Lesson of 13th May 2008:
Ask yourself:
How might they have competed in a traditional way with supermarkets?
Find two other companies in niche markets that benefit from a web presence and why.
Some lesson notes are shown below but a more detailed breakdown can be obtained from notes taken by students who attended on the date above.
Some benefits of online presence/opportunities for competitiveness & processing efficiency:
Reduced running costs - less sales staff needed, offices can be much smalller as customers will be ordering from thier own homes not travelling to your shop
Orders can be elcronically linked to a stock monitoring system
Business can be operated from countries with more beneficial tax breaks
Cash flow becomes more efficient with instant transactions & no bad debts
No shoplifters!!
Can compete equally alongside larger businesses
Constant visibility
Affiliations
E-marketing
Competitor analysis and monitoring
Less barriers to global markets
Reduced stockholding leading to reduced costs
Opportunities for wider product range
Can connect with new customers & suppliers that are not local
Easy to understand and monitor new trends
Customer benefits/service support:
Can browse from a worldwide selection of stores so their choice is not limited to their local area
Flexibility in times that thye can shop
'Grey imports' - can buy goods from another country that are a lot cheaper due to favourable exchange rates - I bought some boots on ebay from america that were a lot cheaper than their UK retail price.
Easy to access and always current FAQ's (frequently asked questions) and user guides, manuals and software.
Have to be careful that the web site is reputable
Now - have a good look around the website for Amazon and take notes about some of the things that it offers for customers. wish lists
recent orders
'marketplace'
amazon advantage
help pages
payment options
delivery options
options to change or cancel your order
order tracking - you can see when it's been dispatched
Amazon mastercard to guarantee that every time you make a purchase that they're on your mind!!
the list goes on.....
Take a look at the following sites, have a play and draw your own conclusions about how the internet has enabled the businesses to offer the consumer new ways to shop: