This is no ordinary wire trolley! Ivory Tower Internet Solutions has developed turbo-charged shopping emporia - there is so much more customers can achieve in an `online shop`, that the analogy of pushing a trolley around a store no longer makes any sense.
Virtual businesses attract loyal customers by providing services which make their lives easier, save them time, and leave them wondering how they ever managed previously - e-mail had the same effect in the 90s.
Phil Southwell, CEO of the Ivory Tower Group, says: "By working closely with our clients, we have developed real solutions to real problems. And then, at every stage, we have thought laterally about what the virtual world can offer that the physical world cannot. We`ve looked for the WOW factor that attracts loyal customers and built it into our cart."
For instance, in searching for product, customers can make use of a drill-down system, which enables them to search initially by category, alphabet, brand, and so on, right down to a comprehensive full page description of each product chosen. As a product is added to the cart, a tally is kept automatically showing exactly what has been spent so far. There is even provision for impulse buying!
Panels display featured `lists`, special offers, top-sellers and any other subset of products that are on promotion. `My account` and `order status` show customer preferences, current orders and buying history.
From the administrator`s point of view, the functions of this shopping cart are legendary. From the time of the enquiry, the following are built in: independent authorisation, shipper login, user management, financial reports, order management, CRM, call centre notes, satellite shops, shipping methods, multiple rate options, catalogue and category management. Feature-rich menus are available to shippers, accountants, support staff, managers and so on through pre-defined and custom-made login roles.
Online credit card processing is of course built in, but manual processing is an option and if payments are not required immediately, an enquiry management system allows customer interaction and profiling. All responses - via e-mail or SMS - are automatically sent to the user, shipper and managers.
The cart also offers market tracking - that is, whether the enquiry/order originated through an affiliate program, search engine optimisation or a marketing campaign. This is invaluable information.
For better performance, a copy of the database can run on the company network while orders are taken anywhere on the Internet, replication is automatic, and naturally all transactions are secure.
Southwell added: "We have a client selling pharmaceuticals using our cart. The company started off four months ago with one Web site, which was such a phenomenal success that we have developed an additional eight sites for them during this period. Their turnover has increased by over 500%. Our cart is being used successfully by companies as diverse as Sparcraft, Super Truck & Cab, Art of Africa and Protea Hotel`s image bank.
"So why struggle with a trolley with a wobbly wheel when you can have the use of the best 4x4 trolley by far!" he quipped.
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