E-Commerce
Introduction
Small Printers
An e-commerce solution for a enterprise is the incorporation of all aspects of the enterprise operation into an electronic format. Many well-established businesses have been selling on-line for years. For example, Dell Computers Corp., has been selling computers directly to end-users for years. Currently, Dell is selling excessive of 1 million dollars worth of computers everyday on the World Wide Web (Www).
When a enterprise has incorporated an e-commerce solution, the enterprise will taste a lower operation cost while at the same time addition its profit. The e-commerce solution will allow businesses to eliminate unnecessary paperwork. All paperwork and data can be transformed into an electronic format. Thus, it will eliminate vital shelf space and data can searched and accessed in matter of seconds. E-commerce will also automates the sales process. Customers can "point & click" on the products they wish to purchase, fill out the customer information, and the product will be shipped and received in a matter of few days. The management group does not have to fill out any paperwork because the customer had done it already. Thus, the efficiency will be greatly improved. With an e-commerce solution, the enterprise will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. citizen from anywhere in the world with an Internet entrance will be able to visit the site at any time. They will not be restricted to the "normal" enterprise operating hours. A "brick + mortar" enterprise is ordinarily slight to serving the customers in its local geographical location. With an e-commerce solution, that enterprise will not be slight a geographical restriction, rather it opens itself to the global on-line market. Essentially, the business' market exposure will be greatly increased.
In conducting my study, I have researched extensively on the Internet for resources. I chose the Internet as my original study medium because e-commerce is still a fairly new technology. Since it is technology related, the Internet will supply the most up-to-date data available. Printed publications will not be able to adapt to changes as fast and efficient as electronic publications. I researched many e-commerce linked web sites along with some fellowships that show the way statistical studies. Some of the e-commerce web sites that I looked into are E-Commerce Times, eRetail, and eMarketer. The statistical study firms that I researched are Forrester study and Jupiter Communication. Both firms in case,granted vital statistical data that shows the rise of consumers shopping on-line and the expected dollar estimate that will be spent in the arrival years.
Methods
In conducting my study, I completed the following tasks:
- I searched extensively on the Internet for sites that are e-commerce related. Upon visiting the sites, I evaluated each sites for the contents, thoroughness, and objectiveness. There are indubitably hundreds of sites that are devoted to e-commerce. However, after my rigorous test of most of them, I narrowed down to four sites that I will study for this report.
- I have also researched many firms that conducts statistical researches. The two firms that I will be utilizing for this report are Forrester study and Jupiter Communication. Both firms are known for their preciseness, non-objectiveness, and thoroughness. The statistical data I collected from these two firms will retain my suggestion that every enterprise should have an e-commerce solution implemented.
Results
From my research, I have developed twenty reasons why every enterprise should consolidate an e-commerce solution into the enterprise operation. They are listed below.
1. To organize A Presence
There are almost 70 million citizen worldwide that have entrance to the World Wide Web (Www). No matter what manufactures or enterprise one is in, one can not ignore 70 million people. To be part of that on-line community, one would need to be on the Www for them. Because if one doe not do it, one's competitor definitely will.
2. To Network
A lot of what passes for enterprise is simply nothing more than development connections with other people. Every smart businessperson knows, it is not what one knows, it is whom one knows. Passing out one's enterprise card is part of every good meeting and every businessperson can tell more than one story how a chance meeting turned into the big deal. Well, what if one could pass out the enterprise card to thousands, maybe millions of potential clients and partners, saying this is what I do and if you are ever in need of my services, this is how you can reach me. One can, 24 hours a day, inexpensively and simply, on the Www.
3. To Make enterprise facts Available
What is basic enterprise information? Think of a Yellow Pages ad. What are one's enterprise hours? What does one do? How can man taste the business? What recipe of cost does one take? Where is the enterprise located at? Now think of a Yellow Pages ad where one can have instant communication. What is today's special? Today's interest rate? Next week's parking lot sale information? If one could keep one's customer informed of every conjecture why they should do enterprise with them, doesn't one think one could do more business? One can on the Www.
4. To Serve The Customers
Making enterprise facts ready is one of the most leading ways to serve the customers. But if one looks at serving the customer, one will find even more ways to use Www technology. How about development forms ready to pre-qualify for loans, or have one's staff do a search for that first-rate jazz report one's customer is looking for, without tying up one's staff on the phone to take down the information? Allow the customer to punch in sizes and check it against a database that tells him what color of jacket is ready in one's store? All this can be done, simply and quickly, on the Www.
