Web. Consumers want their information presented to them quickly and easily. Office Depot currently is ranked#1 of the Top 100 Electronic Business Innovators by E-Business 100. Neither Staples nor Office Max make this list. In order to strengthen their competitive position in pursuing new business domestically and internationally, Office Depot is expanding their highly successful electronic commerce platform. Office Depot's websites, www.officedepot.com and www.vikingop.com, provide individual customers with many convenient and time-saving capabilities. These websites offer real-time inventory, address and payment authorization, access to previous orders, access to status of orders, flexible delivery and returns, special speed features and cross-selling product suggestions. One feature of the website is the Office Solutions section which currently offers articles on topics which are particularly important to small businesses. These articles provide ideas in areas such as "getting organized" and "tax time". By grasping what the consumer wants, Office Depot enhances its opportunity for growth by offering these special services for small businesses. As small business is such a large, growing part of the business world and as more of these businesses gain international access through the Internet, there is a growing need for these types of services. In the future, Office Depot plans to improve and expand its Internet capabilities to offer assistance to a broader customer base. The range of services and products available through their Internet sites will be expanded greatly in the future. Another possible area for growth on the Internet would be for Office Depot to team up with universities or student prone sites in order to offer special discounts and or promotions. There are many sites specifically targeted at college students. These sites often are linked with all sorts of merchandise which is ideal for the college st...
