The IntelliCatalog Difference IntelliCatalog, Inc.

	Catalog services harnessing the merchandising power of the internet!^SM

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How IntelliCatalog’s Service is different from all the rest

	IntelliCatalog, Inc. operates the IntelliMerchant catalog and order processing software system. IntelliMerchant, founded upon a powerful relational database system and written in a modern internet programming language, is incredibly powerful and feature rich ecommerce platform that makes creating and changing a web catalog easy and inexpensive. IntelliMerchant is for firms which do not want to be in the software development business; which do not want to have to learn or keep up with the rapid changes in technology; which can’t afford to locate, hire, train, and retain expensive programming talent but which nevertheless can’t afford to abandon ecommerce sales to their competitors. A business owner has a number of alternatives available when it comes to using the web to sell products. Many of these alternatives have unforeseen costs and expose the unknowledgeable user to material risks. IntelliMerchant emphasizes convenience, power, utility, and security! The following are some questions (with answers) which serve to illuminate the difference between IntelliCatalog’s product and the other web catalog options available.
	What software do I have to put on my computer to use IntelliCatalog’s system?
	A browser. That (and an internet connection) is it. There is no expensive software to buy and install. When you upgrade computers you do not have to reinstall any software. When new features and functionality are incorporated into IntelliMerchant you do not have to replace any programs or run any conversion utilities. IntelliMerchant’s software is self-contained on IntelliCatalog’s servers.
	What is the difference between having an online catalog or just having a catalog on the web?
	An online catalog's creation and administration is accomplished by simply filling out forms through your browser while connected to it by the internet. Because you are online to your catalog, when you complete each form the results appear instantly to your customers. You do not have to ‘upload’ any pages to the server. You certainly don’t have to learn programming jargon or master the intricacies of FTP, server directory structures, and file password protection and naming conventions to maximize your use of it. Almost no technical knowledge is required to operate IntelliCatalog’s system effectively.
	Can my local web design firm create my web catalog?
	Many web design firms' forté is the creation of static web pages with interesting visual graphic images -- the somewhat derisive term is ‘brochure-ware’. Ecommerce has rapidly moved beyond such simplistic ads to where full-scale 24/7 selling and order-taking is required for a business web-site to remain cost-effective. Profitable selling on the internet however extends beyond mere shopping carts and requires a completely integrated site with a backend administrative section. Secondly, ask yourself: How important is the web catalog to my business? Do I want to place it in the control of someone else or do I need price changes, product introductions, and merchandizing information entered in a timely manner? What do I do while my web designer is on vacation or quits? How often am I going to need changes to my catalog? How much are these changes going to cost? Who is responsible for pricing mistakes? Your web catalog is extremely important to your financial success – make sure that your supplier's goals are the same as yours.
	How does IntelliMerchant integrate with my existing web-site?
	IntelliCatalog, Inc. specializes in providing powerful web-catalog display and order processing services. If you have a web-site for other aspects of your business, with a few simple HTML changes it can be linked directly into your IntelliMerchant catalog. Links can go to specific products, to product categories, and to the shopper’s welcome page.
	Do banners or advertising from other companies appear on my pages?
	Unlike some of its competitors, IntelliCatalog, Inc. does not sell advertising space on any of its customer's catalog pages PERIOD. The advertiser's purpose is to attract a viewers interest and draw the shopper to their site. IntelliCatalog recognizes that banner ad sales represent an egregious conflict of interest as they drive shoppers away from the catalog owner's site. This is bad business.
	What is the difference between IntelliCatalog’s dynamic catalog pages and static page catalogs?
	Web page creation software programs are available which you buy and install on your computer. These programs generate static HTML pages which then must be copied from your computer to the catalog hosting computer. These pages exist as a standard HTML file on the hosting server and are delivered to the shopper’s browser upon request. IntelliCatalog’s system, on the other hand, makes use of dynamic page creation. The page delivered to the shopper’s browser is created by a computer program ‘on the fly’ immediately incorporating any changes that you have made to your catalog AND any new functionality added to the catalog system by IntelliCatalog’s staff. IntelliCatalog’s dynamic page creation makes it possible to offer variable pricing for things like S&H charges, shipping insurance, and Special Offers. Variable pricing is the means whereby the price paid by the customer depends upon an aspect of the order such as number of items, the total order size, or the S&H weight. IntelliCatalog’s system allows you to easily set up such variable pricing capability while conveniently providing your customer with the exact amount charged on the checkout page, their receipt, and their order status page.
