E-Commerce

The web has permanently changed the industry's approach to business. It is no longer optional to have a web strategy. The Media Services Group has developed a comprehensive approach to e-commerce that encompasses all of the markets that we serve.

Direct connection:

The core of our strategy is a direct and secure connection to your back-end database and business rules. This gives the on-line user up-to-the-second information and lets you leverage your existing setup in a controlled environment. From an administrative point of view, the e-commerce experience is simply an extension of your existing daily processes.

Component based

The MSGL e-Commerce product was designed as a set of components based on web-standard technology that can be "plugged in" to your existing web site or they can be assembled to act like a typical, sequential flowing application. The choice is yours.

At the heart of this strategy, MSGL uses developments tool compliant with most current web application standards (including HTML, Java, XTML, etc.), establishing a direct connection with the MSG database avoiding the use of "middleware" like ODBC which can add overhead and deplete performance.

Benefits:

E-commerce gives your customers immediate access to information that they need, strengthening your relationship with them.

They can get answers to questions like:

• "Are the products that I need in stock?"
• "Where's my order?"
• "When does my subscription run out?"
• "What kind of deals are available now?"

And they can easily transact business such as:

• Entering book/product orders
• Renew/Requalify their subscription
• Change their address
• Sign up for a conference
• Find out their order status

And much more!

One fully integrated e-solution

While there are many companies that provide web building blocks, and still others that have generic backend software applications, only Media Services provides comprehensive publishing software, including web-enabling applications. It's the most powerful, efficient system framework in publishing: with less unrelated vendor applications to piece together, you'll experience fewer maintenance issues and lower cost of overall system operation.

Features of E-commerce:

Environment

• Secure Login environment
• Operator controlled passwords
• Standards based application development
• Seamless interface with your existing web site
• No additional hardware needed
• Component-based so you can choose the functionality that you want to implement or you can implement in phases
• On-line help
• Compliant with standard web-security, including the use of digital certificates
• On-line new account creation
• Multiple customer search tool

Application components

General

• Login Screen
• Login Acknowledgement
• Login Help

Book/Product e-commerce

• Search Criteria using existing categories, disciplines, titles, etc
• Search Results
• Search Results detail
• Book product information including up-to-the-minute inventory status
• Shopping Cart: purchasing environment
• Shopping Cart: interface with Shipping Information
• Shopping Cart: Checkout Payment Information including automatic credit card authorization (3rd party relationship needed with credit card clearinghouse)
• Final Confirmation on-line and via e-mail
• New Customer Entry
• Customer Service: Order Inquiry
• Customer Service: Order Detail including interface with common carrier package tracking

Subscription Services:

• Existing Subscriber Login
• Subscription Status
• Subscription information display/update: subscriber information
• Subscription information display/update: subscription offers
• Subscription information display/update: payment information
• Subscription information display/update: demographic information
• Subscription confirmation both on-line and via e-mail

Conference registration:

• View conference and event detail
• Register to all conference that have been setup
• Register to all events at the conferences
• Check to see if the events are full and whether there is any available room on the waiting list

The best way to know if we're right for you is to see a demo. Call 1-800-234-4674 or email us: sales@msgl.com and we'll set up an online or onsite demo of the latest release.

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