ztect,
Has this idea been test marketed? Does PINC have figures that show a demand at the local software retailers or is this just someone's gut feeling? What size companies are they targeting?
I agree that there is a large number of small companies that would like to sell their wares on the Internet. The one's I come in contact with are running some server software such as NT or Linix. They also have database software such as SQL Server, ORACLE Server, Informix Server or Sybase SQL Server. Clients at this level are getting tons of information about E-COMMERCE solutions provided by Microsoft, Oracle and others. The Microsoft COMMERCE server is practically free. It provides a series of "templates" to implement a "Shopping Cart" website. The big problem is that small mom and pop operations require some consulting to tailor the template to their needs.
The small companies I deal with, do sometimes buy at the local CompUSA but they know what they are going to buy before they arrive. I have a hard time imagining these small business owners browsing through software titles, going hummm, an Internet E-Commerce solution, I think I get that. They maybe small, but those still in business do, do a little dd before committing there livelihood to a particular piece of software.
This is my opinion, and it is based on my believe that a company that wants to explore e-commerce usually has attained a certain level of computer/software maternity. Believe me , my company receives at least one e-mail a week telling me all about the opportunities to sell my services on the web.
Tom
ps: The PR mentioned "Backend Services". So what exactly are they referring to. I could make a joke on "Backend Services" , the big house and investors, but I'll refrain.
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