within 24 hours. The system has saved Microsoft $3 million per year.
PC World Business Direct, part of the Dixons Group Plc since 1996, is the business to business arm of PC World. It too decided on an e-commerce solution to tackle corporate purchasing problems. Publishing its Definitive Buyers Guide on the Web, it allows its business customers to order computer products and services and to track those products in real time. In most cases, the product is despatched within half an hour of the order being placed. A firm would know exactly where its order was and when to expect delivery.
The development of this system was partly in response to some of PC World’s biggest customers who wanted to conduct business electronically and avoid losing out to competitors. PC World Business Direct, like the rest of Dixons Group Plc, believes that the use of the Internet is absolutely critical to its business. It is both a medium of communication from supplier to customer and a catalyst for business growth.
Supporting financial services
The world of financial services is particularly well suited to e-commerce. The rapid growth of the Internet and the emergence of online services have forced many financial companies to examine new ways of doing business.
The Royal Bank of Scotland, one of the UK’s largest banks, was quick to appreciate the potential of this market and was the first to announce an online banking service. The firm has developed a