Implementing a global electronic commerce product

The rapid growth of the Internet has not been matched by the growth of electronic commerce. There are barriers to supplier entry and customer participation including: connection between sensitive company information and the Internet creates opportunity for fraudulent use, competitor intelligence gathering and destructive intrusion; a buyer's financial information connected to the Internet creates opportunity for loss of privacy and confidentiality during online transactions; commerce across international physical boundaries is subject to a labyrinth of regulations and taxation systems at many points during the transaction and delivery process; while establishing Internet presence has become simple, migrating an existing business to a virtual storefront remains a challenge that many enterprises lack the technical skills to accomplish; and software products developed within the framework of business in the US do not take into account international business needs. This paper focuses on how these barriers can be lowered through understanding technical and market requirements. It discusses implementing a solution that can be quickly established and used with confidence by both supplier and customer. Specifically, it details how the Lotus Domino Merchant Product was prepared for use outside of the US. The key points include a discussion of how payment systems were generalized for international use, how the international taxation system was implemented and how the translation resources of another similar product were leveraged for reuse using existing glossaries and tools.