Yankee Group analyst Mary Regan says that while CivicNet is unlike anything she's seen, its success is hardly assured. The traditionally lonely Maytag repairman may soon have lots of online company. This month, the appliance maker will link its Web site to dealers around the country, for the first time letting customers buy major appliances online with the help of a manufacturer. The system uses BroadVision technology to identify products that best fit customers' needs. It also uses Comergent's Distributed E-Business System to link to dealers' Web sites or ERP systems and bring back a list of prices from dealers near the customer's home.
Dealers can send special offers to consumers.
If a customer says OK, credit-card information and other data is transferred to the dealer's site, where the sale is completed. But Maytag is talking with all the major dealer networks, says VP and general manger of E-commerce Ken Boyle.