A Smooth Takeoff

Clearly, the failure of many dot-coms and e-marketplaces, along with the complexity of moving B2B transactions online, is slowing what was once a get- it-done-yesterday approach to launching e-commerce sites. Today, before embarking, companies are mapping out the needs of each trading partner and enterprise, and understanding how to integrate new B2B initiatives with existing online and offline programs. "It's a question of how to make the process cost you less and cost the partner less," adds Willett.

Unlike the consumer side of e-commerce, where customers simply select a quantity and enter a credit card number, online buyers expect B2B e-commerce to replicate the intricate procedures that make up a single order. Handling contracts and purchase orders online, supporting multi-tiered approval processes, and automating business and workflow rules, not just for each enterprise, but for each organization within an enterprise, becomes a must.

In addition, personalization takes a back seat to customization in the realm of B2B. Rather than tracking an individual's buying habit to identify up-sell or cross-sell opportunities, corporations are looking to provide custom account management that supports large contracts and delivers unique catalogs and price lists to each customer.

The good news for companies like Handspring is that e-commerce software is already available to support their transition to B2B e-commerce. ATG's Enterprise Commerce Suite, released earlier this year, provides companies with the ability to manage profiles by organization, role, or individual, and supports approval workflow, contract entitlements, order restrictions, multiple catalogs and price lists, purchase orders, and promotions/coupons. ATG's approach separates the business rules from the IT infrastructure so business managers can quickly make changes without the need for IT specialists. It's an important capability for Handspring, says Fargo: "it's just too expensive to use developers every time you need to make a change or do a new promotion. Separating the business rules from the infrastructure frees up both the business and IT groups."