Professional eCommerce is serious business...
Becoming Winners in a New Economy
…an evolution of
supply chains
The Internet is changing a lot of things. Consumers can now buy
from almost anyone, almost anywhere, and at anytime - from a manufacturer, the dealer in their neighborhood, or from a competitive dealer across
the country. Indeed, everything is changing, but not just for you, for everyone
in the supply chain; manufacturers, wholesalers, dealers, and customers alike.
To thrive in any economy you always had to adapt your business to meet evolving
needs of your customers.
You’ve spent years building strong relationships, operations, and
fulfillment capabilities. Now you have
an opportunity to leverage these relationships to bring the supply chain
together. The Internet can allow you to streamline relationships, cut costs,
provide more customer services, and create a free flow of information between
all the elements of your business.
Internet-enabled and Web-based business
information systems deliver immediate benefits by providing an
integration of business processes with partners in the supply chain. It is a
combination of increasing communication and automation. The two ends of the
supply chain are great places to get started: procurement (back-office information
systems) and sales (e-commerce).
Manufacturers enable dealers to conduct e-business easier
because they realize there’s more to e-commerce than selling directly to
consumers. Many companies are forging
tighter online relationships with their retailers and distributors. The goal is to avoid channel conflict, while
providing enhancements to the way online sales are handled and presented
through channel partners. This means
making sure that product information is timely and accurate and that consistent
quality branding is maintained on retailer’s sites.
Providing a consistent, online interface to
consumers is just one aspect of what, for most manufacturers, will grow to
become a much broader initiative to improve relationships with channel partners
using the Internet. Eventually, besides
coordinating catalogs, Web site designs and brand management, manufacturers and
channel partners will move to link back-end systems and processes such as order
management, inventory management and customer relationship management.
After all, it is customers who are leading
companies to rethink how they work online with partners to improve economies. Channel cooperation will increase as
disintermediation fear subsides. These
efficiencies will improve more than sales, more than the exchange of marketing
information, and will soon cover a range of opportunities involving the entire
supply chain.
Benefits of E-Commerce
Industry analysts predict that North American
business-to-business e-commerce, growing at a rate of 33% per year, will reach
$5.8 trillion by 2008*. The rapid acceptance of Web-based business-to-business
e-commerce is evident by the sweeping demand for Internet-based and
Internet-enabled business solutions throughout the entire supply chain. Manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and
customers alike are all actively engaged in furthering their Web capabilities.
What are the key drivers that triggered this
rapid growth? Why is virtually every industry implementing Web-based e-commerce
solutions and asking their suppliers to do the same?
On the business-to-business side, the growth of
Web-based purchasing and procurement is founded upon fundamental concepts.
These concepts include costs savings, faster and more accurate management
information, increased convenience, and universal connectivity through an open
architecture platform.
To help illustrate this in real terms, the list below outlines some of the potential benefits of e-commerce to the buyer and seller. Keep in mind that a
professional dealer is both a buyer and a seller.
SELLER BENEFITS
Transaction cost savings / Lower cost of sales
Improved order accuracy
Real time management information
Improved inventory forecasting
Reduced inventory / Working capital
Sales efficiency
Reduced internal costs
Improved customer relationships
Expanded market opportunity
Competitive advantage
Increased customer satisfaction
BUYER BENEFITS
Transaction cost savings
Improved order accuracy
Real time management information
Convenience
Value-adds (e.g., order approval workflow)
End-to-end procurement
New sources of supply
Purchasing aggregation
Elimination of redundant buying
Improved supplier relationships
Ability to self-service
E-Commerce and the Back Office
Retail merchants will agree that implementing
an industry-specific, integrated back-office information system will provide
the single largest benefit to the management of their business. As a result of
the automation these systems can deliver, merchants achieve increased
productivity, lower operational costs, reduced transaction costs, and increased
overall gross margin. Additional benefits are achieved when the back-office
system is integrated with their suppliers’ systems - order fulfillment is streamlined,
inventory and capital requirements are reduced, and accounts payable is
simplified.
Along these lines, using an e-commerce system
that integrates with your back-office system yields further efficiencies and
cost savings. Exchanging account, order, and pricing information between your
e-commerce and back-office systems in real-time can increase order accuracy,
eliminate redundant data entry and system management tasks, reduces order
fulfillment time, and increases customer satisfaction. This level of integration
will be key to fully realizing the potential transaction cost savings and overhead
reduction that e-commerce has to offer.
