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he Silverlake Group has developed web sites that are maintained in confidential agreement for its business clients due to the nature of its content or their secured transactions. However, as a learning experience you may obtain new business ideas and keep current with new business trends on the Net.  You may get hints about how to improve your own Web site.  You may understand better what business strategies work and what products or services sell on the Net.  The following contains some examples of effective business Web sites.

• 1-800-FLOWERS, Inc. (www.1800flowers.com) is the world's largest florist, with 130 flower shops, either company-owned or franchised and 2,500 flower shops as partners.  Net users can view a wide selection of floral and gift products online and learn about floral care and handling, decorating with flowers, and floral and gift giving trends.  They can also participate in the site's bulletin boards, on-going contests, and the Gift Reminder Program.  1-800-FLOWERS guarantees the freshness of its floral arrangements for a full week.
• Amazon.com, Inc. (www.amazon.com) is an online superstore for books.  Net users can access a huge electronic catalog of books and search with ease by author, title, subject, and keyword.  There are about 2.5 million titles in total, with 1 million of them hard-to-find, out-of-print books.  Everyday discounts are offered.  The ordered book can be gift-wrapped with a personal note and shipped around the world.  The online Amazon.Com Journal features author interviews, excerpts, and book review articles.  A shopper can read book reviews by other shoppers or submit one. Personal notification service for new releases of favorite authors and personal review service for books in specific areas of interest are both available for free.  The company relays customer orders to suppliers for shipment and thus does not have to keep any inventory.
• Dell Computer Corporation (www.dell.com) offers very efficient online services for shoppers.  The Web site is extensive and well-designed; it includes a lot of online features and functions.  Associated with the Online Store feature, the site details information concerning product specification, order concerning product specification, order placement, security, order fulfillment, shipping options, and payment options.  Customers can obtain order status information on unfulfilled orders.  The Online Communications Center at the site handles technical support, customer service, customer feedback, and product information requests.
• Federal Express Corp. (www.fedex.com) provides a special online tracking service.  A user can check the current status of a specific package in the FedEx system.  If the package has been delivered, the user can know who signed for it.  In addition, the user visiting the site can get a quote and find a dropoff location.
• Virtual Vineyards (www.virtualvin.com) is a specialty store, featuring a selection of distinctive wine and food.  Peter Granoff, a world renowned wine expert, is a cofounder of the business.  The site not only sells wine but also gives prospective customers in-depth information about the wines being offered and the people who made them.  On the site you can find detailed wine descriptions, wine recommendations given by Peter personally, tasting charts and notes, articles from Wine & Spirits magazine, recipes for meals to go with the wines featured, and gift ideas.

Other Interesting Business Web Sites

1 Selling Computer or Internet-Related Products or Services

• Micro Warehouse, Inc. (www.warehouse.com) is a specialty catalog retailer and direct marketer of brand-name, computer-related products.

2 Selling Advertising Spots

• Wired Digital, Inc. (www.hotwired.com) presents Wired Magazine online.
• Classifieds 2000, Inc. (www.classifieds2000.com) provides a giant marketplace for classified ads on the Web.
• Rent Net (www.rent.net), a division of CUC International, creates a comprehensive apartment guide on the Internet.  Its Web site provides an easy-to-use database of unfurnished apartments, temporary furnished suites, international rentals, self-storage facilities, and relocation-related services in over 1,500 cities.
• FortuneCity, Inc. (www.fortunecity.com), our sponsor site builds and maintain a membership community online.  Its Web site features content and services on topics interesting to young adults.

3 Providing Middleman Service

• AutoWeb Interactive (www.autoweb.com), an online auto superstore, puts together buyers for new or used cars with a network of many car dealers.  Shoppers can visit the virtual lot of every AutoWeb dealer, browse the digital brochures for new cars, arrange delivery of a car to your home or office for a test drive, use a free loan calculator to compute your payment schedule, access AutoWeb Financing for credit approval and financing arrangements, and arrange delivery of your new car to your home or office.

4 Selling Financial Services

• E*Trade Securities, Inc. (www.etrade.com) is a provider of low-cost investing services, including stock and options trading.  The site also offers access to company research, business news and other information services online.
• Quote.com Inc. (www.quote.com) provides quality financial market data to Net users.  They include stock quotes, market indices, real-time business news, earnings forecasts and reports, market analysis and commentary, company profiles, and balance sheet data.

5 Ticketing and Reservation Services

• TicketWeb (www.ticketweb.com) provides nationwide low-cost ticketing service for selling advance tickets.  Its technology allows facility operators and event promotion companies to administer their own ticket selling operations over the Internet at the TicketWeb site.
• MovieFone, Inc. (www.movielink.com) manages the MovieLink Web site, at which users can get movie times and reserve discount movie tickets at their local theaters.

6 Operating a Cybermall

• Internet Mall, Inc. (www.shopnow.com) manages one of the largest online shopping malls, which accommodates virtual stores of many categories.

7 Providing Travel-Related Services

• The Travelocity site (www.travelocity.com) sponsored by the SABRE Group, Inc., offers comprehensive and convenient travel services to Net users, including airline and other travel reservations, travel merchandise, information about destinations and points of interests, restaurant reviews, travel tips, search for low fares, and special offers.  Through a bulletin board, visitors can exchange travel tips and participate in online discussions with other Net users.  In addition, the site provides a free service enabling users to check if a flight is on time.

8 Expanding Catalog Business

• Lands' End, Inc. (www.landsend.com), a clothing-mail order company, uses the Web to expand business and reduce printing and mailing costs associated with printed catalog.

9 Offering Online Training

• Cubic Science, Inc. (www.satmath.com) provides interactive tutorials and simulated tests to users, who are preparing for the SAT Math Test.

10 Selling Artworks and Antiques

• The Maine Antique Digest site (www.maineantiquedigest.com) is the home of an interesting electronic magazine about the art and antique markets.

11 Operating a Specialty Store

• The Stash Tea Company (www.stashtea.com) sells a complete line of specialty teas, traditional black teas, flavored and spiced teas, herbal teas, green teas, and specialty iced teas.  The Web site is multilingual; users can choose Dutch, French, German, Greek, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.

12 Servicing a Local Concentrated Market of Net Users

• Waiters On Wheels, Inc. (www.waitersonwheels.com) provides a special delivery service in major cities of California and Washington, through which meals from your favorite restaurant will be picked up and delivered to your home or office in about an hour.
• Peapod (www.peapod.com), created by Peapod, Inc., offers online grocery shopping and delivery service.

13 Servicing a Specific Ethnic Community

• HispanStar (www.hispanstar.com), managed by Hispanic Business Inc., is the home of the Hispanic Business magazine.  The site offers research information on the U.S. Hispanic business market, Spanish-language media, and Hispanic demographic.  A national resume referral service is also provided.

14 Accessing Government Resources

• The U.S. Department of Commerce (www.doc.gov) provides systematic, convenient links to services and organizations related to the Commerce Department.

For more information on developing effective web sites, please email us with the subject Client Web Site Development.