eCommerce Integrators Fail to Make the Grade, According to Forrester Research.Business/Technology Editors CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 26, 2000 US firms will outsource close to $20 billion this year for the strategy, marketing, design, and technical services associated with building advanced eCommerce sites. The prime beneficiaries of this spending are the eCommerce integrators (eCIs) -- professional services (job) professional services - A department of a supplier providing consultancy and programming manpower for the supplier's products. firms that design, build, and deploy these sites. Despite the demand for their services, the eCIs are characterized char·ac·ter·ize tr.v. character·ized, character·iz·ing, character·iz·es 1. To describe the qualities or peculiarities of: characterized the warden as ruthless. 2. by widespread weakness. In a new Report that grades the top 40 eCIs in five categories, Forrester Research Forrester Research is an independent technology and market research company that provides its clients with advice about technology's impact on business and consumers. Corporate facts
FORR Freedom of the Road Riders (Motorcyclists) FORR Flight Operations Readiness Review ) concludes that none are capable of delivering excellence across all service areas and few can provide expertise in more than one. Forrester graded the 40 leading eCIs on their strategy, marketing, design, technology, and business practices, examining several key factors within each category. Overall, the scores were unimpressive, with the highest rated eCI (Sapient sa·pi·ent adj. Having great wisdom and discernment. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sapi ) earning 35 out of 50 possible points and the average eCI scoring just 24 points. Equally important was the fact that no eCI proved capable of delivering a complete solution -- each of the five categories was won by a different company, while none of the eCIs received seven or more points in all five categories. "Despite the eCIs' claims to design and technology expertise, we found very little evidence of either in practice," said Paul Sonderegger, senior analyst at Forrester. "Reviews of the eCI reference sites suggest that design fundamentals have yet to permeate permeate /per·me·ate/ (-at?) 1. to penetrate or pass through, as through a filter. 2. the constituents of a solution or suspension that pass through a filter. per·me·ate v. these organizations. And few eCIs appear capable of delivering the features and functions that provide a real competitive advantage. But the eCIs aren't solely to blame for these results. With clients providing unclear or incomplete objectives and exerting tremendous pressure to deliver projects on time, many eCIs toss both site requirements and good processes overboard o·ver·board adv. Over or as if over the side of a boat or ship. Idiom: go overboard To go to extremes, especially as a result of enthusiasm. in order to get the job done." To get the most from their investment, clients need to hire eCIs with strengths that make up for their own weaknesses in design, strategy, or technology. Clients must also carefully weigh their need for speedy delivery against the goal of long-term success. If speed to market is critical, they must choose an integrator (1) In electronics, a device that combines an input with a variable, such as time, and provides an analog output; for example, a watt-hour meter. (2) See systems integrator. with sound methodologies and try to lock in their top performers. Similarly, clients should select an integrator with specific product experience -- provided it's the right product for their needs. Knowing a platform pays off in time and cost, but even experienced integrators can't recover project/product mismatches. "This remains an industry in transition," added Christine Spivey Overby, analyst at Forrester. "While mergers and acquisitions will continue, few of these efforts will result in complete offerings. Instead, best-in-class solutions will come from networks of cooperating service providers that pool their talent. Clients should look for shared methodologies and vocabularies that allow these service providers to seamlessly come together, deliver results, and then re-form for new projects. Clients will also need to hone their integrator management skills to ensure results." For the Report "eCommerce Integrators Exposed," Forrester narrowed a list of 152 eCommerce integrators to 40 leading eCIs. These firms were then graded on their strategy, marketing, design, technology, and business practices. Forrester used several research techniques to help assure accuracy -- in-depth eCI interviews, extensive reviews of an eCI-provided reference site, and client interviews. After the initial findings were complete, Forrester allowed the participants to review the findings and correct any omissions or errors. Additional information about the Report and its methodology can be found at www.forrester.com. Forrester Research is the leading independent Internet research This article is about using the Internet for research; for the field of research about the Internet, see Internet studies. Internet research is the practice of using the Internet, especially the World Wide Web, for research. firm, analyzing technology change and its impact on business, consumers, and society. Forrester's "Whole View" of the Internet economy The Internet Economy refers to conducting business through markets whose infrastructure is based on the Internet and World-Wide Web. An Internet economy differs from a traditional economy in a number of ways, including: communication, market segmentation, distribution costs, and price. enables clients to weave together Internet commerce initiatives with eBusiness technology to satisfy customers' changing needs. Clients receive continuous research and analysis through Forrester eResearch(TM) Reports, an array of advisory services advisory services advisory services provided to the public, in their capacity as owners and managers of animals, are an important part of veterinary science. They may be provided by government bureaux, by commercial companies who deal in pharmaceuticals or animals or animal , Web-based tools, and topical topical /top·i·cal/ (top´i-k'l) pertaining to a particular area, as a topical antiinfective applied to a certain area of the skin and affecting only the area to which it is applied. top·i·cal adj. events. Established in 1983, Forrester is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. Forrester's European Research Center is located in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and its UK Research Centre is located in London. Additional information about Forrester Research can be found at www.forrester.com. Forrester eResearch is a trademark of Forrester Research, Inc. |
|
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion