Art.com
Lake Forest, Illinois
Art.com, an Internet-based art gallery and framing service, needed an Internet-based accounting solution that could grow as the company expanded. It wanted to integrate the on line ordering process with its financial and manufacturing operations. To meet its needs, Art.com used its Cisco network foundation to run Dynamics C/S +, a full-service Internet-based accounting solution from Great Plains Software, Inc.
Art.com sells directly to consumers online and manages a large database of customers. It selected the Great Plains product because it, along with order processing system Dynamics.Commerce, could transfer storefront transactions to the company’s in-house business management system, then automatically update customer records, sales orders, inventory, and general ledger transactions. This made it easy for the company to track orders. It also helped Art.com enhance customer service by enabling clients to check order status in real time, 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.
Art.com has also reduced data management costs, which allows it to manage online orders for up to 20 percent less than the cost of retail store transactions. In addition, the solution provides on-the-fly customer data collection, which means orders are keyed in once–when the customer first places the order–virtually eliminating data re-entry errors.
Art.com’s solution operates over Cisco’s Catalyst 2900 series XL switches and Cisco 3600 series router–a strong foundation that will support the company’s upcoming expansion plans. Working with Great Plains and Affinity Technology–the VAR that assisted with solution implementation–Art.com will tie real-time inventory levels to its database to get better control over inventory and shipping cycles.
"We chose Dynamics C/S+ because it provides excellent integration between our Web site and accounting systems," says Art.com VP and CIO Don Fosen. "In addition, it was designed to accommodate our future growth without fundamental changes. The solution provides an excellent platform."