We're not going to argue benefits of the various categories here, because the only one that really interests us is in this book the last one. We're involved in applications, and in particular applications that handle customer orders. So if we're going out publicly onto the Web, we really want to do so in a way that gives the best return on the not-inconsiderable investment it involves.
During the last year or so it has become obvious that the Web provides a way to sell products, and that the public at large (or at least a proportion of them) will buy using the Internet—look at the huge number of sales being notched up by Dell Computers, for example. Well, why not implement the same capabilities for our fictional car company?
Besides, once we've tempted a prospective customer into our site, we are wasting opportunities if we don’t try our hardest to part them from their money on the spot. After all, this is just what our carefully-trained salespersons try to do in the showroom! So, in this chapter, we'll look at how we can persuade our visitors to order their new car from our Web site directly.