The Client-Supplier E-Relationship Management: A Case Study In The European B2B Office Furniture Industry

Abstract

The case study presents an overview of e-business activities within the European B2B office furniture segment, analyzing the scenarios faced by one of the top companies in this segment, hereafter fictitiously referred to as “Cadiac.”Focus is on challenges and issues faced by this company in the last five years within the client-supplier e-relation-ship management: from the use of Internet-based technology to improve the information exchange with clients and dealers to the development of customer relationship manage-ment applications. The present overview explores:market peculiarities and their impact on e-business strategy, challenges, and issues, the different technical solutions adopted through real client case studies, future challenges and opportunities. Of course, the e-business channel is leveraged by Cadiac as an additional channel to the traditional face-to-face negotiation, and in any case is replacing it. The purpose, on the contrary, is to reinforce the business model (sales are driven through a dealer network) by offering a way to reduce complexity and facilitate order management.