METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MARKETING WITHIN A COMPLEX PRODUCT SPACE

摘要

A system for marketing within a complex product space. The system allows a portal merchandiser to support suppliers, dealers, and customers within a speciality dealership network created to distribute complex consumer products. The system comprises a central merchandising portal website (422) deployed on the Internet connected to a plurality of dealership point of sale and inventory systems and a plurality of supplier inventory systems. A customer (442) accessing the site is presented with a virtual inventory database with product availability and pricing established by merchandising rules set by the merchandising portal, the suppliers, and the dealer closest in physical proximity to the customer as determined by the customer's zip code. The customer is given extensive customer support throughout a "Learn Build Buy Support" process by having access to expert systems and live experts through the merchandising portal.