CommerceSWITCH supports collaborative content with CommerceSuite 4.0

E-business solutions company commerceSWITCH has announced the local availability of CommerceSuite version 4.0, the latest upgrade to the content authoring and publishing solution from e-business product content software and services company Saqqara.

CommerceSuite is a comprehensive and collaborative content authoring and publishing solution that allows suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and industry exchanges to leverage product content as a strategic asset for increasing revenue and decreasing costs.

"Saqqara has improved CommerceSuite`s Web-based user interface to support collaborative content authoring and publishing in a global enterprise environment," says Philip de Bruin, MD of commerceSWITCH. "This helps to combat escalating content management needs in multinationals where product content is intensive and constantly changing. Suppliers can now effectively deliver timely, detailed, and accurate product content within these environments to customers and channel partners."

CommerceSuite 4.0 lets administrators define content management workflows to allow globally located product content managers to participate jointly in catalogue authoring, maintenance and publishing by following their prescribed management processes for content updates and catalogue publishing. A "content controller" enhances this management process with synchronised catalogue content updates across multiple servers and content sources.

The upgraded system now allows authoring specialists at multiple locations to edit content and label it with activation dates for an automatic update on one or more catalogue servers.

"Updates can now occur at any time from any location, resulting in timely, accurate catalogue content and a highly personalised online catalogue experience," says De Bruin.

Other key features included in Saqqara CommerceSuite 4.0 are:

• .         Online Web storefront management to support buyer registration and authentication, and persistent shopping cart maintenance.

• .         Personalised catalogue views, enabling tailored content and pricing based on customer profiles and buyer requirements.

• .         Easy integration of shopping cart information with supplier order management systems to track buyer demand and speed product delivery.

• .         Punch-out and round-trip support to enable buyers to use existing e-procurement applications to source and procure product according to their business processes.

• .         Multi-language capabilities, enabling content delivery in the buyer`s preferred language.

• .         Analysis tools that monitor and analyse product content browsing, enabling suppliers to increase product availability and sales while managing inventories.

"Saqqara CommerceSuite 4.0`s features are designed to enhance the supplier-buyer relationship," says De Bruin. "Buyers are automatically guided to replacement products, up-sell opportunities and complementary products. Product searches are facilitated by keyword text search capabilities and Saqqara`s patented Step Search parametric search technology. The fact that the buyer never has to leave the storefront in search of an alternative product results in maximised revenue."

Saqqara CommerceSuite 4.0 employs operating system-neutral SOAP and XML technologies, allowing catalogues to be offered as ready-to-use Web services to link dynamically with enterprise applications across the Internet, facilitating access to and use of catalogue information by worldwide manufacturers and distributors.

"Saqqara`s commitment to its clients and their success is evident with this CommerceSuite release," says Dave Holden, manager of e-commerce applications and services at key Saqqara client, Eastman Chemical Company. "Saqqara`s proven technology and experience has enabled Eastman to create, manage and deploy product-differentiating catalogues that meet the language and distribution channel needs of international customers. CommerceSuite addresses the complexities of content and customer management. Not only is product content a strategic asset, but so is CommerceSuite."

Dan Poirier, Saqqara`s VP of sales and marketing, says: "Success for suppliers and buyers hinges on the timely delivery of comprehensive, accurate, and differentiating product information in a format that meets the unique needs of each customer and distribution partner."

CommerceSuite 4.0 is immediately available from commerceSWITCH, the Southern African distributor of Saqqara products.