N-GEN Communications Web-based Seminars ©NGCS

Seminar - An Overview of Communications Technologies

Module 6 - Internet, Intranet, Extranet, e-Commerce and Web Services                                      Slide 44 of 70 _________________                                                                                  __________

                                          e-Commerce System solutions

                                        e-Commerce Components

                                        Third Party Offered Solutions

                                        Very Unsophisticated Solutions

                                        High-end Solutions

_________________                                                                                  __________

Many e-commerce solutions are available to merchants from major players like Microsoft, AT&T, BBN, Yahoo, IBM, iCat Corporation and Netscape. Scotiabank also offers a service for small and medium merchants to create their own e-Commerce solution by using their templates. Most solution providers use third party products ( like OM - Transact software for order acceptance and tracking, credit card verification, sales tax and shipping charges calculations and management reports) integrated with their own product.

e-Commerce Components - Key components include the Web development tools, a hosting environment, a catalog wizard, front-end processing to take orders (shopping cart), order acceptance, order tracking, shipping information, sales tax and shipping charges calculations, management reports, customer profile. .

Third Party Offered Solutions - These solutions are offered by the telecommunications companies, ISPs and On-line Malls. These solutions are suited for businesses which have decided to sell on-line, but do not know how their business will fare. They want to try their business online without heavy expenditure. The providers of this type of solution allow a business, at low cost, to set-up an online business on their site.

Very Unsophisticated Solutions - These solutions are suited for businesses that want to sell products and services in a simple manner, want to own, operate and maintain their own system. For this kind of solution a business requires buying server hardware and associated software and an in-house site development. Easy World Wide Web (EW3), from AT&T, Internet Malls, Microsoft e-Commerce system, IBM e-Commerce System, iCat systems are available for small-sized and medium-sized merchants. 

High-end Solutions - These solutions are suited for businesses that have complex products , systems and processes, require flexibility in product presentation, require specialization in ordering and pricing and require sophisticated integration with business's back-end systems. Netscape Communications Corporation and Internet World Technology Ventures provide high-end solutions.