The E-Commerce Arsenal: 12 Technologies You Need to Prevail in the Digital Arena [Hardcover]

Alexis D. Gutzman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 26, 2001

12 Technologies You Need to Prevail in the Digital Arena

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gutzman is an Internet consultant and the author of books on HTML, ColdFusion, and Frontpage. She highlights 12 new or emerging technologies that "enable a Web site to do something that's tangibly valuable to customers." These technologies are grouped among three applications: driving traffic (getting users to visit the site), site functionality (enabling shoppers easily to find and buy the products they need easily), and customer service. Included are the latest developments in search engines, viral affiliates, shopping wizards, real-time presales chats, etc. Gutzman offers plenty of examples of how these technologies work, and she makes a strong argument for outsourcing site development to ASPs (application service providers). David Rouse
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Review

"...packed with expertise and hints to help people thrive in the highly cometitive field of e-commerce." -- Micro Times

"..provides a wealth of information to prevent the horrors that can put you out of business.. " -- BookViews.com

"Alexis has a broad understanding of the many technologies required to do battle in the new Web economy." -- Del Wood, CIO, Boxerjam Inc.

"Fact based advice on how to reel in Internet shoppers and transform them into consumers." -- Cecil Johnson, Nationally Syndicated Columnist

"The author has a nice balance of sound advice and good case studies, which flesh out her points." -- Computing

"[The book] should be required reading for management teams in this constantly chanaging enviroment." -- Mark Koulogeorge, Managing Director, First Analysis Venture Capital

"…provides a very concise and powerful foundation for not only competing online but succeeding online...." -- Ibizbooks.com

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM; 1st edition (January 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814406238
• ISBN-13: 978-0814406236
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,844,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Arm Yourself for the "Digital Arena", July 25, 2001

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The E-Commerce Arsenal: 12 Technologies You Need to Prevail in the Digital Arena (Hardcover)

In the Preface, Gutzman explains that her book "is designed to tell you what the must-have technologies are for your Web site, with resources listing vendors for each technology. However, new vendors are entering the field daily. For example, for the technology I discuss in the Epiloque, alternative payment systems, I received three press releases in the week before the book went to the printer. In fact, this book has been difficult to write because I have never felt that any chapter was finished." Nor could one be. There are several reasons why I thus begin this brief commentary. First, to indicate that Gutzman focuses on "must-have technologies" rather than on, for example, specific strategies and tactics. Also, to indicate (as does she) how rapidly circumstances in the "digital arena" can change. Finally, to suggest that a Web site is never "finished." Gutzman organizes her material within five Parts: The E-Commerce Climate, Technologies for Driving Traffic, Technologies for Making Buying Easier, Technologies for Customer Service, and finally, Turnkey Growth. Of special interest to me are the various "Case Studies" of exemplar companies and technology applications. Also various "Profiles" such as those of "Net Perceptions", "Soliloquy" and "BroadVision", each of which briefly discusses specific functions, features, and benefits of specific technologies. As a non-technical person, I commend Gutzman on creating access for me to subjects which can sometimes be daunting, if not intimidating.

Gutzman's is a "three-pronged strategy" for meeting your demands: implement essential technologies, maintain a flexible business model, and outsource everything. Think of the material in her book as if it were on display in a store which you enter, tool box in hand. Roam the aisles. Examine various clusters of items. She is your expert advisor as well as the store's proprietress. (I strongly suspect that she had this metaphor in mind when writing the book.) Over time, all of your questions are answered. She helps you to make appropriate selections. In process, she has helped you to understand not only what you need and how to use it but also why you need it. Effective use of the 12 "must have" technologies will drive traffic to the Web site, create and sustain Web site functionality, and facilitate customer service which ensures that the Web site will be ETDBW (Easy to Do Business With). In the Epilogue, Gutzman adds another "must have" technology: alternative payment systems.

For whom will this book be most valuable? First, I highly recommend it to decision-makers in small-to-midsize organizations which already have or are now developing a Web site. The more they know and the more they understand, the better prepared they will be to select and then work with vendors. (NOTE: Reputable vendors will welcome such expertise because it enables them to accomplish more for their client and in less time. The same expertise will enable decision-makers to recognize disreputable vendors, either immediately or soon thereafter. That one benefit all by itself is worth at least ten times the cost of the book and probably a great deal more.) I also strongly recommend this book to decision-makers in larger organizations because, in the "digital arena", they will be expected (if not required) to gain a literacy in the technologies which Gutzman examines. Also, these same decision-makers will become progressively more involved in business initiatives (marketing, client relationships, strategic planning, market research, etc.) which the "must have" technologies support. Congratulations to Gutzman on a brilliant achievement.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surveys twelve technologies needed to prevail, May 20, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The E-Commerce Arsenal: 12 Technologies You Need to Prevail in the Digital Arena (Hardcover)

The E-Commerce Arsenal surveys twelve technologies needed to prevail in the digital business world, from submitting a URL and web positioning to using targeted direct email. The case histories from other business experiences are particularly revealing, covering common problems and solutions.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent well-written book. A must have !, January 9, 2001

By 

Michael Givens (Cedar Rapids, Iowa.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The E-Commerce Arsenal: 12 Technologies You Need to Prevail in the Digital Arena (Hardcover)

This is a MUST buy for anyone even thinking of deploying any type of eCommerce web site from the small one person web shop to the fortune 500 company. You will gain from each chapter, as they build on one another, she explains in detail the 12 different areas that make up a web site. No matter who you are, from the person knee deep in code to upper management, she does not leave out anything. There is something for all in this book.

Her chapters on content management we right on target. Having been through two companies myself that have implemented them I think she explains in detail the questions to ask each vendor, to ensure you are fully aware of what the product can do for you and how it can really take your existing web site to the next level.

I highly recommend it !