Customization in online trade processes

The reversal of roles between information technologies and business processes has led to high levels of uncertainty among managers and strategic planners about appropriate business models to be used in EC. For companies of all sizes, the question of what shape and form their online presence needs to take is still unclear, given the difficulty in establishing a defensible competitive position. This paper describes an approach to deal with the uncertainty, by providing a blueprint for analyzing the roles companies can and should adopt in online commerce environments. An architecture for electronic commerce (ECA) is outlined which allows companies to identify the major issues involved in engaging in EC, and provides a framework for studying the adoption and diffusion of EC among the different players involved. The ECA also provides a new lens through which information gathering and customization opportunities and strategies can be evaluated.