	*Why are catalogs in IntelliCatalog’s system easier to keep current than static page catalogs?*
	Once you have purchased, installed, and learned how to use the software creating a static page catalog is relatively simple: you put in the product information (description, prices, pictures) and static HTML pages come out for you to FTP to the server. Changing a static page catalog, on the other hand, is much more difficult. Usually you have to erase the catalog and create it entirely from scratch MERELY TO CHANGE A SINGLE PRODUCT’S PRICE. With IntelliCatalog’s system, to make a change you bring up a form in your browser, rapidly make the change and go on about your business.
	How is IntelliCatalog’s system more secure than static web pages?
	Static web pages often store important information (e.g., product prices) on the page in so-called "hidden fields" which are sent to the shopper. The hidden fields are returned by the shopper and used to calculate the cost of the purchase. With only a little bit of knowledge (e.g., an internet savvy 8^th grade student) the shopper can easily manipulate these hidden fields and CHANGE the price of their purchase. IntelliCatalog’s system uses only the catalog information kept on the catalog’s server for price calculation. Any information sent by the shopper is checked for accuracy before the order is accepted. When errors are detected an explanatory message is returned to the shopper so that they can immediately correct their mistake. Tell me more about 'Hidden Field' fraud.
	How is IntelliCatalog’s system more secure than 'shopping cart' services?
	Similar to static web catalogs, many 'shopping cart' services operate by directing your product ordering form to be sent to their server when the customer clicks on the 'Buy me' button (or its equivalent). Included in the form sent from the customer's browser to the shopping cart service is the item's price, description, etc. This method is not secure because the price can easily be manipulated on the customer's machine before it is sent to the service. Essentially, if a shopping cart service does not have a 'back-end' administration module (such as the one in IntelliMerchant) where you enter the price of each product into the shopping cart service's server, then you are vulnerable to price manipulation fraud. Tell me more about 'Hidden Field' fraud.
	What is SSL and why is it important?
	SSL is an acronym for Secure Sockets Layer, a protocol for encrypted communication over the internet. Browsers have built into them the ability to use SSL to send information to and from a special type of web server ("secure server") to guard against the theft of important information. Most aware customers will not even think of entering personal information such as credit card numbers into a web page which is not protected by SSL. The order-entry portion of your catalog must use SSL or your intended customers will most likely shop elsewhere. Most hosting companies charge extra for the use of their secure server.
	How does IntelliCatalog use SSL?
	Simply put, EVERY communication between IntelliCatalog’s system and a catalog owner’s or shopper’s browser is guarded by SSL. It is that important. Some shopping carts communicate vital purchase information by email to the catalog owner. Email is fundamentally unsecure in that copies of the email are stored while it is waiting to be sent and while it is waiting to be picked up. Importantly, copies of the email can be made for backup purposes while it is waiting for transmission or retrieval. Most customers, if they knew, would be alarmed to find out that their personal credit card information is sitting for six months on some unknown company’s computer files. Some shopping cart services use SSL only when requesting credit card information from the customer. This approach is fine as long as credit card information is never returned to the shopper on any other form (e.g., receipts, verification, account history). Furthermore, the catalog owner must be using SSL to retrieve the order otherwise the customer’s credit card information is being transmitted over the internet unguarded by encryption.
	What does IntelliCatalog mean by its ‘Integrated System’?
	The IntelliMerchant software system is comprised of five major components: catalog administration, catalog display, order entry, order processing, and affiliate administration. Each of these components are tightly coupled with the others to provide a uniform system to you, your customers, and your affiliates. Some examples are: price changes made in the administration section are instantly displayed to shoppers but do not affect the historical prices paid by previous buyers; item ordering can result in the display of other items (cross-selling) to the shopper; the customer’s credit balance is checked before their order is allowed to be placed.
	What are the advantages of IntelliCatalog’s integrated system?
	Some ‘services’ operate by having your catalog send your customers to their servers to enter their order and checkout. What happens when their server is ‘down’? Your customer becomes very upset when they are unable to complete their purchase after spending time in your catalog finding the perfect item. With IntelliCatalog’s integrated catalog and ordering facility the customer will always be able to complete their order. IntelliCatalog’s system also allows the customer to check on the status of their order at any time. This feature boosts sales by promoting repeat visits to your catalog by ‘proven buyers’.