At the large enterprise level economies are equally as important. Allowing end customers to get timely product information with consistent branding strengthens the entire supply chain. Directing customers to retail channels and helping to increase efficiency creates better value for customers. Manufacturers and their technology partners like IRCUSA continue to pioneer solutions to secure new channel efficiencies.
Introducing MerchantCart
MerchantCart Light ... is a Web-based
e-commerce catalog designed specifically for the merchants and can be pre-loaded with manufacturers products, descriptions and images.
Hosted and maintained by IRCUSA, MerchantCart provides an
affordable web solution yet powerful enough to level the playing field with
industry heavyweights while still allowing the transactions to be handled on
back office systems in the traditional manner.
MerchantCart Plus ... is designed to further help you achieve maximum
benefit in one truly robust e-commerce transaction platform to handle
transactions in an automated real-time process. It provides features important
to your customers, while offering a level of integration required for reducing
overhead and transaction costs. MerchantCart Plus represents the forefront of
e-business technology, with real-time, security rich, online electronic commerce.
Forefront of E-Commerce
IRCUSA introduces MerchantCart, as a dynamic web-based e-business solution. The power of
MerchantCart comes from its architecture, and its
ability to integrate with manufacturers systems using standard
data tools. MerchantCart delivers a feature rich, yet
affordable e-commerce solution designed to exceed customer’s expectations and
to remove significant cost from your business process.
Its ability to exchange data files with leading
back office information systems, MerchantCart can reduce
many dealer tasks common with e-commerce platforms today. MerchantCart can accept industry standard product data files, allowing you
to offer thousands of products to your customers. It allows you the dealer to
select which products you will sell and at the prices you choose. What’s more, it’s designed to scale as your
business shifts from traditional methods of order capture (phone, face, &
fax) to e-commerce. In other words, MerchantCart continues to perform as your online business matures.
MerchantCart provides a
wealth of features that benefit you, the dealer, and your
customers. With MerchantCart, your customers will be
provided with an exceptional purchasing experience that adds value to their
business, thereby enhancing your relationship with them. At the same time,
MerchantCart offers cost saving measures and efficiencies
that allow you to compete more effectively.
Features of MerchantCart Light:
Features of MerchantCart Plus:
Why Merchants Need This?
Rapid changes in retail and
related industries are not showing any signs of slowing. On the contrary, as
the Internet continues to build momentum, the entire retail and commercial
landscape is shifting to e-commerce at an exponential rate. According to
analysts, business-to-business sales are growing more than five times faster
than business-to-consumer sales. In fact, according to studies, U.S.
business-to-business e-commerce revenues will grow by 33% per year and is expected
to reach a whopping $5.8 trillion by 2008. More importantly, these studies add
that 25% of all U.S. business-to-business purchasing will be done online by
2009.
This dramatic business shift challenges all of us
to rethink the way we go to market each and every day. It means you must
constantly evaluate the products you sell, the prices you offer, and the
inventory you carry in order to remain a market leader. Even more important is
the critical evaluation of how you service your customers in the world of
e-commerce.
With all the challenges associated in
transitioning your business onto the Internet, wouldn’t it make the most sense
for you to team with a company with considerable Internet capabilities and industry experience to deliver your e-commerce
solution? Shouldn’t you want to stay focused on what you do best?
This is why this IRCUSA opportunity
exists, to assist professional merchants in the design,
development, and implementation of their long-term Internet and e-commerce
strategy.
Our packaged e-commerce solutions are:
Easy to own - solutions are completely hosted and maintained by IRCUSA
Easy to use - intuitive for the consumer and for the dealer
Easy to get started, you’ll be up and running on-line quickly with professional content
Easy to manage, on line tools to assist you to manage your e-business
Cost effective solutions that are affordable for merchants of all sizes
Demo site = White House Gift Shop, Washington, DC
Demo site = Carlick Imaging Products, New York, NY
Demo site = Fess Parker Winery, Santa Barbara, CA
Demo site = Heavenly Low Carb Market, Sherman Oaks, CA
For additional details or to learn more of this exciting solution please call:
Lee Warren, Internet Resource
Centers - USA, (770) 933-3491
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Click here to learn more or to sign up on-line for IRCUSA Web services! |
* Note:
Internet Resource Center is a trademark of Internet Resource Center, Inc.
MerchantCart is a trademark of Internet Resource Center, Inc. and IRCSF.com
IRCUSA is a service mark of Internet Resource Centers - USA
Internet Resource Centers - USA is a services franchise holding company.
Internet Resource Centers - USA