OK, so you know all about e-commerce and you're getting up to speed on m-commerce (mobile) but what about c-commerce?

Well according to research company Gartner Group, 'collaborative commerce' is the most advanced form of e-business yet. "C-commerce allows enterprises to harness the full power of the Internet, to gain revenue and profit improvement by going beyond rigid supply chain models and simple information sharing," says Gartner. The company believes c-commerce applications will replace static, web-enabled supply chain applications as the dominant model by 2004.

Until now, says Gartner, e-business has focused on connecting an enterprise with suppliers and customers, through sales, marketing and service activities. The c-commerce vision goes further by enabling multiple enterprises to work interactively online - using the technology to find ways to save money, make money and solve business problems, often by dynamically restructuring their relationships.

Businesses which depend heavily on their ability to innovate and serve customers – which means just about all of them these days - should plan to deploy c-commerce applications during the next five years.

Conference

By strange coincidence, Gartner are hosting a conference in London this month. 'C-Commerce: The Manufacturing and Distribution Enterprise in the Internet Age' will be held, at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on June 13-14. For more information, or to attend,
contact Pat Pearce pat.pearce@gartner.com