InformationWeek
Defining The Business Value Of Technology
February 8, 1999
Consumer Portals Talk BusinessBy Gregory Dalton and Clinton Wilder
onsumer portals such as Yahoo, Lycos, and Netscape's Netcenter-the original models for
enterprise portals-are expanding to include business-support services.Wireless telecom provider Nextel Communications Inc. will disclose a deal this week to build customizable Web portals for its customers using Netscape's Custom Netcenter toolkit. Nextel will create portals that use services on the Netcenter portal such as news and instant messaging.
Lycos said last week that it will incorporate business-to-business software from Open Market Inc. into its infrastructure, providing a common platform for online merchants to perform functions such as customer authentication, payment processing, and automated tax and shipping calculations. Businesses selling wares via Lycos will be able to use Open Market's ShopSite software to build storefronts.
Web shopping site WorldSpy Inc. last week became the first consumer portal to contract with United Parcel Service's Worldwide Logistics unit for warehouse management and distribution. UPS will manage all of the site's inventory, fulfillment, and shipping
operations. UPS, Federal Express, and other logistics companies look to consumer E-commerce portals as a growth market because they can help such sites operate with little physical inventory or assets.
Back to This Week's Issue
Send Us Your Feedback
Top of the Page
