A 25 per cent month on month increase in customers registering their accounts for on-line business is reported by distributor Gardiner Security.
The site, test marketed a year ago, was refined using customer feedback after six months. Features include administration tools, a multi-criteria search engine, an order tracking facility, invoice reprinting and an order template facility for regular or monthly orders. E-business manager Kim Whitehead says: ‘With many thousands of customers all over the UK, working all hours of the day, Gardiner sees e-commerce as a key development of its service. It ensures accuracy and transparency – any customer can have immediate secure access to information on our product portfolio and their account, enabling them to see live pricing information and place and track orders 24 hours a day. Gardiner Security On-line can be accessed directly from any PC or laptop that has an Internet connection available, so no additional software is needed."
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One-line buys
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According to the 2002 DTI Report "E-Commerce Impact Assessment for the Security & Fire Protection Industries", 30pc of manufacturers & distributors use EDI (electronic data interchange) with customers, but only 13pc of security installers made on-line purchases. Some 92pc of security manufacturers and distributors and 80pc of installers have a website for use by customers, and 55pc of installers used suppliers’ websites (mainly for information). When it comes to purchasing, however, the industry is still well behind the UK average, with 25pc of SMEs and over 40pc of all companies of over 500 employees using e-procurement mechanisms. By logging on to ecomm.gardinersecurity.co.uk/default.asp, customers can register an existing account or download an application to open a new credit account. The site then puts them in full control of the ordering and management process. Existing and potential customers should email Kim Whitehead at [email protected] for more information or a demo of e-commerce.
