Trends in SCM

A key trend affecting the World Supply Chain Management industry is the transition from local economies to a large scale global one. For enterprises, the effective management of supply chains across the globe becomes very critical now, especially as the complexity of supply chains increases. Supply chain visibility is also gaining ground nowadays and, as a result, the supply chain coordination segment is expected to witness steady growth in the near future. Also, this segment is expected to bring in more investments from the venture capital community

The right Supply Chain Design has now become critical in managing the changes brought about by globalization. An effective Supply Chain Network Design can help optimize the network and the flow of materials through that network. In doing so, network design captures the costs of the supply chain with a "total landed cost" perspective, and applies advanced mathematical technology to determine optimal answers to both strategic and tactical questions. Also, the advantages of achieving excellence in service supply chain management can be compelling, they include increased customer satisfaction and retention, product sales, and service contract revenue as well as higher margins.

Web Marketing

Web Marketing, also referred to as online marketing, is a form of marketing that uses the Internet. The Internet has brought many benefits to marketing that include very low costs in distributing information and media to a global audience. However, the interactive nature of the media, both in terms of instant response, and in eliciting response at all, are both desirable qualities of internet marketing.Web Marketing ties together both the creative and technical aspects of the internet, including design, development, advertising and sales. Internet marketing methods include search engine marketing, display advertising, e-mail marketing, affiliate marketing, interactive advertising and viral marketing.

It can include information management, public relations, customer service, market research, and sales. Electronic commerce and web marketing have become popular as Internet access is becoming more widely available and used. Well over one third of consumers who have Internet access in their homes report using the Internet to make purchases.

Some of the benefits associated with it include the availability of information. Consumers can log onto the Internet and learn about products, as well as purchase them, at any hour. Companies that use Internet marketing can also save money because of a reduced need for a sales force. Overall, web marketing can help expand from a local market to both national and international market places. And, in a way, it levels the playing field for big and small players. Unlike traditional marketing media (like print, radio and TV), entry into the realm of Internet marketing can be a lot less expensive.

Custom Software Development

Custom software development, also known as custom software engineering starts with identifying a client’s goal and needs from their business perspective. In many cases custom software development is less expensive than a general application because it is designed to meet a client’s specific business need. As there are no additional programs and or features, the software will work exactly the way they what.

Also, custom software solutions may be to develop not for the mass users, but are developed to be unique, for a single customer (user) or a group. Custom developed software is encouraged to take under one hat the most progressive technologies along with preferences and expectations of the customer. Custom developed software may be designed in stage by stage processes, allowing all nuances and possible hidden dangers to be taken into account, including issues which may not be mentioned in the specifications.

E-commerce in India

India is currently in the midst of an e-commerce revolution. The arrival of the Internet followed by the escalating growth of Web-based businesses is leading to e-commerce both on the B2B and the B2C sides. The e-commerce trends in India are in perfect accordance with the sweeping changes taking place in the global markets. Even the IT friendly Government has taken significant strides in the past few months to ensure that the economic climate is ripe for e-business.

As per a Nasscom - McKinsey study 1999, India has the potential to earn revenues worth US$ 10 billion by 2008 from e-business solutions. (Both the domestic and export markets put together).

As part of its survey on e-commerce, Nasscom also conducted a study on the plans and capabilities of software development companies in India. The study revealed that Supply Chain Management optimization and Customer Relation Management (CRM) are going to be one of the strongest drivers of the global e-commerce solutions market. And more than 72 percent of Indian software development houses were found to possess strong expertise in Supply Chain Management and CRM.

Some of the areas of e-commerce services available in India are:

• Legacy application integration
• Internet application integration
• EDI
• Migration to Web-based models
• New IT framework
• Integration with business strategie
• E-commerce training services