Open Market Announces Transact 4

Open Market Inc. , a leader in the high-end commerce server market, is trying to make Internet business look more like real-world business. The company announced today that Transact 4--the latest version of its electronic-commerce platform--will be released by April 1.

Transact 4 includes a new application programming interface for integrating payments within the Web order and tools for making the flow of orders more closely emulate the processes undertaken over the telephone or at retail stores. It also includes support for order fulfillment and a marketing module for delivery of personalized user experiences, including support for numerous foreign languages.

In release Transact 4, Open Market seeks to capitalize on the latest trend in electronic commerce software. In the past few years, companies deploying Internet commerce solutions discovered that those functions that did not mirror existing business processes turned off the customer. That's not good, when the average cost of deploying a significant electronic commerce site is $256,500, according to a report released Feb. 2 by one of the major IT research firms.

By reaching toward automated order processing and fulfillment, Open Market seeks to enable companies to extend existing business rules on the Web. Yet Open Market's bid to automate and personalize its software comes amid mounting competitive pressure.

At the high-end of the business-to-consumer market, the $125,000 Open Market software package typically competes against offerings from InterWorld and Broadvision--vendors also offering significant links to existing systems, and one-to-one marketing tools. Two weeks ago, a company called Neuron Data Inc. released a business-rules automation platform, specifically aimed at automation. In addition, tool vendors such as NetDynamics, EveryWare and Broadvision also provide technology for reaching into existing systems.

Meanwhile, business-to-business commerce--another market space Open Market says it can effectively reach--is populated by a number of companies integrating with existing systems. They include Ironside Technologies, which has a sell-side commerce platform; SpaceWorks; and Signal. On the buy-side of business, companies like Ariba, Elekom, CommerceOne and Pandesic are also working to create automation between the Web site and existing systems.