Реферат: From Brick And Mortar To Click And

Sources of Data

The research project depended primarily on secondary data sources. The researchers studied textbooks, on-line journal articles, traditional journal articles, case studies, and abstracts. The researchers also studied a web implementation plan acquired from a professional website developer who specializes in E-commerce development. The only primary data obtained by the researchers consisted of interviews conducted with a web development specialist and with a local company that has recently ventured into the world of E-commerce.

Research Results

The Question is Not Whether or When to Enter E-commerce; It?s How to Enter E-Commerce.

Business people who are pondering whether to venture into E-commerce should focus on the more important question, ?How can I start a effective E-commerce business?? The phenomenal growth in business conducted over the Internet and by other electronic means indicates E-commerce?s great potential. Analyses conducted by numerous researchers verify the growth already experienced, and they also point to a continued explosion of E-business that is not likely to subside. Although they do not provide identical estimates, the following examples all indicate continued E-commerce expansion:

1. ?Between 1995 and 1997, according to a Price Waterhouse study, annual venture capital funding for on-line business went from $134 million to $1.88 billion.? (Siebel and House, 1999, p. 4)

2. A recent (pre-1998) U.S. Department of Commerce study entitled The Emerging Digital Economy estimated 100 million Web users worldwide, and it projects 1 billion web users worldwide for the year 2005. (Siebel and House, 1999, p. 3)

3. A 1999 estimate of web site growth stated, ?New commercial sites are being added to the World Wide Web at the rate of 5,000 a month. That?s one new place of business every nine minutes.? (Siebel and House, 1999, p. 4)

4. Find/SVP, Inc. estimates that the number of regular Web users in the United States jumped from 8.4 million in 1996 to 28 million in 1998. Their projection for Web users in the year 2000 exceeded 200 million. (Siebel and House, 1999, p. 3)

5. The market opportunity for business to business (B2B) e-commerce is immense and already exceeds the business to consumer (B2C) e-market by a considerable margin. Figure 1 illustrates this point. As Figure 2 displays, the Gartner Group, Inc. projects the worldwide market for B2B e-commerce to grow from $403 Billion in 2000 to more than $7 trillion by 2004.? (see Appendix).

6. The E-commerce implementation plan (Appendix) made available by The Javier Romero Design Group (JRDG) provided the estimated E-commerce growth projection information JRDG supplied to one of its clients. Figure 3 below shows estimates for the portion of the worldwide business to business (B2B) E-commerce that will be conducted via e-marketplaces. E*Offering, a subsidiary of E*Trade ?, estimates that e-markets generated about $22 billion in year 2000 revenue on a worldwide basis. According to Forrester Research, the United States B2B E-commerce market should reach $2.7 trillion by 2004, or almost one-quarter of the United States projected Gross Domestic product (GDP) for 2004. For businesses that enter into E-commerce wisely, this signals potential wealth that should be tapped into. (see Appendix).

If the examples above are true indicators, one must conclude that E-commerce is here to stay, and it will continue to grow as more and more consumers and businesses take advantage of E-commerce opportunities. With the increasing number of people who have access to the web, it will become almost a necessity to present your company on the web, and in other E-commerce vehicles, to stay competitive. (Wilson, 1997) We should assume an increasing percentage of our customers and clients would expect us to employ E-commerce as a routine method of doing business. This expectation is fueled by the advances in computer, network and Internet technology combining to enable ?virtuality,? or the ability to conduct business transactions on a global level, in a real time format, without being constrained by physical location. As these advances continue, physical distance becomes irrelevant and completing a transaction is so compressed that, for practical purposes, ?waiting time? is eliminated. (Siebel and House, 1999, p. 8)

E-commerce Benefits

Despite imperatives, there are distinct benefits associated with E-commerce. The following points and examples provide insight into some of the benefits:

1. At a minimum, a website can provide the public with basic business information about our company, such as the hours of operation, contact information and other important details that the consumer needs to know. (net101.com)

2. The Internet provides a way of advertising our products and services, as well as a way of receiving information about what other people can offer our company. (Wilson, 1997)

3. The web provides a vehicle that allows the business to communicate with the customer. Furthermore, it is a way for the customer to provide opinions on possible new products, and for the company to view these opinions without the large expense of surveying through traditional methods. Businesses can also determine the types of products that will be successful by analyzing the type of people who use their website and the products they order.

4. Many companies find that their e-commerce sites actually drive traffic to their stores. At Sears.com, customers can make side-by-side product comparisons before clicking to buy tools or appliances. Many visitors use the site to gather information before heading to the Sears, Roebuck & Co. at their local mall. Because customers walk into the stores knowing what they want, salespeople can sell the drills, refrigerators and washing machines faster. (Stuart, 2000)

5. In other cases, stores drive traffic to websites. That is the idea behind nearly 200 Gateway Country brick-and-mortar stores, which let customers test-drive Gateway computers in the store before ordering them on-line from the San Diego-based company. (Stuart, 2000)

6. Reduced Asset Intensity. Asset intensity refers to the amount of assets you hold, including inventory. Consequently, it directly relates to how many dollars you have to have in place to run a business. If you can reduce both on-hand inventory and plant property by using a website as your storefront, you can reduce the amount of money required to run your business. (Siebel and House, 1999, p. 128)

7. In general, if a company is successfully selling products before venturing into E-commerce, the Internet will only increase sales. The site would merely be an additional channel for selling products. (Stuart, 2000)

The indicators are clear. Those who do not venture into E-commerce will risk being left behind, and they may loose their ability to compete in their established markets. Therefore, it?s not a question of whether or when to enter into E-commerce. Participating in E-commerce appears to be an imperative. The most important question facing those who are not yet participating is how to get started in E-commerce.

Lessons Learned

The Internet has been in existence for a number of years, but significant levels of civilian use have been limited to less than a full decade. Still, these first few years have yielded some valuable lessons for E-commerce newcomers? benefit. Siebel and House (1999) identified 9 lessons worth listing:

1. ?Zapping,? the warp speed version of ?just browsing,? the electronic counterpart of every retailer?s pet peeve, is a Web norm. (Siebel and House, 1999, p. 67) Your Internet site will probably be just like your brick and mortar store. Some customers will come to see what you have to offer, and some will compare your products against your competitors. Many will not purchase your products or services.

2. Choose the most effective method of advertising for your business. Your on-line choices are Search Engines (big directories), Hub Sites (small, focused directories), and Gateway Ads (advertising on other organizations? sites). Limiting yourself to on-line advertising might not yield the best results, so do not rule out conventional advertising. (Siebel and House, 1999, p. 67-83)

3. Be seen at the ?front door? or entry portal for popular sites. This is best accomplished by partnering with winners (e.g., AOL). (Siebel and House, 1999, p. 74)

4. Give more than ?Brochureware.? Brochureware is a term describing sites that only provide information about your organization, similar to the paper brochures one might pick up at a lobby display. Visitors must ?get something for visiting your site. (e.g., free information, interactive entertainment or ads, recipes, etc.). If your site does little more than provide brochure information, people will not repeat their visit.

5. Your website must be convenient and easy for customers to use. If it is not, they will become frustrated, and they will not return.