With WebSphere Commerce, non-transactional sites have VIP status
Non-transactional sites used to be reserved for luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Rolls-Royce. They served as a digital preview of what A-listers could expect once they made their way to the shops on Rodeo Drive. Primarily, the sites showcased the high-end products, leaving off details like the cost. After all, if you had to ask the price, you probably couldn’t afford it anyway.
Today, however, non-transactional sites are finding VIP status for a wide range of businesses. Manufacturers of motion and control products like the ones produced at Parker Hannifin are a good example. The products are ideal for showcasing online but have historically been purchased later through a sales channel.
In fact, at this year’s Smarter Commerce Summit in Nashville, Alan Gaffney, the global director of e-business at Parker Hannifin said that the company doesn't take orders online. Instead, they use WebSphere Commerce for merchandising and to move clients through the buying cycle.
At the IBM event, Gaffney went on to define the stages of the online process, facilitated by WebSphere Commerce. He said that the company’s eCommerce site ushers potential clients through the buying cycle, through promotion, personalization, assisted selling, online demos, configuration and purchase decision. From there, Parker Hannifin clients work with the company’s channel partners.
He made the analogy that when he goes to a department store’s website to buy pants, he looks to see which ones he might like and then goes to where the department store is located to try them on. Then, he can take his wife with him and ask her which ones look best. He said that this is where the sale is made – not at the register.
Non-transactional sites are often catering to channel partners who are responsible for sales, but they’re also created for discount retailers like T.J. Maxx and Off Fifth that deal with a revolving door of inventory.
With this business model, keeping up with the ever-changing product mix has proven to be difficult – hence both retailers’ delay in adopting an eCommerce site up to this point. They both have announced the launch of eCommerce sites by the end of 2013, and hopefully for T.J. Maxx the foray into online retailing will go better than the first attempt back in 2005 when data on available inventory just couldn’t keep up with demand.
The main differences between an eCommerce website and a standard website include elements like shopping carts, credit card payments, customer purchase history, and inventory and warehouse management, the latter of which served as the bane in T.J. Maxx’s side.
So whether you're in the business of manufacturing and selling through a channel partner or whether you are a retailer with low or constantly changing inventory, a non-transactional site might be a smart option for 2013 and beyond. To consult with an eCommerce expert at NetSphere Strategies, just give us a call. We’d be happy to help you weigh your options – all the while treating you and your site like a true VIP.
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