Web Sphere Implementation at Barnes and Noble.com
The Challenge
B&N.com had created a new extended online website. However, because they were hoping to improve their status within the parent organization, B&N.com decided to have an outside party examining and implementing that specific architecture. The client asked Wability to combine their U.K. business transformation methodology and their U.S. eCommerce teams to help create the required architecture and infrastructure that bridges their overall business goals and technology. An equally important factor behind the success of B&N.com has been its efforts to make itself as accessible as possible to its customers through multiple countries staffed by 2,800 employees; the company has 14 locations worldwide While there is no doubt as to the success of B&N.com online business--which grew by 20 percent last year--the company has focused on synchronizing its sales channels.
The Tools
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WebSphere Commerce
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WebSphere Application Server
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WebSphere Studio Application Developer
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WebSphere MQ
The Application
B&N.com has been at the receiving end of the publishing
industry attention for its ability to implement a very successful
multi-channel retailing strategy. Since the late 1990s, its
brick-and-mortar stores have been equipped with Web-based kiosks where
customers can access the Web site to order any of the company’s unique
products. In synchronizing its sales channels and seeing to it that
customers enjoy a seamless cross-channel shopping experience, B&N.com
has discovered a profitable strategy. Stocking its Web site with rich
content on product features and specifications to enable
comparison-shopping, B&N.com has ensured that shoppers are drawn to the
site whether they intend to browse, research or buy.
B&N.com Store Pickup service, one of the new Web applications enabled on
the WebSphere Commerce platform, allowed Internet shoppers to select
from the B&N.com web sites and have the merchandise shipped to a local
store without a shipping charge.