Background: In the mid to late 90s, lots of companies had caught the vision of how the internet could transform their business, but were still uncertain about the specifics. APIs and platforms that companies rely on today to facilitate communication and commerce didn’t exist.
Problem: After rolling out their first-generation ecommerce site, Canon wanted to increase direct sales of copier toner through their site.
Solution: Canon had an unfair advantage they weren’t exploiting. High end copiers were net-connected and could transmit data about consumables back to headquarters. We helped Canon design and build a system that monitored toner use and emailed a warning to a designated individual prompting them to purchase toner when it was running low. That email contained a one-click link to make reordering easy. Sales more than doubled after rollout.