UK-based student web site Sell Student Stuff.com has extended its reach and is now selling and renting E-books, thanks to Value Chain International Limited’s (VCIL) Digital Drop Ship^TM solution.

Students can rent, any of the 20,000 E-books academic publisher Taylor and Francis has available online or buy them as downloads through Sell Student Stuff.com.

Value Chain developed its Digital Drop Ship^TM (DDS) solution in 2007 after recognising the need for publishers to be able to react quickly to new channels and demand, whilst maintain control of the new digital assets. It also recognized the need to enable the existing and new channels to be able to sell digital content in a fully integrated offer.

VCIL vice-president publishing, Martyn Daniels, says DDS enables Taylor and Francis to achieve new channels for no cost and enables vendors such as Sell Student Stuff.com to seamlessly integrate DDS into their site alongside their existing customer offer..

“DDS enables a publisher to retain and fully manage their digital files, their distribution on demand and have-real time access to all sales activity. The model can be deployed to cover many different business models and fully supports sales through indirect channels, libraries, direct sales, digital downloads, online access, outright purchase, subscriptions and rental models,”

Daniels says, “Importantly it enables anyone to sell secure digital content without it ever leaving the publisher’s back door until it’s paid for! The retailer needs no special technical skills enabling them to focus on the customer, service and transaction”

Taylor and Francis Group Sales Director, Christoph Chesher says, “The combination of flexibility, control and security made DDS an obvious choice to deliver its E-books on Sell Student Stuff.com”.

“Digital Drop Ship^TM has enabled us to move swiftly into new partnerships and makes sense as it minimises risk and maximizes efficiency because it does not require the distribution of our files to partners for them to store and serve whilst still  maximising the amount of people who we can do business with. Importantly it enables digital, audio and physical content to be brought on the same site, in the same basket,” he says.

Founder and Chief Executive of Sell Student Stuff.com, Mark Fraser says, “DDS recognises that some students may prefer to rent digital books enabling Sell Student Stuff.com to offer them even more money saving options”.

“We are fast becoming the social hub for students, catering for all their needs, digital text books was an obvious route. Digital Drop Ship has enabled us to now offer digital books for online rental as well as download. The response has been very positive and we now want to expand our offer to other publishers but retain the same student interface and control.”

END

Notes to editor:

Value Chain International Limited (VCIL - wholly owned subsidiary of Azurn International) is a global provider of content management solutions, specifically to the publishing industry.

-       VCIL conceptualises, designs and implements solutions that address the emerging imperatives of players in a rapidly changing digital publishing industry.

-       The VCIL global delivery model means customers benefit from deep industry and market specialisation in publishing, world-class processes and speed of execution. Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, VCIL has a direct presence in five markets – Australia, Singapore, India, USA and the UK, and operates world-class development centers in Bangalore, Pune and Coimbatore in India to support the delivery of content management solutions world-wide.

Sell Student Stuff.com is the first commercial web site offering UK students used, new and digital academic books, used and new laptops and student accommodation, all under one roof.

-       Business backed by a £250k investment

-       Mark Fraser is 30 years old, based in Stockport, Cheshire

-       Over 25,000 students registered since January 2007. Over 100 new members registered every day in June 2008.

Taylor & Francis Group

-       Building on two centuries' experience, Taylor & Francis has grown rapidly over the last two decades to become a leading international academic publisher. With offices in London, Brighton, Basingstoke and Abingdon in the UK, New York, Boca Raton and Philadelphia in the USA and Singapore and Melbourne in the Pacific Rim, the Taylor & Francis Group publishes more than 1,400 journals and around 2,000 new books each year, with a books backlist in excess of 34,000 specialist titles.

-       Their customers are researchers, students, academics and, increasingly, professionals.

-       Taylor & Francis Group is an Informa business (www.informa.com). Informa plc is the global information provider for the academic, professional and commercial markets.

Media Contacts

Martyn Daniels (VCIL)

+44 (0)207 5154122

+44(0)718 757578

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