eBusinessBlog.org Leveraging marketing & technology to solve business problems.

Technology

Technology defines how to function with an end-user.

Technology is a strategic pillar to an E-Business team and overall E-Business strategy. E-Business technology is closely aligned with consumer and customer interfaces and shouldn't be confused with traditional IT in an enterprise. Traditional IT is focused more on ERP systems and project implementations that are used to support repeatable processes within the enterprise.

Here are the pillars of E-Business Technology:

Application & Web Development

Traditional IT is an independent entity commonly reporting through a CFO and taking direction from all facets of the organization. E-Business Technology entails projects aligned specifically with the E-Business strategic plan. In this environment, there are no surprise projects, squeaky-wheel-gets-the-grease projects, or other detours from one common goal.

Traditional IT will establish a roadmap a year in advance and generally have a very long backlog to get projects in the pipeline. E-Business technology must be agile by thinking big, starting small, and delivering quickly. The ability to react to changing market conditions quickly is paramount to successful project management of technology projects in E-Business.

Data Warehousing & ETL

Customer segmentation in E-Business functions are critical and having the technical aptitude behind data warehouse and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) functions. Alignment with the capabilities of these functions will infuse possibilities into your segmentation, CRM, and Business Intelligence functions that traditional eMarketers don't always understand. ETL will help with the transferring of data between disparate systems (email marketing vendors, e-commerce, drop ship partners, trade partners, channel partners, operations, etc.) so that you are able to have all data loaded into a Data Warehouse for a "single version of the truth" for your customer records.

Integration with business partners

Doing business in the online channel both in B2C and B2B environments will inevitably entail integrating your site with business partners. From web analytics to customer websites to transmitting order status information, leveraging your technical capabilities with business partners can offer a strategic advantage over competitors who are not as technically savvy. Even if competitors have sophisticated systems, it doesn't guarantee they have the technical prowess to be able to capitalize.

Operations (Order placement, order processing, & supply chain management)

In the enterprise, chances are that your E-commerce strategy will require interfacing with ERP systems for fulfillment. Knowing the intricacies of these systems will enable you to craft an E-commerce strategy about what can and can't be done. The last place you want to find yourself is in a situation where E-commerce strategy has been crafted around capabilities that don't exist or are too time-consuming or costly to implement.