1. an industry perspective… …Sunil Bhargava Contract CTO
E-Commerce Software
an industry perspective…
…Sunil Bhargava
Contract CTO

2. Personal 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:

3. What 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?
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) Value Proposition Technical Challenges
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) Value Proposition Technical Challenges
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 Commerce (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) Value Proposition Technical Challenges
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?
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-end Web Application Server Functionality
Personalization and Profiling
Complex, Dynamic Content Presentation
Process Support
Shopping Process
Buying Process

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

12. e-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 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? Community Services Marketing Campaign Management
Polls, Message Boards, Chats, etc.
Services
Fee , Consumer news and information, etc.
Marketing Campaign Management
Referrals, Affiliates, Banner ads, s, etc.
Hot features of the day
‘Amazon innovations’
Mobile commerce
Shopping robots

15. 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 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 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 players
OrderTrust
Payment and Order routing
Double-click
Banner ad provider
VeriSign
SSL encryption certificaties

19. Core 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 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 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 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. Questions
Responses

24. Parting 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