Aqua Online gets Reebok and Guess ready and set for e-commerce

Retailers and consumers will soon be able to buy leading international watch brands like Guess, Reebok, Sector, Lanco and Pierre Cardin online through a series of local Web sites created for South African distributors S Bacher & Company. E-business solutions provider Aqua Online, which has created widespread market interest with its shared risk-reward business model, is spearheading the company`s drive into the e-commerce market.

Shaun Bacher, managing director of S.Bacher & Company, said one of the main benefits of going online would be the ability to provide instant information on pricing, style and range options to his firm`s customers. "The power of e-commerce makes us easily accessible to our customers at whatever time they decide to do their purchasing decisions. While our primary objective for launching these Web sites was to get closer to our retailers, Aqua Online has also enabled the sites to handle consumer purchases and subsidises its site development costs through the revenue from these retail sales.

"As more companies discover the power of the Internet, that`s the level of customer service we`re going to have to provide if we`re going to stay competitive into the new millennium."

Aqua Online will design, maintain and host the various sites, which have been designed to reflect "the dynamic style of the individual brands". Each site will be fully e-commerce enabled, offer an engaging, user friendly interface and high levels of online security. Aqua Online has installed advanced credit card settlement solutions to give S Bacher & Company`s consumers and retailers the ability to purchase watches at literally the click of a mouse button.

"The barriers to e-commerce are rapidly crumbling as reputable companies like S Bacher & Company come to the market," said Andrew McHenry, sales and marketing director at Aqua Online. "Because of our partnering business model, we have a real stake in making e-business a strategy that offers real return on investment."

Bacher said it was Aqua Online`s fresh approach to e-commerce that removed any doubts about the Internet as a viable business medium. "While we recognised the need to offer our consumers and retailers direct access to information about our product line, Aqua Online came to us with a solution which shares the risk of an e-commerce Web site. This not only demonstrates its faith in the Internet as a business medium, but also in its Web sites as a driver for electronic commerce," said Bacher.

Aqua Online reduces the risk of entering the e-business arena for South African businesses through a business model based on a partnership with its customers. "We charged S Bacher & Company a considerably reduced start-up charge for the establishment of their e-business solution, and take a percentage share of the success brought by the solution in exchange. This not only eliminates the sometimes prohibitive start-up costs traditionally associated with linking business and the Internet, but also inspires confidence by ensuring we have a real stake in facilitating the success of the solutions provided," said McHenry.