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On Line Movement Finds Internet Success Case Study Index
For larger
corporations, Web-generated revenues might be just one piece, but for small businesses
the Web can be the core of a profitable and agile retail business. Some of the most
successful electronic commerce sites on the Web today were started by small businesses
that rely on Microsoft products from the desktop to the
Internet. Just look at what one small business, On Line Movement, was able to
achieve. | ||
On Line Movement is a distribution company specializing in direct selling of entertainment products, primarily music. In 1994, determined to change how people buy music and encouraged by technology trends to support it, the company decided to go on line. Starting with just six employees, On Line Movement needed to make sure it could quickly attract customer attention, deliver products efficiently, and carve out a bold retail identity - all while keeping costs down. They met these goals with a strong Microsoft product line throughout their small-business computing environment, even before they set up a Web site. For day-to-day productivity, they've relied on Microsoft Office Professional, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, and Microsoft Plus. Using Microsoft Internet Products to get on-line was a logical next step. They rely on Microsoft Internet Information Server to support their on-line commerce and help plan and analyze business growth. |
During its first two weeks, hits on the Pre-Order Store site increased 500 percent. "Shopping through The Pre-Order Store is a great convenience," says customer Jeri North. "I usually know what I'm looking for, so I'd rather relax at home when I shop for music. With The Pre-Order Store, I can depend on getting the absolute newest releases delivered to my doorstep." On Line Movement's Microsoft Windows NT Server easily handles the load, including hundreds of users simultaneously. It had been thoroughly put through its paces before the launch of the Pre-Order Store to test transmission security, user load tolerance, and credit card information accuracy. "Choosing Windows NT for our Web-based business was definitely the way to go," says Lisa Cleveland, president of On Line Movement. "Its architecture is open to grow as we plan to expand, and we're saving thousands of dollars as opposed to buying a larger mainframe system." And their Internet business continues to grow. They've had to add their own T1 line to handle heavy user traffic and host several client sites, with Windows NT continuing to run their Internet-based server applications. "We feel that Windows NT saves us a couple of days in setup. We're not UNIX® gurus, so the familiarity of the Windows-based front-end eliminates a tremendous learning curve for both us and our customers." adds Jonathon Young, a programmer at On Line Movement. |
On Line Movement has most recently upgraded employee desktops to Windows 95 for its improved usability features. The company has also added Internet Assistant for Microsoft Word. So now, along with in-house programmers designing in PERL and HTML for the Web site, anyone at On Line Movement can create and share Web-ready information from within Microsoft Word. |
- Expanding On-Line Markets with Microsoft
Technology
Now that they have several months of Web success to look back upon, On Line Movement is on the move again.
They are
using the Windows NT Server to help collect data on orders and
customer trends, then analyzing the data using Microsoft
Access and Microsoft Excel. The results will help the
company expand its services worldwide.
"There's no reason to limit ourselves to a local or even a national level as a music provider," says Cleveland. "With Microsoft's productivity tools and Internet technology, it's quite possible to provide global services without being a global company."
On Line Movement also leverages The Microsoft Network. According to Patel, "We visit MSN(tm), frankly, to see what our competition is up to. Its vast array of business and informational services also helps us plan our new business development, identify trends, and gain insight."
The Microsoft Network is also a source for discovering new products that can help a business. "That's where we found Progressive Network's RealAudio(tm), which allows our customers to hear as well as see information," says Cleveland. "As a result, we now have major recording artists interested in working with us to design their sites."
You can visit On Line Movement at http://www.preorder.com
| 1.) Business Advantages
on the Internet 2.) Benefits | 3.) Crabbe Huson Case Study 4.) On Line Movement Case Study |
