News/Press Releases		Features		Event Calendar

PA e-Comm News JUNE 28

Companies that create a sense of online community reap revenue by offering compelling content that builds trust and credibility with visitors and keeps them coming back. Such is the case with eBay, which consistently ranks among the Web's most successful sites. The auction giant brings together buyers and sellers in a greatly concentrated marketplace. Experts are hard-pressed to name any company that has duplicated eBay's financial success as a community builder although several companies, such as BabyCenter.com, have successfully incorporated community into their business models with such things as monthly newsletters including insights and hints for each of the nine months of pregnancy. These types of offerings help build credibility and community, leading to sales of products offered on other parts of the site. ConsumerReview.com is also developing its community features from a forum for comments on mountain biking to 10 distinct communities focusing on such topics as cars and high-tech gadgets. Barnes & Noble’s site includes Barnes & Noble University, which offers a number of free, non-credit classes in subjects ranging from arts and literature to science and technology. This is an effective use of the community concept because it gives like-minded visitors a chance to interact with expert instructors and with each other. And the books and materials used in the courses are available for sale on the Barnes & Noble site. Manufacturers, like Cisco and Nike, also are making effective use of communities by getting valuable feedback from end users.

PayPal has announced it will shift its credit card processing to Wells Fargo, making the financial giant the third company in the past year to handle PayPal's credit card transactions. PayPal said recently that it risked losing MasterCard customers because of a new fee arrangement. Wells Fargo will handle automatic deductions from checking accounts, another option that PayPal users have for funding their online accounts. PayPal also announced that it will partner with UPS to provide shipping and payment solutions for Internet buyers and sellers, allowing users to receive shipping information along with PayPal payments and have shipping charges rolled into payments made for products.

EBay will now offer group health insurance because its research shows that many power sellers are self-employed entrepreneurs who are at a serious disadvantage when it comes to acquiring health care coverage for their families. EBay has struck a deal with Physicians Mutual to offer health care, dental, vision and pharmacy coverage for members of its “power sellers program”($1,000 monthly sales volume). Such members will also get dedicated customer-support, a discount subscription package for eBay services, free customizable letterhead and business card design, and quarterly newsletters.

The online bookselling arena is witnessing a price war as Buy.com, Amazon.com and BN.com vie for customers by offering steep discounts. Buy.com reports that it will sell 1 million book titles at 10 % below Amazon's prices; this follows the previous decision to offer free shipping with no minimum purchase, to compete with Amazon’s requirement of a $49 order to qualify for free shipping. Shoppers who purchase a book from Buy.com and then find a lower-priced version on Amazon within 72 hours may also apply for a refund of the difference in price. Buy.com is well known as an electronics e-tailer while Amazon has the reputation of a book, music and video shopping site. Both are trying to get their followers to recognize the other parts of their business. Now BN.com has announced a 30 % discount on a catalog of about 50,000 titles published since the beginning of this year and a free shipping offer. Mounting evidence says that shoppers turn to the Web not for cost savings but to save time and avoid the hassles of in-store shopping. A GartnerG2 survey found that 81 % of online shoppers were driven by convenience and just 33 % by price.

Lands' End, recently purchased by Sears, earned a reputation as a top Web merchant due to its ability to generate repeat customer visits, mainly through its use of online chat and other real-time tools to cross-sell, up-sell and keep customers coming back for more. This was a formidable blend of technology, common sense and good customer service policies. They recognized that online customers want to get in, get what they need, and get on with their other tasks. That attitude helped develop "Shop With a Friend", a feature that offers real-time Web chat with a personal shopper who helps visitors navigate the site and find the items that suit their particular tastes. The company also turned e-mail into a powerful tool by having them answered by a live agent, not a computer program, typically in less than 4 hours. The system also tracks buyer behavior which helps its staff not only provide excellent customer service but also take advantage of opportunities to up-sell and cross-sell. They use their email lists to offer discounted merchandise to potential buyers. And let’s not forget the company’s well-trained, experienced workforce. 

