Building a knowledge-enabled electronic commerce environment

Companies with electronic commerce (EC) operations have the advantage in capturing more detailed information about their customers; hence they can obtain insightful knowledge about marketplaces. We have developed a framework that enables companies building an electronic commerce site to take advantage of knowledge management practices to enhance existing electronic commerce capabilities. With more in-depth knowledge about customers, companies with a Web presence can offer customized products and services to individual customers rather than to large market segments. This framework may be used to assist the planning and design of a knowledge-enabled electronic commerce environment. A detailed data model that captures information and knowledge about products, customers, and sales is discussed. This model serves as a foundation for building a technical architecture of a knowledge-enabled EC system.