Microsoft® Commerce Server 2002 Helps Future Electronics Improve Customer Service and Drive Sales
Solution boosts online catalogue from 500,000 to five million SKUs and improves search functionality
MISSISSAUGA, ON - August 30, 2005 - Microsoft Canada Co. today announced that Future Electronics, a Montreal-based global distributor and marketer of electronic components, is using Microsoft Commerce Server 2002 with Feature Pack 1 to help drive sales by providing customers with a more comprehensive online catalogue and better, faster Web site search capabilities.
The company chose Microsoft Commerce Server 2002 based on a proof-of-concept testing phase that boosted the number of parts that could be catalogued online from 500,000 to five million, and its ability to provide a full online technical index so customers can filter searches through technical attributes. Future Electronics then brought in Avanade, a Microsoft technology partner, to help rebuild its e-commerce portal.
"Our company’s mission is to ‘delight the customer’, and part of that commitment is maintaining a live, ready-to-sell inventory of some five million parts, with 24-hour access to product information," said Bob Seney, Solution Architect, Future Electronics. "We wanted to empower customers to search our site quickly to find exactly what they need, and we had reached a technology bottleneck with our old solution that prevented us from fully doing this."
Before deploying Commerce Server 2002, Future Electronics was using a Java-based application to organize the content of its e-catalogue, with product data housed in an Oracle database running on Unix eight-way servers. While its IT team had customized the technology to accommodate 500,000 parts online, Future Electronics was unable to configure the architecture to support product items beyond that number.
"Future Electronics’ former website lacked the flexibility to accommodate their growing catalogue of products and was difficult to update and maintain," said Jeff Kempiners, Practice Director, Avanade Canada. "In just four months, we dramatically improved the functionality of their portal using a framework based on Microsoft .NET connection software, Commerce Server and SQL Server, improving agility and making it easier to upgrade the catalogue."
Moving to Commerce Server 2002 required Future Electronics to update its back-end with Windows Server™ 2003 operating system and SQL Server™ 2000. These improvements are enabling Future Electronics to cross-sell products more easily. As well, Commerce Server 2002 has helped streamline the process for re-loading the online catalogue. Whereas in the past it took 72 hours to do a re-load, now the process takes about two hours, enabling the company to refresh its catalogue every evening.
"Commerce Server 2002 with Feature Pack 1 has helped Future Electronics create a more comprehensive, functional, cost-effective business portal that is easy to maintain,” said David McJannet, senior product manager, e-business, Microsoft Canada. “Basing its new Web solution on Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and SQL Server 2000 is helping Future Electronics focus less time on managing its IT infrastructure and more time on using IT to deliver value to customers."
Windows Server System
Microsoft Windows Server System™ is integrated and interoperable server software that helps reduce IT complexity to enable IT professionals to deliver innovative solutions that meet the changing needs of business. With Windows Server 2003 operating system at the foundation, Windows Server System is engineered from the ground up for XML Web services based on Microsoft .NET connection software to connect information, people, systems and devices. Based on a common software architecture that spans all facets of IT from design, development and deployment through ongoing management and usage, Windows Server System provides comprehensive IT infrastructure for operations (security, systems management, networked storage), applications (data management and analysis, e-business) and information work (messaging, communications and collaboration). More information on Microsoft Windows Server System can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/ .
About Microsoft Canada
Established in 1985, Microsoft Canada Co. is the Canadian subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq "MSFT") the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. Microsoft Canada provides nationwide sales, marketing, consulting and local support services in both French and English. Microsoft Canada is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario with MSN.CA offices located in Toronto, and eight regional offices across the country dedicated to empowering people through great software - any time, any place and on any device. Visit Microsoft Canada's Web site at www.microsoft.ca
About Future Electronics
Future Electronics is a privately held company, with over 5,000 employees worldwide and is firmly positioned as one of the world’s top three electronic component distributors. The company’s product inventory, of which approximately 60 per cent is available to sell, comprises over 65,000 line items worth close to $1 billion globally and represents an unrivaled investment in customer service. A global IT system enables stock interrogation to be undertaken from anywhere in the world. Future also offers strong engineering support as well as a host of value added services, including JIT logistics, buffer stocks, e-commerce and all value added services as required. Many design kits are available from Future, together with CD ROM-based text, graphics and video data access with hot links to both Future’s and suppliers’ Web sites. Future is committed to building long term partnerships with customers worldwide. www.FutureElectronics.com.
About Avanade Canada
Avanade is a premier technology integrator for Microsoft-based solutions. The certified technologists at Avanade help customers use Microsoft-based technology to realize a lower total cost of ownership for their infrastructure and application investments. Avanade Canada is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avanade, Inc. based in Seattle, WA. Please visit www.avanade.com for additional information or call 416-641-5111.
©2005 Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft, Windows Server and Windows Server System are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
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