NatSemi Site Lets Customers Choose

National Semiconductor earlier this month launched an e-commerce site that lets customers track live inventory data and order online. National gives customers the option to order directly from the manufacturer or from one of six distribution partners.

At the heart of the site (buy.national.com) is the Information and Content Exchange (ICE) protocol, which lets the company publish catalog updates to distributors in real time.

"If we change one element in our catalog, ICE automates updating end to end," said Phil Gibson, National's director of interactive marketing. Likewise, if a distributor's inventory or pricing changes, National's database is updated.

When a customer queries the site for a specific part, a table is returned with part numbers, available quantities, unit pricing and lead time required. Distributor links are listed only if their supplies meet the search criteria, guaranteeing availability.

National also has set up more than 120 private account pages that are personalized for each customer. Features include contract monitoring, process change notifications, shipping history and an integrated Federal Express tracking application.

The site includes an "EDI-like" notification engine that confirms orders and follows up with e-mail. It is designed to let customers and distributors with investments in EDI integrate the site with their systems. National is developing an EDI-ICE combination that would more closely tie the legacy and Web systems.

"Reintegration is an important step in the adoption process," Gibson said.

Underlying the site is an intricate partner network that handles credit authorization, payment processing, reconciliation and order fulfillment. Partners include FedEx, CyberSource Corp. and First Data Corp.

The site, driven by a Sybase Inc. database running on a 360-MHz Sun Ultra 60, provides a live mainframe connection using JavaScript and EnterpriseLink Technology Corp.'s SmartTran emulation software. A Cisco router running Local Director provides load balancing, and the Web server is replicated to two Internet service providers for failover.

Despite the option for engineers to buy directly from National, distributors have come along for the ride, Gibson said. "They're not delighted, but they don't necessarily perceive the site as a threat because their value is perceived in the services aspect, not the selling," he said.