From Niche Player
to Virtual Mall Developer:
Mercantec Lays the Foundation
for an E-Business Platform
Chicago-area software-maker Mercantec could win big if they can harness
the powerful synergies possible among users of its virtual storefront
development tools- especially if they can avoid channel conflicts with
retailers as they provide more business services to merchants.
Online retailing is the wedge that is helping to drive the web even more
deeply into the homes and lives of people everywhere. In fact, a large
cross-section of the public is finally warming up to the idea that the
web can serve as their personal concierge of sorts, eliminating a lot
of the legwork that used to add time and drudgery to their daily lives.
Newspapers articles herald the experiments of people who have pledged
to seclude themselves from the outside world as they fulfill their
everyday needs via the web. Microsoft Network's recent series of television
ads touting its concept of the everyday web is another notable instance
of the contemporary zeitgeist. So while consumers are becoming more
sophisticated-and demanding-web shoppers, online merchants have an even
greater need for well-designed, turnkey solutions for launching virtual
storefronts.
Suppliers of commerce-enabling technology are very much in demand these
days. Mercantec, a Chicago-area software developer, is well-positioned
to capitalize on this opportunity. Formed in 1995, Mercantec provides
technology and services that help small- to medium-sized merchants rapidly
build attractive, user-friendly and easy-to-manage virtual stores for any
product they want to sell. The company's SoftCart e-commerce software
provides businesses with an easy way to create, stock and operate online
stores with consistent storefronts and integrated back-end payment and
inventory systems that can be built into new or existing web sites. This
is just the foundation, however. Mercantec is already well on its way
toward building an entire suite of products and services clustered around
three key functional areas (see figure 1). Taken together, these components
will comprise an integrated e-business platform to help online merchants
better manage and optimize their entire value chain.
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Core Commerce
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Community Service
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Traffic Generation
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Payment
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Fulfillment
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Community Participation
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Order Tracking
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Marketing
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Affiliate Opportunities
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Cataloging
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Customer Service
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Leveraged Promotions
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Discounting
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Financial Services
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Qualified Online Shoppers
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Reporting
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Information Resources
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Tax & Shipping
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Development Services
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Figure 1
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Part 2 - Strategy
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