest single advantage

„ Offer free or low-cost electronic commerce

software for building electronic commerce sites

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Interland Web Hosting Services Home Page

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 Mall-Style Commerce Service
Providers
Š Provide small businesses with
„ Internet connection
„ Web site creation tools
„ Little or no banner advertising clutter
Š Provide shopping cart software
Š CSPs that offer mall-style commerce services
„ eBay Stores and Yahoo! Store
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Yahoo! Store

Š Serves as the business Web host for

„ Kennedy Space Center Space Shop
„ The Sharper Image
„ PalmPilotGear

Š Merchants can create, change, and maintain

their Yahoo! storefronts through a Web
browser
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 Bigstep

Š Received many industry awards for its CSP

offering
Š Provides two different storefront packages
Š Reports
„ Provide data-mining capabilities
Š Data mining
„ Looking for hidden patterns in data
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Electronic Commerce Software

for Midsize to Large Businesses

Š Midrange packages allow a merchant to have

explicit control over
z Merchandising choices

z Site layout

z Internal architecture

z Remote and local management options

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 Intershop Enfinity

Š Intershop Enfinity MultiSite provides

„ Search and catalog capabilities

„ Electronic shopping carts

„ Online credit card transaction processing

„ The ability to connect to existing back-end

business systems and databases
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IBM WebSphere Commerce

Professional Edition
Š Set of software components that provides
software suitable for midsize to large
businesses
Š Includes
„ Catalog templates
„ Setup wizards
„ Advanced catalog tools
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 Microsoft Commerce Server
2002

Š Allows businesses to sell products or services on

the Web using the following tools
„ User profiling and management
„ Transaction processing
„ Product and service management
„ Target audience marketing
Š Provides many predefined reports for analyzing site
activities and product sales data

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Electronic Commerce Software

for Large Businesses
Š Examples of enterprise-class products that
can be used to run a large online business
„ IBM WebSphere Commerce Business Edition
„ Oracle E-Business Suite
„ Broadvision One-To-One Commerce
Š Enterprise-class software
„ Typically provides good tools for linking to and
supporting supply and purchasing activities
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 Typical Enterprise-Class
Electronic Commerce Architecture

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Customer Relationship
Management Software
Š Must obtain data from operations software
that conducts activities such as
„ Sales automation
„ Customer service center operations
„ Marketing campaigns
Š Must also gather data about
„ Customer activities on the company’s Web site
and any other points of contact
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 Supply Chain Management
Software
Š Helps companies to coordinate planning and
operations with their partners in the industry
supply chains

Š Performs two general types of functions

„ Planning

„ Execution
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Content Management Software

Š Should be tested before making a

commitment
Š Employees should find a software’s
procedures for performing regular
maintenance to be straightforward
Š Helps companies control the large amounts
of text, graphics, and media files
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 Documentum Content
Management Web Site

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Knowledge Management
Software
Š Helps companies do four main things

„ Collect and organize information

„ Share information among users

„ Enhance ability of users to collaborate

„ Preserve knowledge gained through use of

information
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 Summary

Š Company must first choose between paying a

service provider to host the site and self-
hosting
Š External hosting options
„ Shared hosting, dedicated hosting, and co-location
Š Key elements of electronic commerce software
„ Catalogs, shopping carts, and transaction
processing capabilities
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Summary (continued)

Š Commerce service provider (CSP)

„ Used by small enterprises just starting an electronic
commerce initiative
Š If a company already has computing equipment and
staff in place purchasing a midrange electronic
commerce software package provides more control
over a site
Š Large enterprises with high transaction rates need to
invest in larger, more customizable systems
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