This interaction builds a relationship with a customer and minimizes the problems that can occur without the interaction such as accurate product, pricing, and availability information. Informing customers about the availability of an item, special offers, complementary products, or an item substitution for a discontinued product in a single Web transaction is provided by a small percentage of Web catalogs today. What is possible is allowing a customer to enter an order and receive later notification by email whether or not their order was completely fulfilled, including the authorization of payment, and whether or not the item was shipped. Customer places Web order into a shopping cart on a secure Web server, which is a holding place for part numbers, pricing, shipping weights, etc. Customer receives immediate message telling him or her that there is a special offer on a popular product or using purchase history, alert them of a new product that fits their interest.
Customer enters payment information and submits order.
A Thank You Web page is displayed to customer. If credit is declined or there are any problems with product availability, an e-mail can be sent to the customer. The customer can send a reply e-mail with changes, or they can call a customer service representative. The e-mail process can be handled manually or with an automated process. If a problem occurs, a separate service process will occur using e-mail.