5. To improve public Interest
One won't get Newsweek magazine to write up about one's local store opening, but one might get them to write up one's Web Page address if it is something new and interesting. Even if Newsweek would write about one's local store opening, one would not benefit from man in a distant city reading about it, unless of course, they were arrival to one's town sometime soon. With Web page information, any person anywhere who can entrance the internet and hears about one's site is a potential visitor to one's Web site and a potential customer for one's facts there.
6. To issue Time Sensitive Material
What if one's materials need to be released no earlier than midnight? The regular earnings statement, the grand prize winner, the press kit for the much expected film, the merger news? Well, one sent out the materials to the press with "The-do-not-release-before-such-and-such-time" statement and hope for the best. Now the facts can be made ready at midnight or any time one specifies, with all linked materials such as photographs, bios, etc. Released at exactly the same time. fantasize the expectation of "All materials will be made ready on our Web site at 12:01 Am". The scoop goes to those that wait for the facts to be posted, not the one who releases one's facts early.
7. To Sell Things
Many citizen think that this is the estimate one thing to do with the World Wide Web. However, I have made it estimate seven to make it clear that I think one should think selling things on the Internet and the World Wide Web after one has done all the things above. Why? Well, the rejoinder is complicated but the best way to put it is, does one think the telephone the best place to sell things? Probably not. One probably considers the telephone as a tool that allows one to delineate with one's customer, which in turn helps one sell things. Well, that's how I think one should think the Www. The technology is different, but before citizen decide to come to be customers, they want to know about one, what one does and what one can do for them. Which one can do indubitably and inexpensively on the Www. Then one might be able to turn them into customers.
8. To make picture, sound and video available
What if one's widget is great, but citizen would indubitably love it if they could see it in action? The album is great but with no airplay, nobody knows that it sounds great? A picture is worth a thousand words, but one does not have the space for a thousand words? The Www allows one to add sound, pictures and short movie files to one's company's info if that will serve one's potential customers. No brochure will do that.
9. To Reach a very Desirable Demographic Market
The demographic of the Www user is probably the highest mass-market demographic available. ordinarily they are college-educated or being college educated, development a high wages or soon to make a high salary. It is no wonder that Wired magazine, the magazine of selection to the Internet community, has no qoute getting Lexus and other high-end marketer's advertising. Even with the addition of the market on-line community, the demographic will remain high for many years to come.
10. To rejoinder often Asked Questions
Whoever answers the telephones in one's society can tell one that their time is ordinarily spent answering the same questions over and over again. These are the questions customers and potential customers want to know the rejoinder to before they deal with one. Post them on a Www page and one will have removed someone else wall to doing enterprise with one and freed up some time for that harried phone operator.
11. To Stay in taste with Salespeople
One's employees on the road may need up-to-the-minute facts that will help them make the sale or pull together the deal. If one knows what that facts is, one can keep it posted in faultless privacy on the Www. A quick local phone call can keep one's staff supplied with the most detailed information, without long length phone bills and tying up the staff at the home office.
12. To Open International Market
One may not be able to make sense of the mail, phone and regulation systems in
all the potential international markets, but with a e-commerce solution, one can open up a dialogue with international markets as indubitably as with the enterprise across the street. As a matter-of-fact, before one goes onto the Web, one should decide how one wants to handle the international enterprise that will come one's way, because one's postings are obvious to bring international opportunities to one's way, either it is part of one's plan or not. someone else added benefit; if one's enterprise has offices overseas, they can entrance the home offices facts for the price of a local phone call.
13. To originate a 24 Hour Service
If one has ever remembered too late or too early to call the opposite coast, one knows the hassle. Not all businesses are on the same schedule. enterprise is worldwide but one's office hours aren't. Trying to reach Asia or Europe is even more frustrating. However, Web pages serve the client, customer and partner 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No overtime either. It can customize facts to match needs and secure leading facts that will put one ahead of the competition, even before they get into the office.
14. To Make Changing facts ready Quickly
Sometimes, facts changes before it gets off the press. Now one has a pile of expensive, worthless paper. Electronic publishing changes with one's needs. No paper, no ink, no printer's bill. One can even attach one's web page to a database which customizes the page's yield to a database one can change as many times in a day as one needs. No printed piece can match that flexibility.
