SHOPFRONT
By Margot Plowright

Inventor of the 'E-Commerce-in-a-Box' series in May 98', Australian Windows Publishing (AWP) is Australia's leading e-commerce software developer.

Their two flagship products, ezimerchant and ezimerchant professional, are currently the most widely used e-commerce applications in Australia.

The company's acclaimed "ezi" software products have sold to over 7000 Australian businesses, allowing them to create an online presence to sell their wares.

Below are a few examples......

SIMPLICITY THE KEY, SAYS FURNITURE MAKER

http://www.oldsoutherncomfortfc.com.au, an AWP site.

John Barnes had been in business for seven years selling his own fine furniture through his own brand, Old South Comfort, from premises at Queanbeyan before he considered electronic retailing.

"It scared me a bit," he said.  "I was 51-year-old craftsman  and a complete novice as far as computer technology was concerned."

He saw Ezimerchant on the shelf at Harvey Norman and was impressed by the price ($A399).  He was looking for an Australian product that is simple and straightforward to instal and use. 

The store staff were unable to give him any assurances.   "I took a chance - and it has paid off handsomely," he said.

"I cannot sing its praises enough.  Ezimerchant is so easy to use.  People don't realise that it can also be edited with Microsoft Front Page.

"It is not simply its ease-of-use that impresses me, but also the friendly help and advice I have received from Dave and Robert at Australian Windows Publishing.  They really went the extra distance."

John still has his storefront, but most of his business these days - directly or indirectly - is via the net.

His site, http://www.oldsoutherncomfortfc.com.au, is one of the most attractive e-retailing sites on the Web, with stunning visuals.  Some customers buy directly off the pages using their credit cards and AWP's high security real-time transaction system.  Others use the illustrations as a guide and visit the store to view the items before purchase. Either way, the site is the selling agent.

Orders arrive by e-mail from all parts of Australia and overseas.  On the morning I spoke with John a buyer in California had placed an order.

"Internet retailing has fundamentally changed the way I do business and it boils down to the ease-of-use and the help and advice of the boys at AWP," he said.

Our two success stories are proven testimonies that barriers to small to medium sized businesses trading on the web have now been eliminated thanks to AWP's affordable, practical and accessible e-commerce solutions.

Old Southern Comfort Furniture, Queanbeyan, http://www.oldsoutherncomfortfc.com.au, an AWP site.

DEAN WOODS FORGES NEW RECORDS WITH EZIMERCHANTPRO
By Margot Plowright

http://www.deanwoods.com.au, an AWP site.

Former Olympic gold medal cyclist, Dean Woods, began his internet cycle accessory business from premises in Wangaratta, Victoria, in April 1999.  He selected the "e-retail" path because of the enormous potential it offers for new businesses.  "It is very convenient," he said.

Dean designed his own website with the help of EzimerchantPro, a software product by Australian Windows Publishing which retails for less than $A400 through Harvey Norman, Chandler and some Tandy stores.

"I found it remarkably easy to use," he said.  "It would have cost me thousands of dollars to engage an e-commerce site designer, and small businesses cannot afford that kind of hit in the start-up phase."

Dean initially found some resistance from consumers in ordering their accessories on-line.  "I believe they were concerned about security," he said.

"That has all changed with an understanding of AWP's secure system, and 90 per cent of our orders are now on-line.   Consumers are rapidly catching up with the technology."

Through EzimerchantPro, payment is credited to his bank account immediately an order has been processed.  EzimerchantPro is the only e-commerce product to offer  this facility.

EzimerchantPro - otherwise known as e-commerce-in-a-box - simplifies the design of e-commerce web sites and offers e-commerce facilities to retailers at a fraction of the price of conventional e-commerce sites.

How have Dean's customers reacted?

"I've just checked out your website," wrote Ross on Dave's Feedback page.  "Congratulations in  leading the way in this form of retail.  And the prices look terrific."

And posted by Jason: "First and foremost a GREAT E-commerce site.  Many others could take a lesson from yours for clarity, navigation and simplicity plus great speed."

Dean Woods Direct, Wangaratta, Victoria, http://www.deanwoods.com.au, an AWP site.