Category: Marketing & e-commerce (Page 60 of 77)

Moai announced support for XML in its LiveExchange Solutions. In announcing its support, Moai has introduced Dynamic Commerce Markup Language (DCML), a standard XML implementation for online negotiated exchanges that includes auctions, trading exchanges and negotiated procurement markets. This standard allows LiveExchange customers to more easily and quickly develop solutions that exchange data with existing legacy systems and other trading networks. DCML augments Moai’s Java-based OpenAPI as an additional mechanism to access LiveExchange based marketplaces. To add XML support to its LiveExchange solutions, Moai has defined DTDs developed specifically for online auctions, trading exchanges, and procurement markets. For example, DCML defines a document for an auction, which includes a product or service description, the type of auction (e.g. reverse, dutch, sealed bid), any reserve price, etc. Moai has channeled its extensive market expertise into defining its DCML standard for dynamic commerce. By defining and sharing the DCML standard, Moai will enable the interconnection of marketplaces that support XML for data interchange, whether these markets are implemented with LiveExchange or an alternate platform. For example, a customer could purchase items in one market and the information on the products would be automatically sent via DCML to a shipping exchange where carriers could bid on delivering those goods. These types of interconnected negotiated e-Commerce marketplaces streamline a customer’s workflow processes, providing a substantial savings in time and money. www.moai.com

Fatbrain.com introduced a new way for businesses to manage, market and distribute corporate information. Fatbrain.com’s Information Exchange product suite combines e-commerce, secure digital publishing technology known as eMatter, comprehensive professional bookstore, established print-on-demand infrastructure and distribution and fulfillment services to deliver a complete Web-based solution for outsourcing mission-critical internal and external corporate information. Despite long-rumored predictions of the paperless office, today virtually every corporation manages large amounts of external content, from books to technical and product documentation to a variety of internal corporate documents such as annual reports and employee handbooks, the vast majority of it still distributed on paper. For many corporations, the volume and complexity of managing all of this information is extremely costly and a distraction from their core business expertise. Using the Information Exchange product suite, corporations can now outsource the management, marketing and distribution of this information. Through the Information Exchange solution, all internal and external publications are cataloged, tracked, published and delivered via an easy-to-use, custom intranet-based or Internet Web site. Publications can be quickly and easily accessed through searching and browsing tools and economical delivery options. The Information Exchange works like an online bookstore for corporate publications, newsletters, research reports, marketing and sales brochures, product manuals, white papers, and other internal publications. In addition, the Information Exchange can provide convenient access to a world-class selection of professional books and resources including Web-based training and certification programs — the same selection available from Fatbrain.com’s popular online store. www.fatbrain.com

Through the ACORD standards-setting process, both Property/Casualty and Life subcommittees have voted to adopt the first insurance industry standard XML transactions. Called ACORD XML for P&C Insurance and ACORD XML for Life Insurance, the transaction standards adopted have been developed through a cooperative process involving hundreds of organizations from the insurance and related financial services industries. ACORD XML is based on existing ACORD standards, thereby easing migration to XML, a cross-industry e-commerce standard for business-to-business and business-to-consumer transactions. The ACORD XML initiatives focus on defining a set of standards detailing interfaces, data, and error processing relevant to insurance business functions. These standards enable real-time exchange of information and integration of systems used in day-to-day operations for processing insurance. They enable insurance carriers to face the challenge of providing a single set of views or interfaces into their supporting back-end systems. The P&C adoption includes several XML business messages that enable the real-time exchange of quote and application transactions for personal and commercial lines of insurance over the Internet. Included in the adoption is the Interactive Financial Exchange (IFX) specification, which provides a standard framework architecture to ensure interoperability among multiple trading partners using IFX. The ACORD P&C Transaction Review Board has provided business and technical expertise from organizations such as PMSC, The Hartford, AMS, Travelers, Microsoft, SAFECO, IVANS, National Grange Mutual, Applied Systems, Ontos, and Symmetry Technology Labs. Currently several other working groups are developing additional transactions for use in the insurance industry and in dealing with trading partners. www.acord.org

OnDisplay, Inc. announced that it will deliver a free business-to-business XML server software for any organization that needs to establish secure, guaranteed exchange with online trading partners. Called XML Connect, the new product enables the exchange of XML business documents — such as purchase orders, invoices, and order confirmations — seamlessly and securely with any other XML Connect user, as well as with users of OnDisplay’s CenterStage eBizXchange product. OnDisplay believes that by seeding the market with XML Connect, the company will greatly accelerate the adoption of XML and B2B commerce. Shipping now in limited partner release, XML Connect will be generally available on March 30, 2000, as a free download from the XML Connect web site (www.xmlconnect.net) and from OnDisplay’s web site. The product will include free online support. The new XML server will support all of the XML schemas on the market. XML Connect also allows B2B e-commerce participants to set up secure connections with their trading partners without the need to purchase and install proprietary software on both ends of the trading partner connection. The new XML Connect product provides guaranteed, secure, real-time delivery of business documents over the Internet. It consists of an XML-based messaging server with an open, published API and supporting documentation. Customers who deploy XML Connect will be able to upgrade their implementations to OnDisplay’s CenterStage eBizXchange easily and seamlessly. CenterStage eBizXchange provides scalable B2B integration capabilities for organizations that need to rapidly connect with hundreds or thousands of trading partners simultaneously. Leveraging the CenterStage 4 platform for “many to many, any to any” B2B integration, CenterStage eBizXchange provides: www.ondisplay.com

