Most companies aren't comfortable maintaining a completely separate warehousing, inventory, and distribution network when they already have one in place, and that's not likely to change in the near future, even according to E-commerce outsourcers. But there are companies that are doing it right now, and they're finding out that it's much more efficient. Winter predicts companies will increasingly move their inventory, warehousing, and logistics systems into an outsourced model, for both their traditional and E-business lines. Even the largest IT outsourcers have trouble with back-end systems integration, says Lepeak. Most companies are going to be somewhere in between.
Most projects involve a flat integration fee and a monthly charge.
This type of outsourced E-commerce model raises another problem, however. As companies adopt Web interfaces with customers and suppliers, suppliers will be forced to maintain a variety of contact technologies, from electronic data interchange to Internet protocol to fax to E-mail. If your company is considering such a sweeping outsourcing initiative, remember that the rules of traditional outsourcing still apply, warn analysts. That's where you run into problems. You outsource the work, and keep the responsibilities.