15. To Allow Feedback From Customers
One passes out the brochure, the catalog, the booklet. But it doesn't work. No sales, no calls, no leads. What went wrong? Wrong color, wrong price, wrong market? Keep testing, the marketing books say, and one will finally find out what went wrong. That's great for the big boys with deep pockets, but who is paying the bills? One is and one doesn't have the time nor the money to wait for the answer. With a Web page, one can ask for feedback and get it instantaneously with no extra cost. An instant e-mail response can be built into Web pages and can get the rejoinder while its fresh in one's customers mind, without the cost and lack of response of enterprise reply mail.
16. To Test market New Services and Products
Tied into the conjecture above, we all know the cost of rolling out a new product. Advertising, advertising, advertising, press issue and advertising. Expensive, expensive, expensive. Once one has been on the Web and know what to expect from those who are looking one's page, they are the least expensive market for one to reach. They will also let one knows what they think of one's product faster, easier and much less expensively than any other market one may reach. For the cost of a page or two of Web programming, one can have a crystal ball into where to position one's product or aid in the marketplace.
17. To Reach The Media
Every kind of enterprise needs the exposure that the media can bring, as I touched on in conjecture #5 "To improve public Interest", but what if one's enterprise is reaching the media, as a newswire, a publicist or a public procedure group. The media is the most wired profession today, since their main product is facts and they can get it more quickly, cheaply and indubitably on-line. On-line press kits are becoming more and more common, since they work with the digital environment of more and more pressrooms. Digital images can be put in place without the stripping and shooting of the old pressrooms and digital text can be edited and outputted on tight deadlines. All these can be made ready on an e-commerce solution.
18. To Reach The instruction and Youth Market
If one's market is education, think that most universities already offer Internet accesses to their students and most K-12's will be on the Internet within the next few years. Books, athletic shoes, study courses, youth fashion and whatever else that would want to reach these overlapping markets needs to be on the Www. Even with the arrival of the market on-line services and their somewhat older populations there will be nothing but increase in the percentage of the under 25 market that will be on-line.
19. To Reach The Specialized Market
Sell fish tanks, art reproductions, flying lessons? One may think that the Internet is not a good place to be. Well, think again. The Internet isn't just for computer science students anymore. With the 70 million and growing users of the Www, even the most narrowly defined interest group will be represented in large numbers. Since the Web has any very good search programs, one's interest group will be able to find one's company, or one's competitors.
20. To Serve One's Local Market
I've talked about the power to serve the world with a e-commerce solution. How about one's neighborhood? If one is located in San Francisco Bay Area, the Raleigh Nc area, Boston or New York, there is probably sufficient local customers with Internet entrance to make it worth one's while to think Web marketing. A local Palo Alto, Ca bistro even takes lunch orders through the Internet! But no matter where one is, if the big client has Internet access, one should be there too.
Conclusion
After detailed analyzing and studying of the effects and benefits of incorporating an e-commerce solution to an existing business, it is clear that an e-commerce solution will benefit the enterprise in every aspect.
The implementation of an e-commerce solution will originate a brand new earnings stream, develop the market exposure, and decrease the operation cost. Many Fortune 500 companies, such as Dell Computer Corp., have already adapted e-commerce into their enterprise operation. As I have mentioned earlier, Dell Computer Corp. Is currently generating over 1 million dollars in revenues from their web-site. Many customary "brick & mortar" businesses are beginning to organize their proximity on the web. For example, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, the top book retailer in North America, has just launched their web-site earlier this year following the success of Amazon.com. Amazon.com, the top book & music wholesaler on the web, has been referred to have one of the most efficient enterprise operation in the world today.
Recommendation
Based on the closing of this study, I recommend the following:
- Every enterprise should implement an e-commerce solution into the enterprise operation.
Works Cited
"E-Commerce Times: everything You Wanted to Know About Doing enterprise Online." E-Commerce Times. 1999. (9 August 1999).
"E-Marketer, Where enterprise Begins On-line." E-Marketer. 1999. (9 August 1999).
"E-Retail, News and facts for Internet Retailers." E-Retail. 1999. (9 August 1999).
"The Electronic manufactures Guide." Internet.com's Electronic manufactures Guide. 1999. . (9 August 1999).
"Forrester Research: Helping Businesses Thrive on Technology Change." Forrester Research. 1999. (9 August 1999).
"Jupiter Communication: market study on the consumer Online Industry." Jupiter Communication. 1999. (9 August 1999).
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