1. E-Commerce SoftwareE-Commerce Software
an industry perspective…
…Tekchand sharma

2. Personal BackgroundPersonal Background
Started undergrad at GWU at 15
– BS – Computer Engineering, 1987
– MS – Software and Systems, 1989
– D.Sc. – Computer Science, abandoned in 1992
CTO for many web-technology companies
– Spent last year at OneSoft, local e-commerce
software and application services provider
Contact: Sunil@bhargava.com

3. What is e-CommerceWhat is e-Commerce
e-Commerce has become e-Business
Business automation
– Web-based by definition
– Application by nature
Involving the whole commerce chain
– manufactures and customers
– suppliers and buyers

4. The more traditional definitions?The more traditional definitions?
 Retail (B2C) - Sell-side
– Market peaked last year and still dropping
– Bill presentation and payment on the rise
 Procurement (B2B) - Buy-side or Sell-side
– Market plateau’d last year but stable
– Different from when business act as consumers
 Collaborative Commerce (B2B2C) - Sell-side
– Exploiting and assist the existing channels
 Market places - Buy-side and sell-side
– Emulate all benefits of real-world, single-product
marketplaces

5. Retail (B2C)Retail (B2C)
 Value Proposition
– Disinter-mediate the retail channel
– Better shopping experience
 Personalized up sells
 Comparison shipping
– Evaporating myth
 Wider net (anytime; anywhere); lower cost; viral sales
 Technical Challenges
– International commerce
– Multi-lingual content management
– Cost effective distribution and fulfillment

6. Procurement (B2B)Procurement (B2B)
 Value Proposition
– Disinter-mediate brokers and traders
– Buy side
 Implementers are large customers
 Saves money by reducing inventory and purchase costs
– Sell side
 Implementers are targeting their medium customers
 Reduces cost of sale and increases revenue per customer
 Technical Challenges
– International commerce
– Automation of custom, non-uniform processes

7. Collaborative CommerceCollaborative Commerce (B2B2C)(B2B2C)
 Value Proposition
– Exploit and extend existing channels
 Direct market the brand but sell thru traditional channels
 Enable B2C solutions for franchises and dealers
– Complex selling
 Value added products and services combinations
 Technical Challenges
– Managing conflict with e-initiatives of the channel
– Supporting variety of business processes, logic, and rules

8. Market Places (Bs2Bs)Market Places (Bs2Bs)
Value Proposition
– Private exchanges
 Bring Shopping to the traditionally Buying focus
– Public exchanges
 Exponential growth in the market place
Technical Challenges
– Custom catalog management
– Custom and dynamic price management
– Complex payment processing support

9. What is e-commerce Software?What is e-commerce Software?
 Front-end
– For Visitors and Customers
 Web-based by definition
 Backend
– For enterprise business managers
 Merchandisers, Account Mangers, Customer Support, etc.
 Middleware
– To interface with existing systems
 Customer, Inventory, Credit, Payment and Order Processing systems

10. e-Commerce Front-ende-Commerce Front-end
Web Application Server
Functionality
– Personalization and Profiling
– Complex, Dynamic Content Presentation
Process Support
– Shopping Process
– Buying Process

11. e-Commerce Backende-Commerce Backend
Content Management
– Merchandizing
– Catalog management
– Price and on-line collateral management
Process Support
– Customer Support
– Anomaly management
 Payment or Order processing hiccups

12. e-Commerce Middlewaree-Commerce Middleware
 Payment Processing
– Customer specific credit, purchase orders, etc.
– Electronic payment including EDI and credit cards
 Order Processing
– Interface to proprietary, custom enterprise systems
– e-enabled systems of large warehouses
– e-Services that provide Order Distribution
 Inventory Management
– Soft and hard reserve functionality
– Direct access to specific inventory

13. The critical success factorsThe critical success factors
Backend System Management Functionality
– Support for workflow and process management
– Appropriate use of technology for process support
– Access control in content management
– Business rules in anomaly management
On-line collateral Management
– Images, Audio, or Video; for virtual examination
– Structured; for comparison shopping

14. What’s missing?What’s missing?
 Community
– Polls, Message Boards, Chats, etc.
 Services
– Fee email, Consumer news and information, etc.
 Marketing Campaign Management
– Referrals, Affiliates, Banner ads, Emails, etc.
 Hot features of the day
– ‘Amazon innovations’
– Mobile commerce
– Shopping robots

15. What about services?What about services?
Shopping Portals
Process Re-engineering
e-Services
– Branding
– On-line collateral development and management
– Search engine placement optimization
– Efficiency improvements in web delivery

16. The e-commerce leadersThe e-commerce leaders
Almost everyone does almost anything
 Retail
– BroadVision, ATG, Blue Martini, MS Commerce Server
 Procurement (buy-side)
– CommerceOne, Clarus
 Procurement (sell-side)
– I2, Manugistics
 Collaborative (sell-side)
– Click Commerce
 Market places
– Ariba, VerticalNet

17. Other important software playersOther important software players
 Net Perceptions
– Business intelligence for Commerce
 eShare
– Community and Customer Communication
 TaxWare
– Almost universal Tax Computations
 CyberSource, CyberCash
– Credit card authorization with value-added services
 webMethods
– With ActiveWorks a formidable middleware vendor

18. Other important service playersOther important service players
OrderTrust
– Payment and Order routing
Double-click
– Banner ad provider
VeriSign
– SSL encryption certificaties

19. Core Solution RequirementsCore Solution Requirements
Database
– Oracle
– Microsoft SQL Server
Application Servers
– With integrated or separate web server
– General purposes AppServers
 BEA’s WebLogic, IBM’s WebSphere, Microsoft’s ASP
– Specific AppServers
 BroadVision, ART Technology Group, Oracle

20. The vender we love to hateThe vender we love to hate
Front-end: IIS
– Web Server
– Application Server (ASP)
 Choice of languages but scripted
– .Net support
 Easier deployment of services; complied code
Middleware: BizTalk
– Standards (XML) based inter-application
communication broker

21. Microsoft ContinuedMicrosoft Continued
Backend: Commerce Server
– Catalog Management
– Customer (profile Management)
– Targeting Content to Customers
– BizDesk
 Campaign management
 Catalog, Customers, Content management
 Order Processing including shipping, tax, returns
processing, etc.
 Traffic, Product view, and product purchase analysis

22. Important TechnologiesImportant Technologies
 Everything from the two 400 lbs gorillas
– Oracle
– Microsoft
 DHTML
– Microsoft won the browser wars in e-business
 XML
– Microsoft’s and IBM’s support for SOAP is promising
– webMethods is proving the value in inter-application
communications
 Java
– Server side – J2EE, JavaBeans, JSP

23. QuestionsQuestions
Responses

24. Parting thoughtsParting thoughts
 Understand the business behind e-business
 It is business application development for
users outside the implementer’s company
 The line between software or service is
blurring