WHERE TO GO TO FIND PART-TIME INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EMPLOYEES

Penn State's School of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) is teaming with various business organizations to attract future information technology professionals to Pennsylvania's job market. Major support is coming in the form of an investment from South Central's Stay Invent the Future, Team PA Foundation and the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Central and Northern Pennsylvania. Cost sharing of students' wages is available to participating companies. IST is collaborating with local companies to connect its students with potential employers in central Pennsylvania. Called PA FutureConnect, the program is part of a statewide initiative to retain Pennsylvania's college graduates as they seek job prospects in information technology. The program is designed to place about 60 IST students from Penn State's Harrisburg and York campuses, as well as IT students from Harrisburg Area Community College. Plans call for work assignments of ten hours per week for the academic year, starting October 1, 2002 and ending May 1, 2003. The PA FutureConnect Placement Fair, to be held on September 12, 2002, is where potential employers and employees will meet and get to know each other. During this event, business leaders will interview groups of students. Individual students and employers will then draw up their list of preferences, after which matches will be made. Prior to the Placement Fair, students will attend a Boot Camp designed to document their experience, talents, and areas of interest, and receive training on how to hone their resume, writing, interviewing and other professional skills. Please consider this opportunity and apply online.

A special website http://ist.psu.edu/futureconnect has been created to provide information about the program, links to participating companies, and an online company application form. The registration deadline is September 2, 2002.
If you would like to know more about this opportunity, contact Jan Mahar at IST: futureconnect@ist.psu.edu.

TECHNOLOGY PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES

The following is a listing of recently published technology procurement opportunities with various governmental entities. We hope our readers take the opportunity to investigate these postings and increase their business:

GSA - Federal Technology Service (FTS)
Information Technology Service (10TR)
70 -- 5861-00-RFQ
Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/GSA/FTS/10TR/5861-00-RFQ/listing.html

DOT - Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Office of Acquisition Management
A -- Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)- Traffic Management Center Integration Field Operational Test ( FOT) Amendment 02 http://www.eps.gov/spg/DOT/FHWA/OAM/DTFH61-02-X-00062/listing.html

TREAS - Financial Management Service (FMS)
Acquisition Management Division
70 -- SSH Secure Shell Software
Solicitation 01, Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/TREAS/FMS/AMD/FHQ02Q50620/listing.html

TREAS - Financial Management Service (FMS)
Acquisition Management Division
70 -- Thin Print Software Version 5.0
Solicitation 01, Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/TREAS/FMS/AMD/FHQ02Q50619/listing.html


DOJ - Justice Management Division
Procurement Services Staff (PSS)
70 -- Hardware/Software
Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/DOJ/JMD/PSS/DOJ-SAS-2-Z-0057/listing.html

USDA - Farm Service Agency
Acquisition Management Branch, Special Projects Section
D -- AS 400 and Laser Printer Maintenance
Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/USDA/FSA/MSD/FSA-Q-001-02DC/listing.html

USA - U. S. Army Materiel Command
U.S. Army Operations Support Command
70--Software - Brand Name Only - Fluke
Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/USA/USAMC/DAAA09/DAAA09-02-Q-3035/listing.html

AID - Washington D.C.
USAID/Washington
R -- Graphics, Writing and Printing Support Services
Amendment 03 http://www.eps.gov/spg/AID/OP/WashingtonDC/M_OP_02_1242/listing.html

House - Office of the Chief Administrative Officer
Office of Procurement
D -- Wide Area Network Communications Services
Synopsis http://www.eps.gov/spg/House/HOCAO/HOCAOOP/RFP-OPR02000446/listing.html

Source: www.eps.gov. For direct assistance, contact your local Procurement Technical Assistance Center at www.PaPTACs.com

NEWS & NOTES is a service of the PA e-Commerce Association. Please forward this e-mail to anyone else who might be interested in the content or in learning more about the Association. Remember to visit our website @ www.paecomm.org. or give us a call at 800-497-0809.

Newsletter Archives