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To: TENNET who wrote (1017)	11/17/1998 8:04:00 PM
From: ztect	Respond to of 1754

First some background on the E-Commerce Market and the Need for a Simple to use tool: (READ: large potential market yet to be tapped). Source CNET: news.com Study: Small businesses not embracing Net By Erich Luening Staff Writer, CNET News.com November 17, 1998, 8:15 a.m. PT Although the Internet is becoming more and more of a business necessity for large corporations, small and medium-sized companies have yet to take advantage of the new medium, a new study has found. According to the study, released today by the Yankee Group, the majority of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have not strategically embraced the Internet as a business tool, nor do they grasp the unprecedented opportunity the Internet offers to level the playing field. The study concluded that, as a result, Internet service providers need to revise their product offerings to reflect a staged approach to Internet commerce that first builds a foundation before attempting to migrate SMBs to higher-value services. The study considered small companies to be those with between 2 and 99 employees and medium companies to be those with between 100 and 499. The study identified a three-phase process that firms undergo as their Internet commitment strengthens--connectivity, customer connections, and commerce. More than two-thirds of the companies surveyed have yet to move into the customer connection phase. "Small and medium-[sized] businesses are concerned about security and loss of productivity issues," said Chris Gwynn, a Yankee Group analyst. "But these are things that can be cured. ISPs can offer firewalls" and other security features "to address these concerns." Promoting the Internet as a tool to transform the way companies buy and sell products will not connect with the SMB market, the study concluded. SMB needs now are focused on improving communication, with e-commerce coming later. "Small and medium-[sized] businesses are falling behind," said Gwynn. "They need the basic things. After that, they can start with the more sophisticated e-commerce tools. Internet solution providers have been hitting the other side of the market rather than providing the basics for these companies." Among the small and medium-sized businesses surveyed, only an average of 30 percent stated that the Internet was important to achieving business goals. In fact, although 61 percent of small businesses and 82 percent of medium-sized businesses report that they have some form of Internet access, only 50 percent of all PCs within small businesses and 31 percent of all PCs within medium-sized businesses have Internet access, the study found. According to the Yankee Group, SMBs account for 98 percent of U.S. business, represent about 50 percent of the gross national product, and spend approximately $445 billion annually on information technology products and services. Based on the study, the Yankee Group believes that Internet systems providers and technology vendors have substantial opportunity to turn these small and medium-sized businesses into "Internet believers" through education efforts and long-term relationship building. The study was conducted by the Yankee Group subsidiary Primark .

To: TENNET who wrote (1017)	11/17/1998 8:06:00 PM
From: ztect	Respond to of 1754

Overview of E-commerce and E-commerce solutions: Important Aspects builder.com "Successful selling on the Web requires a complex blend of Web design, transaction and database programming, server configuration skills, promotion and marketing savvy, and much more. Fortunately, the Web can help. This spotlight will point you to CNET Builder.com comparisons of e-commerce software, tips on how to set up and run your online business, and our own special brand of e-commerce insight. We'll also show you other e-commerce services and software for everything from outsourcing your store to processing transactions on your own server. We've also included links to helpful e-commerce articles, tutorials, and resource sites from around the Web. All you need is something to sell."

To: TENNET who wrote (1017)	11/17/1998 8:10:00 PM
From: ztect	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1754

Market and Competition.(Such a large potential market obviously will have many competitors)....... Source: CNET Overview: builder.com By Ean Houts (6/16/98) The electronic commerce bandwagon is picking up speed, and you and your Web site had better be on it. At least, that's the conventional wisdom these days. But exactly how to set up shop on the Web isn't always obvious. Big companies with plenty of technical know-how and buckets of money can build their own e-commerce systems, complete with a secure server, an Internet connection, and custom software. But that's simply not an option for everyone. Luckily, e-commerce barriers are rapidly tumbling. What was once expensive and difficult is fast becoming affordable and easy to use. We found five products, each priced under $1,000, and each designed to get your online store up and running in a matter of days. With a little work, the result is an e-commerce site that doesn't look like you got it up and running in a matter of days. Although all five of these products share a common goal, each one goes about getting there in a different way. Some are service-based, charging a monthly fee for secure site hosting and rental of the software. Others you purchase outright, with hosting fees handled separately. And one is just a bargain-priced electronic shopping cart that you can insert into your existing site. With this kind of choice, there's probably a product that can do the job for almost any merchant looking for an affordable way to sell products online. BUILDER.COM's Editors' Choice will point you to the best of the breed--you just have to be sure it's the right one for your site. --------------------------------- The Top Competition???? builder.com The "top" competition by product --------------------------------------- builder.com Review Priced at just $90, Buildashop Standard from Rocketfuel Software has the lowest entry price of any package in the line-up. A no-frills package, Buildashop is basically just an electronic shopping cart and cash register. Buildashop offers no site statistics or order tracking beyond delivering the order data. The more expensive Buildashop Pro version adds some statistical tools and advanced features, including a tool for building HTML or Java navigation menus for your site, and still costs just $150 (in addition to the transaction fees). ---------------------------------------------- builder.com Review Once we started using Yahoo Store 4.1 (Yahoo recently bought Viaweb, the developers of Store 4.1), it soon became obvious why merchants such as Cirque du Soleil, Rolling Stone, and PalmPilotGear have chosen it as their way to get a piece of the internet commerce pie. Yahoo Store is moderately priced, powerful, and extremely easy to use. It also offers a wide range of options to assist merchants in driving sales. ----------------------------------------- builder.com ---------------------------------------------------- builder.com Spotty documentation and inadequate page-layout tools mar this affordable e-commerce solution --------------------------------------------------------------- Even More Competitors????? builder.com