Image Star sells over 5,000 printer cartridges and other supply items for printers, es and copiers. Any customers who order from a website expect it to be extremely friendly, extremely fast, and to quickly take them to what they want, at the price they want, and to be delivered when they want.

Image Star asked Andrews’ Custom Software specialists to create such a website from their static corporate site, integrating the new site closely with their JD Edwards system.

Andrews designed the website to interact with the JD Edwards system through the use of JDE application program interfaces, IBM WebSphere, JavaServer Faces and AJAX. When an order is placed, the order is entered immediately into the JD Edwards system, and customers can track their order online and observe its location in the FedEx, UPS, or DHL networks.

Within two months, internet orders were 20% of Image Star’s business.
Tens of thousands of product enquiries were being made, and orders placed, without the involvement of sales representatives, meaning that they were able to double their productivity. The saving in staff costs alone paid for the web ordering system within one year.

Customers are now able to look at all supplies for a given product, sort them by price, and be notified of relevant special offers. Retailers are able to order supplies for their own customers, and have them shipped from Image Star with the retailer’s logo on the shipped items.