IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced this week a new e-commerce initiative that combines software and consulting services, and makes use of lat year's analtyics buying spree when it bought Sterling Commerce, Unica and Coremetrics.

As IBM sees it, this is a potentially $70 billion market as more companies look to understand their customers better in order to provide a more customized buying experience. In addition, IBM is offering cloud analytics to let customers monitor their brands across social media channels and see how people are responding to new campaigns.

The package IBM is putting together also includes  an educational component to help customers understand how to use these tools effectively.

Craig Hayman, general manager of IBM Industry Solutions explains that IBM is creating these tools to help customers deal with the shifting marketplace in which consumers play a much greater role than in the past. "It's a buyer's world, now. Businesses require a tighter and highly responsive network of suppliers and partners to ensure they deliver the right product or service at the right price, time and place. The key to business success in this unfolding environment is predicting trends and automating market responses in advance to eliminate the gaps between buy and sell, supply and demand."  

And IBM is betting that with these analytics companies, they can provide their customers with the data they need to compete in this new marketplace. As with Adobe and its purchase of Ominture, it sees market needs shifting, and they are hoping this product set will provide a comprehensive analytics play for web content management customers.

For more information:
-see the IBM press release

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