HOTPerl announced the release of GhostLINK, a comprehensive search engine positioning application designed specifically for eCommerce websites. The typical eCommerce website contains a home page, half a dozen information pages, and dozens of catalog pages displaying the stores merchandise. The challenge faced by he eCommerce webmaster is that 90% of the websites content is produced “on-the-fly” by the eCommerce shopping cart as visitors navigate the website. Most major search engines are not very reliable when indexing websites which are designed to be operated “on-the-fly” as these advanced programming techniques generally place navigational control within the domain of the eCommerce program and do not use conventional hyper-text links which the search engine spiders are able to follow. GhostLINK’s automatic search engine positioning on-line application individually registers every entry webpage and entry portal on your website with all the major search engines. The Catalog Wizard also automatically creates special portals that guide customers to your merchandise. www.hotperl.com

SoftLock.com, Inc. announced SoftLock PagePortals, thematic, customized bundles of highly respected content from leading publishers of business and financial information. This product automatically provides complete web storefronts for SoftLock Affiliates, enabling them to sell valued content. SoftLock PagePortals are available immediately, and can be instantly deployed by any organization seeking to enhance their Web site with premium content that will pay them whenever content is sold. SoftLock PagePortals are the latest eMerchandising initiative of SoftLock.com. The Company’s Brand Managers’ expertly craft bundles of valuable electronic documents and then place links to the SoftLock PagePortals in contextually appropriate locations throughout the Web. SoftLock Affiliates interested in more compelling content and increased revenue will benefit from the immediate ability to offer these sophisticated merchandising displays to their visitors, allowing them to browse through premium content and conduct point-of-purchase, e-commerce transactions. Visitors stay on the SoftLock Affiliate site throughout the entire process. SoftLock PagePortals are available immediately at www.market.softlock.com/sandp

fourthchannel, inc., announced a new version of its e-commerce solution, now offering new content management capabilities. The solution, formerly called fourthchannel, has been renamed “profitlaunch.” Along with the name change, a new Content Wizard has been added, which enables companies to personalize customer sites by adding internal and external content. The new version also includes improved customer service and marketing capabilities, making profitlaunch a complete and compelling e-commerce solution for the mid-market. profitlaunch’s Content Wizard is designed to help companies improve their customers’ Internet buying experience beyond providing a simple online catalog. The wizard makes it easy to add timely customer briefings or general industry information to a selling site. This new capability extends a site’s value to its customers and turns it into a “community site” where people come not only to place orders, but also to check industry news, trends and other items of interest. Accessed from within profitlaunch’s browser-based catalog management tool, the Content Wizard also has a customer personalization capability that enables individuals to choose content based on their unique needs. The wizard allows non-technical users to manage the content on their e-commerce sites easily adding, editing, or deleting Internet feeds and information. profitlaunch is available immediately. Pricing is based on the size and complexity of each company’s catalog and type of implementation. An ASP solution is available for companies that want fourthchannel to host and manage their Internet catalogs off-site. For companies that want to run the application internally, fourthchannel also offers a licensing option. www.fourthchannel.com

Commerce One, Inc. introduced a set of new XML technology tools delivered with Commerce One’s MarketSite Portal Solution 3.0. The new XML-based transaction platform enables heterogeneous systems to communicate and allows different portals to interoperate and connect to the Commerce One Global Trading Web. The comprehensive set of schema-based XML tools includes: Commerce One XML Commerce Connector (XCC), which provides all the components necessary for trading partners to integrate with Commerce One MarketSite; Schema for Object-Oriented XML (SOX), Commerce One’s default XML schema language used by MarketSite to define business documents; XML Common Business Library (xCBL) 2.0, a set of XML-based building blocks and a document framework that helps developers create business documents in Microsoft’s XDR schema language and Commerce One’s SOX; An initial set of 11 pre-defined XML-based business documents; and an XML Development Kit Pro (XDK Pro), for building extendable, document-based e-commerce applications. Commerce One’s XML technology and tools are included in MarketSite Portal Solution 3.0. In addition, xCBL and SOX may be downloaded free of charge at www.commerceone.com