Index: openacs-4/packages/ecommerce/www/doc/ecommerce-for-mbas.adp =================================================================== RCS file: /usr/local/cvsroot/openacs-4/packages/ecommerce/www/doc/ecommerce-for-mbas.adp,v diff -u -r1.1 -r1.2 --- openacs-4/packages/ecommerce/www/doc/ecommerce-for-mbas.adp 20 Apr 2001 20:51:14 -0000 1.1 +++ openacs-4/packages/ecommerce/www/doc/ecommerce-for-mbas.adp 26 May 2002 04:36:50 -0000 1.2 @@ -1,147 +1,181 @@ - -Ecommerce Module (explained for MBAs) + -The big decision: + + @title@ + @signatory@ -
    +

    @title@

    + + + + + + +
    @context_bar@
    +
    -
  1. you are the retailer +

    The big decision:

    -
  2. you send all orders to one retailer +
      +
    1. you are the retailer
      2. +
    2. you send all orders to one retailer
      3. +
    3. you offer products and send orders to multiple retailers
      4. +
    4. you let an arbitrary number of retailers come to your site and + build shops (Yahoo! Store; Amazon Z Shops)
      5. +
    -
  3. you offer products and send orders to multiple retailers +

    OpenaACS supports the first three ways of doing business and will + eventually support the last one (clone of Yahoo! Store).

    -
  4. you let an arbitrary number of retailers come to your site and build -shops (Yahoo! Store; Amazon Z Shops) +

    High-level features

    -
+

If your imagination is limited, you can think of this as + "Amazon.com in a box". Is is it impressive to do everything that + Amazon does? Not really. Ecommerce is a fast-moving field. + Packaged software always embodies last year's business ideas. The + interesting thing is how quickly one can extend an open-source + software system to accomodate the latest business ideas.

-ACS supports the first three ways of doing business and will eventually -support the last one (clone of Yahoo! Store). +

Feature List

+
+ + + + + + + + + + + + -

High-level features

+ -If your imagination is limited, you can think of this as "Amazon.com in -a box". Is is it impressive to do everything that Amazon does? Not -really. Ecommerce is a fast-moving field. Packaged software always -embodies last year's business ideas. The interesting thing is how -quickly one can extend an open-source software system to accomodate the -latest business ideas. + + + -

Feature List

+ -
-
in MBA-speaktranslation for programmers
catalog engineDatabase table (ec_products) + plus extra tables for mapping to categories, + subcategories, and subsubcategories; bulk upload from + structured data
e-recommendation engineDatbase table + (ec_product_recommendations) mapping products + to categories, subcategories, for everyone or only a + particular class of user
e-review technologyDatabase tables for professional reviews + and customer-contributed reviews
- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - + -
in MBA-speak -translation for programmers -
catalog engine -Oracle table (ec_products) plus -extra tables for mapping to categories, subcategories, and -subsubcategories; bulk upload from structured data -
e-recommendation engine -Oracle table (ec_product_recommendations) - mapping products to categories, subcategories, for everyone or only a -particular class of user -
e-review technology -Oracle tables for professional reviews and customer-contributed -reviews -
shopping cart
shopping cart -Oracle tables (ec_user_sessions, ec_orders, ec_items) -
real-time credit card billing -CyberCash and CyberSource interfaces -
user tracking -log every page view and search -
integrated customer service (telephone, fax, email, and Web) -all interactions logged into same Oracle table; inbound -ACS 3.4.8 email handler (Perl script); call -center staff sit at Web browsers and use the <%= [ec_url] %>admin/ pages -
CRM -write custom rules for standard ACS 3.4.8 CRM module (to be ported...) -
intelligent agent -Oracle query for "users who bought X also bought Y" -
content management with visual interface -Web forms plus auditing of all changes -
discounts for different classes of user -Example: MIT Press wants to sell journals -at different rates for individual, institutional, and student subscriptions -
cross-sales platform -Oracle table of "if you're interested in X, you probably -also should buy Y"; links are unidirectional -
object-oriented design -per-publisher custom fields table to add arbitrary -attributes to products -
intelligent parametric and free-text search engine -pseudo_contains if you want to have an easy -Oracle dbadmin life; Contains (Intermedia text) if you -don't; -limit to category at user's option -
gift certificates -auditing and mandatory expiration -
enterprise-scale e-business solution -add more processors to your Oracle server -
highly scalable transaction engine -orders are inserted into Oracle table -
XML-enabled -download free Java XML libraries from Oracle -
Database tables (ec_user_sessions, + ec_orders, ec_items)
-
+ + + real-time credit card billing + Payment gateway interfaces + + + user tracking + Log every page view and search + + + integrated customer service (telephone, + fax, email, and Web) -

Bottom line

+ All interactions logged into same Database + table; inbound ACS 3.4.8 + email handler (Perl script); call center staff sit at + Web browsers and use the @package_name@ admin pages -If a closed-source ecommerce package doesn't do exactly what you want, -you're out of business. If the company behind a closed-source ecommerce -package goes out of business, so will you. If the company behind a -closed-source ecommerce adopts a different "business model", you're -screwed. + + + CRM -

+ Write custom rules for standard ACS 3.4.8 + CRM module (to be ported...) -If you're even tempted to adopt a commercial ecommerce system from a -company other than IBM, Oracle or SAP (three enterprise software vendors -that seem likely to be around for awhile), read the iCat story towards -the end of http://photo.net/wtr/using-the-acs + + + intelligent agent + Database query for "users who bought X also bought Y" + + + content management with visual interface + Web forms plus auditing of all changes + + + discounts for different classes of user + Example: MIT Press wants to sell journals + at different rates for individual, institutional, and + student subscriptions + + + cross-sales platform + + Database table of "if you're interested in + X, you probably also should buy Y"; links are + unidirectional + + + + object-oriented design + + Per-publisher custom fields table to add + arbitrary attributes to products + + + + intelligent parametric and free-text search engine + + pseudo_contains if you want to + have an easy Database dbadmin life; Contains + (Intermedia text) if you don't; limit to category at + user's option + + + + gift certificates + Auditing and mandatory expiration + + + enterprise-scale e-business solution + Add more processors to your Database server + + + highly scalable transaction engine + Orders are inserted into a database table + + + XML-enabled + Use the nsxml module for AOLServer + + + + + +

Bottom line

+ +

If a closed-source ecommerce package doesn't do exactly what you + want, you're out of business. If the company behind a closed-source + ecommerce package goes out of business, so will you. If the company + behind a closed-source ecommerce adopts a different "business + model", you're screwed.

+ +

If you're even tempted to adopt a commercial ecommerce system + from a company other than IBM, Oracle or SAP (three enterprise + software vendors that seem likely to be around for awhile), read the + iCat story towards the end of Using the + ArsDigita Community System + +