The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has launched a guide, From Paper to Procurement – Effective Catalogue Creation and Management for Engaging Buyers and Suppliers, to assist in the creation and management of e-catalogues.
According to ARA IT director Chad Gates, the ARA has worked closely with government and IT groups to produce a step-by-step guide to making informed decisions when assessing an e-catalogue strategy.
The guide explores and outlines a range of standards, methods and case studies that businesses can utilise when making decisions regarding e-enablement projects.
Gates said it was the first time such a guide had been tackled and many businesses were unaware of what standards were in place.
It is the product of a joint government-business initiative, funded through the Information Technology Online (ITOL) grants program and resulted from the federal government's Interoperability Forums held in mid 2002.
Work commenced on the guide in December 2002 and was completed in February 2004, and aims to be of use to any business in Australia that wants to move from paper to a electronic business.
The E-Catalogue Guide content will be integrated into the "E-Business Guide" Web site www.ebusinessguide.gov.au and has also been produced as a hard copy and CD ROM.