	How does IntelliCatalog’s system guard against employee fraud?
	In order to access the administration section of your catalog a person must supply a userid and password. You can (and should) set up a unique userid for each person that you authorize to make changes to your online catalog. The userid and time when important changes (e.g., prices, customer account adjustments, order acceptances, receipts) are made to your catalog are recorded.
	Questions to ask a web-catalog provider:
	What software do I have to buy? Does it run on my PC/Mac? Do I have to buy a license for each of my computers? Where do I turn to for instruction in using my web catalog? Processing orders? Will my catalog run on a Unix and NT server? Can more than one administrator make changes to the catalog simultaneously? How are hidden fields used in price calculations and/or order transmittal? (More on 'Hidden Field' fraud) How are orders transmitted between the shopper and the catalog owner? What fraud prevention measures are in place? How is SSL used in my catalog? How is email used in my catalog? Does advertising appear anywhere on my catalog pages? Where is the customer’s credit card information stored? What is the procedure for making catalog changes? What product search facility is provided to customers? How does the customer check the status of their orders? Can I make changes far in advance of their display in my catalog? How often are backups of my catalog made? Where are they stored? How do I do cross-selling in my catalog? How do I include optional products or accessories with a product sale? How are erroneous entries communicated to the shopper? To the administrator? Can my customers see product availability in real-time? Can I see a customer’s account status? History? How can I use my catalog for targeted marketing? How are customer credit limits enforced? How do I get new features or functionality that is important to me put into the catalog?
	The IntelliCatalog Difference:
	Security The entire site is on a secure server meaning that all communication over the Internet is through encrypted SSL Encrypted storage of sensitive customer data Password protected access by customers Password protected access by staff Catalog changes logged (e.g., prices) to guard against staff fraud Server side data storage guarding against HTML tampering type customer fraud (common in static page, shopping cart service, and Javascript shopping carts) Catalog backups copied offsite daily Flexibility Relational database is the foundation of the system Powerful programming language allows new features to be added quickly allowing your business to stay ahead of the competition Ease of Use All catalog interaction (changing products, processing orders) is through your browser directly across the internet Simple fill-in-the-blank forms are used to make changes to your catalog Changes are instantly available to your customers ‘Help’ text appears directly on each form, not in a separate easy-to-lose manual Erroneous entries (e.g., negative order quantity) are highlighted on the form (which is re-displayed) allowing corrections to be easily made and without requiring the entire form to be completed over again Customers can view the status of their orders online (this saves interrupting phone calls to you and brings the customer back to your catalog) Payment information (e.g., credit card number) is stored for the customer so they do not have to re-enter it on subsequent purchases Creates formatted printable receipts Sales Enhancement Cross-selling capability allows you to display related products when the customer orders a product Accessory or option selling capability allows you to display related products that a customer is only permitted to buy in conjunction with the original product Products are permitted to be displayed in multiple categories Broadcast emails can be sent to customers based upon specific product purchases Audio-visual ‘commercials’ can be displayed with a product description A customer is ‘reminded’ when they attempt to exit the catalog without completing the ‘check out’ process Real time Inventory Allows your customer to determine the availability of a specific product Customers can be given an ‘expected availability date’ when an item is out of stock Inventory figures are incremented and decremented automatically based upon sales, order rejections, and order adjustments You are notified when product inventory levels reach a pre-determined level (including order lead-time requirements) Power Multiple state sales tax calculation based upon ship-to location Real credit limit enforcement by preventing orders which would cause the customer balance to exceed their established maximum Order history is accurate even after price and tax rate changes Set up seasonal or promotional items in advance in your catalog and have them appear only during the dates that you specify The search capability provided to the shopper automatically checks the entire product description; no special ‘indexing’ is required Automatic or overrideable sales order number assignment Customizable Your logo on each catalog page Your color scheme, background image, graphic images, and buttons Your welcoming and goodbye message to shoppers Your message on the critical "check out" page Back Office Operations Track an order’s payment at each step all the way through receipt clearing Track back-orders and partial shipments Track payments and shipments independently Adjust customer accounts for refunds, fees, charges, credits, and debits View customer account history