Access reveals secret to e-commerce success
'The secret of success in e-commerce is responding to customer orders and quick delivery,' says Paul Wellings, head of media at e-commerce financials software house Access Accounting.
‘Some companies have found the transition to the net easier than others Ñ the catalogue mail order industries for example,’ he says. As a result, the successful cyber-players are already being separated from the also-rans.
One recent online shopping report listed many big names that did not respond to customer enquiries, that failed to deliver on time, and even failed to process orders. And, over the Christmas period in 1999, there were a raft of online delivery horror stories.
Wellings says that Access has found the key to success is for a business to seamlessly integrate its back-office systems with remotely-hosted web sites.
‘This brings down the cost of e-commerce to a level that can be afforded by every business, and means that affordable end-to-end e-commerce is available in standard packaged software,’ he says. ‘There are no excuses for falling at the first fence.’