Page 20 - BOSS Today Issue 41

BOSS Today #41 SPECIAL FEATURE

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ECi Software Solutions

Daniel Noble, UK Product Manager

Q: Please consumers consider visual appearance web as opposed to just calling up their
describe what to be the deciding factor in whether friendly sales order clerk? Consider
systems you or not they make a purchase). Our launching web-only offers such as
offer dealers to e-commerce Website Design is a “Buy more, save more”, “Buy one get
help them sell personalised subscription service that one free” and loyalty discount offers.
online. helps dealers to develop and maintain n How can you make the shopping
A: We offer their site to ensure it remains up to date experience personal? Consider
a choice of and one step ahead of the competition. customer-specific promotions linked
e-commerce platforms: EasyOrder and Our team will work closely with them to to their purchasing patterns (think of
HorizonWeb. Nowadays it really is not create compelling banner ads, landing Tesco Clubcard offers, and replicate
about being open for business 24/7, it’s pages and email marketing templates these via the web).
about the end customer experience. as well as ensuring their site reflects n Customer specific time-limited offers.
When a dealer goes online they can the latest news: we’ve seen customers n Contracts and pre-populated shopping
expect to see average order values increase their annual online sales by an lists/requisitions to make the buying
increase - it enables them to lock their average of 26.6% having adopted this experience easy.
customers in and of course they can service!
expand their overall customer reach Dealers also need to understand
- but what many companies forget is Q: What new sales features are you hoping to how they will handle product data: any
that they need a solid online business add in the near future? reputable web shop will include images
strategy and adequate resources to A: Our sites are functionally-rich, and detailed product descriptions, but
execute that strategy. optimised for SEO and mobile- with new products continually being
friendly. We have ongoing dialogue introduced, it’s important that they
Q: What unique features/tools do your systems with customers and the industry to are featured on your site. Using a data
have that are especially helpful in helping ensure that our platforms remain at service such as FusionPlus Data can
dealers sell? the forefront of technology. Creating make life easier by ensuring that both
A: One key factor for success is how the platforms that are ‘sticky’ helps dealers back office and e-commerce platforms
e-commerce platform integrates with keep their customers. Taking cost out are updated with the latest supplier
the back office solution. HorizonWeb of the business is important, so we product data.
is tightly integrated with Horizon: continue to enhance the customer self-
they share the same database, so service element. Making sure customers Q: What advice would you give to any dealer
there is no need to rekey information can easily find the right product is also looking to increase online sales?
from one to the other or wait for ‘data a focus, so we’ve been working with A: Be clear on your strategy and
uploads’ to complete. This creates a suppliers of non-core product ranges understand if/what/how much resource
seamless customer experience and to enable dealers to offer a broader is available to keep the site up to date.
reduces administrative headaches. product range online. Dealers should consider if they really
There is no delay in what the customer want to host their own site or feel it
sees in terms of products or pricing, Q: What mistakes do dealers make when selling is better to go with a hosted solution
and they get access to a self-service online? with high availability: a site which
portal where they can have full account A: The overall business strategy is underperforms will do damage to their
billing information, pay bills and see critical – a dealer needs to establish reputation! Also, a site which is not
statements in real time. if they are hoping to increase sales, fully secure is more widely exposed
However, embracing online sales reduce administrative costs, or both. to network attacks which can take
platforms can be daunting for small- However, it’s then not just a case of websites offline. At ECi we have 30
to-medium sized businesses. Many switching it on and hoping for the best! years of hosting software, have invested
companies go into it half-heartedly, The companies who get the best results millions in our offerings and believe that
aren’t able to keep up with demand or are those that put in the most effort, dealers should concentrate on what
keep their website fresh and so risk including: they’re good at, which is running their
losing valuable customers (90% of n Why should an end customer use the business, not their IT!

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