Free-to-air independent television station and media company, eTV, has won the i.Sell e-commerce software solution with implementation, valued at about R4 million, from Informix and Ornet Solutions. eTV`s e-commerce plan is based on reselling digital media across the Web.
The Informix i.Sell competition was launched on ITWeb on 14 February and is believed to be the biggest software giveaway of its kind in the country.
Ron Pienaar, MD of Ornet Solutions, says the giveaway was intended as a unique method of promoting "real e-commerce" and as a means of marketing Informix`s change in business focus. Informix has shifted from a database- to solutions-based company.
It was also a means of introducing a relatively new product into the market and highlighting its differential quality from other e-business solutions.
"There are many solutions being offered, but very few people can actually show you how they work," says Pienaar. He adds that the i.Sell solution is a complete package that really works.
Pienaar says that because of the value of the prize, it was important that entrants clearly understood the concept of e-commerce. Entrants had to outline how they would use the solution and why their business plan best fitted the selectors` criteria.
Derek Daymond, MD of Informix, says the competition attracted 38 entries, some of which showed definite potential as true e-commerce plans, which make provision for both transactions and interaction.
According to Daymond, companies also had to show that they had the infrastructure to use the product. Business proposals had to clearly indicate an understanding of the difference between e-commerce and "just being an information portal", as while information portals are necessary, they do not form part of the market the competition was trying to reach.
According to statistics provided by ITWeb, 90% of entries were of local origin. Jovan Regasek, MD of ITWeb, says the high response was impressive considering the targeted nature of the competition, which entailed lots of planning on the companies` behalf.
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