Marketing Strategy and EcommerceMarketing Strategy and EcommerceIntroductionWith the rapidly advancing technologies that are occurring in modern business, organisations are required to be ready, and able to adapt within their ever-changing environment. It is true across all diverse industries that in order to stay competitive, organisations must be able to utilise the various tools that technology has to offer. Technological factors have been of growing importance, particularly in recent years. A major factor involved in these technology issues is the use of the Internet as a major issue to modern organisations. The Internet has been rapidly growing since its inception and is now commonly used in all sectors of societies, in all corners of the globe. The Internet has quickly become one of the most valuable assets in modern technology, and as such, is developing as an integral part of modern commerce. As with past technologies, the Internet will have future technological advances develop from its own growth. The task the organisations of in the new century? Realise future opportunities and threats, and base a strategy accordingly. “Is it clich泄 to say that the Internet changes everything: the challenge now is to say what, how and how quickly”. (When Companies Connect, 1999, p.19) The Internet has lead to the birth and evolution of electronic commerce or E-commerce. E-commerce has now become a key component of many organisations in the daily running of their business. Simply defined, “electronic commerce is a system of online shopping and information retrieval accessed through networks of personal computers”. (Reedy, J. Schullo, S. Zimmerman, K. 2000, pg. 29) E-commerce challenges traditional organisational practices, and opens ups a vast array of issues that the organisations must address. By focusing on the varying levels of an organisation, it soon become apparent the effects that E-commerce can have.
An understanding of the implication E-commerce has on such organisational divisions can help businesses gain understanding hence plan for its inevitable continuing evolution. In terms of marketing, the modern organisation must be critically aware of the development of E-commerce, and the implications that it entails. “Marketers develop their own recipe of promotional tactics to fit the product lines or industries in which they compete. Now electronic communications tools are and will continue to be an important ingredient in the promotional mix” (Reedy, J. Schullo, S. Zimmerman, K. 2000, pg. 29) In assessing the implications of E-commerce in terms of marketing, it is important to understand its impact in respect to marketing strategy formulation. As the Internet, and in turn E-commerce has developed, and continues to evolve and grow, it is vital that any organisation, in any particular industry, must base its strategic planning around such a rapidly growing medium. The growth of the Internet is an environmental influence that must be embraced and understood so to successfully plan for future marketing implementation. In order to successful realise the impact that E-commerce has in terms of marketing, it is important to break the area of interest into some key areas. As most of the issues that arise in terms of E-commerce represent organisations entering the environment, it seems natural to base discussion around this. Therefore, the bulk of the literature review relates existing organisations entering into the E-commerce market environment. In successfully identifying the relationship between E-commerce and strategy, the issues are categorised as follows: 1. Strategic analysis 路 Understanding the environment 2. Identifying the strategic options/SWOT analysis 路 Strategic Advantages/Disadvantages 路 Advertising 路 Electronic cost cutting/publishing/Process 3. Corporate level, Business level, d Marketing level 4.
Retailing in E-commerce 路 Implementation Issues 路 Financial 路 Performance monitoring 5. Conclusion 路 Based on current knowledge state To gain a clearer understanding of the implication of E-Commerce in the formulation of marketing strategy, it is imperative to gain a clear understanding of the environment and its relevant effects. This helps in understanding the rationale in a developing marketing strategy, particularly the influences of E-Commerce on its make-up. The next crucial element is to gain an understanding of E-commerce itself, as well as the current and possible future developments. In understanding E-commerces impact on strategic foundations, an organisations strategies can be more clearly focused. Once the organisation and E-commerces respective environments are clear it is then possible to understand E-commerces implications in regards to fundamental marketing strategies. By focusing on tools such as the competitive strategy framework we can gain a better
Sustainable E-Commerce For those who want to have a more natural and balanced E-commerce experience (e.g. offline or online), this book aims to outline a more sustainable E-commerce ecosystem for the UK. E-Commerce is an essential part of the E-commerce mix. It allows individuals, organisations and organisations to take advantage of the latest technologies and offer higher rates of innovation. Analysing consumer preferences, the potential that new markets and changes in value are able to bring in future profits, a number of technical issues such as price, supply and demand have been addressed in the most efficient manner. A number of the issues related to cost-effectiveness, e.g. price and other factors can be also addressed. In case of cost-effectiveness then e-commerce is already an important platform for the online buying process. One big example is that we can now find value in a large range of items. Since the online buying process is a very complex one, we are only concerned with the short-term of the market, when we are looking to offer better value over longer-term. Also as an industry we need to understand the long-term future implications of E-commerce, e.g. changes in the industry, cost or profitability, the use of digital currencies around the world (as well as other factors). There is even a chapter on the benefits of selling e-channels as well. E-Commerce e-Commerce can bring people together on the one page, as mentioned. It also allows us to analyse the effects of E-Commerce on social networks where advertising is not always transparent. By using a combination of e-commerce data, business development and the current market conditions. In the next chapter we will introduce the various types of e-commerce marketing and will then address the pros and cons of E-Commerce marketing. In the next chapter I will examine the various E-commerce marketing frameworks and technologies, how E-commerce can play a key role and the pros and cons of these marketing frameworks.
Ecommerce and Value Marketing The E-commerce ecosystem is very connected to the web, so we need a central place for the people in each of us to engage with the company, to have an enjoyable experience. This requires a set of skills, techniques and techniques of building relationships. This is where organisations will find the best place to put their minds to the game. In order to gain the experience at this level, we need to have a clear understanding of how the product fits into the existing structure. Hereafter the focus on online is secondary to the marketing. The first step is to find the right brand, brand approach, product and team. This involves recognising the brand, the brand’s appeal and the need to work together. This brings us full circle, e-commerce is an important part of the e-commerce mix. In order to have one of the most attractive online environments, e-commerce is also an opportunity for the people to join a social network. This means that it requires some skills, expertise and a strong understanding of the social environment and how it makes people join. This is especially true if you are a well respected professional, including a rich social network with lots of content and a team of experts around them. In addition, most of us have a job which is to help those who are going through the issues and issues of the day. People like sharing, talking and creating things. This is the only part of the marketing that is important for those who are already employed with the business. In order to build a strong online presence a lot of time has to be spent around the team, in order to make sure that everyone’s team is well organised and efficient. For this reason, we need to focus on the organisation. We might want to find a location which is suitable for these people, like e-commerce-bust services or where you can have an open and friendly environment. In the first two phases i.e