Industry Price Tracking and Comparison System
Senior Project: 1999-2000
Simon Chhour, Bartholomew Lorang, Katzou Ly and Scott New
The rise of the Internet has revolutionized how many people buy and sell items.
Sites such as
www.computershopper.com
and www.bestprice.com
allow for comparison shopping and research. Other sites, such as
www.ebay.com
create virtual auction houses that allow people to buy and sell virtually any
item imaginable. Still others, such as
www.amazon.com and
www.buy.com
are giant online retailers aiming to compete against the Wal-Marts and K-Marts
of the world.
However, these online stores are almost exclusively targeted at consumers. Lost
in the frenzy are the extremely large corporations that spend billions a year
on materials to keep their operations running. Typically, the money is not
spent on books or collector items, but on materials essential to the core of
the business, such as replacement parts or heavy-duty equipment.
The problem arises in the actual purchase of these items. It is often very
difficult to determine the current market value for a particular part. This, of
course, can be a disadvantage to industrial consumers during negotiation of the
purchase of these parts.
The solution was to create a database driven website that acts as a venue for
suppliers and corporations to share information regarding purchases. It allows
for the collection and consolidation of purchasing data from many different
corporations and suppliers, exposing the information to the consumer. The
system includes a browsing and viewing application to view the latest prices
and history, as well as an application that includes registration functions and
automated upload of purchasing data. This exposure should drive prices down and
create a fairer marketplace for all involved.
The project was developed using a combination of HTML/ASP and Visual Basic. The
client interface can be used from most current web browsers.
  |
