Chapter 9:
Electronic Commerce Software
Web Hosting Alternatives
 Shared hosting
 Self-hosting
 Client’s Web site is on a
 Running servers in-house
server that hosts other Web
sites simultaneously
 Commerce service providers
 Dedicated hosting
(CSPs)
 Service provider makes a
 Provide Internet access to
Web server available to a
companies and individuals
client
 Offer Web server
 Co-location
management and the
 Service provider rents a
renting of application
physical space to the client
software
to install its own server
hardware
Exercise: Go to http://www.webhostingratings.com/
Basic Functions of Electronic Commerce Software

All electronic commerce solutions must
provide:

 Calculation complications include:
 A catalog display: Listing of goods
and services
 Computing taxes and shipping
costs
 Static catalog: Simple list
written in HTML that appears
on a Web page
 Provisions for coupons, special
promotions, and time-sensitive
offers
 Dynamic catalog: Stores
information about items in a
database
 Shopping cart capabilities
 Forms-based shopping was not
good

Shopping cart
 Keeps track of items a customer has
selected
 Allows customers to view contents of
their carts, add new items, or
remove items
Transaction Processing

Additional software components can
include:
 Middleware
 Enterprise application integration
 Web services
 Integration with enterprise
resource planning (ERP) software
 Supply chain management (SCM)
software
Advanced Functions of Electronic Commerce
Software
 Middleware
 Establishes a connection between electronic commerce software and
an accounting system
 Interoperability
 Making a company’s information systems work together
Enterprise Application Integration and Databases
 Application program
 Program that performs a
specific function
 Application server
 Computer that takes request
messages received by the
Web server and runs
application programs
 Page-based application systems
 Return pages generated by
scripts
 Component-based application
systems
 Separate presentation logic
from business logic
 Database manager
 Software that stores
information in a highly
structured way
 Distributed information systems
 Large information systems that
store the same data in many
different physical locations
 Distributed database systems
 Databases within distributed
information systems
Web Services
 Combination of software tools that let application software in one
organization communicate with other applications over a network
 Companies are using Web services to offer improved customer service
and reduce costs
Exercise: Go to http://www.microsoft.com/net/default.mspx
Integration with ERP Systems
 Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
software packages
 Business systems that integrate
all facets of a business
 Major ERP vendors
 Baan, Oracle, PeopleSoft, and
SAP
 Typical installation of ERP software
costs between $2 million and $25
million
Electronic Commerce Software for Small and Midsize
Companies
 Commerce Service Providers (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
Mall-Style Commerce Service Providers
 Provide small businesses with:
 Internet connection
 Web site creation tools
 Little or no banner advertising
clutter
 Provide shopping cart software
 eBay Stores
 CSP that offers mall-style
commerce services
 http://stores.ebay.com/
 Bigstep received many industry
awards for its CSP offering
 It provides two different
storefront packages
 Reports
 Provide data-mining capabilities
 Data mining
 Looking for hidden
patterns in data
 http://go.bigstep.com/
Exercise: Browse around each of the above sites
Electronic Commerce Software for Businesses
 Midsize
 Large
 Midrange packages allow a merchant
to have explicit control over:
 Examples of enterprise-class
products that can be used to run a
large online business:
 Merchandising choices
 Site layout
 Internal architecture
 Remote and local management
options
 IBM WebSphere Commerce
Business Edition
 Oracle E-Business Suite
 Broadvision One-To-One
Commerce
 Enterprise-class software
 Typically provides good tools for
linking to and supporting supply
and purchasing activities
Other Software
 Customer relationship Management
 Content Management
 Must obtain data from operations
 Should be tested before making a
software that conducts activities
commitment
such as: Sales automation, Customer
service center operations, Marketing
 Employees should find software’s
campaigns
procedures to be straightforward
 Must also gather data about
 Helps companies control large
customer activities on the company’s
amounts of text, graphics, and media
Web site and any other points of
files
contact
 Knowledge Management
 Supply Chain Management
 Helps companies to coordinate
planning and operations with their
partners in the industry supply chains
 Performs planning and execution
Exercise: Using the Online Companion,
check out examples of the above
 Helps companies:
 Collect and organize information;
 Share information among users;
 Enhance ability of users to
collaborate;
 Preserve knowledge gained
through the use of information