Realizing the eCommerne Dream
The on-line marketing (eCommerne) is getting technically easier every day. The technical boundaries are daily removed and it is becoming easier to realize your web shop. But all the same other conceptual challenges arise. In today’s global-, mobile-, cloud-reality you must apply the appropriate approach.
What is the appropriate approach? The eCommerce is divided into different areas or scopes. Each should be planned and managed with a discipline that will ensure its optimal application. I prepared here a list of five important disciplines for you to follow when submerging into the eCommerce. Feel free to share this article with your colleagues.
First Discipline – Consumer Behavior on the Internet
eCommerce is all about getting the customer to take out his wallet, put out his credit card and enter the credit card number. The web shop should provide highly contextual and personalized brand experiences that engage and delight customers along every step of their journey in the website. Once you understand how your potential customers behave on the internet it will be easier for you to plan an effective eCommerce experience.
It regards, for example, all screen elements; which products you upfront, which texts are promoting the products, which labels or description are presented on buttons, how looks the design and how is the flow of the internet website. The different Web tools for eCommerce that are available today allow you to deploy your marketing strategy through the web shop. But you must have a marketing strategy first.
Microsoft Dynamics offers its Dynamics eShop – a tool that allows no customer of the organization to browse the catalog and create an account, place orders and pay online. And all with consideration of optimal customer experience; defined process for optimal experience with user friendly screens. See what the next resource hat to offer:
Second Discipline – Legal Disclaimer
eCommerce is all about trust – you must create trust with the user and get them to hand over to you private data. eBay for example manages a rating system that teaches users how trustworthy merchants are. This is why you must first understand under which legal limits you are conducting your online business. If you are active in different lands – make sure you are answering their laws and regulations. Get a certificate or a quality seal that proves you are an honest web shop. Develop a credible privacy policy, FAQ pages and term of use which will answer the shoppers questions that arise during the purchasing process.
Third Discipline – Supply Chain Management/Business model
The supply chain management ensures in the organization the correct flow of inputs and outputs between the different business elements. The web shop is a new entity that requires certain inputs and generates certain outputs. And your business model should support the new eCommerce processes that are being built with the web shop.
Books were written about this subject – how to develop your supply chain management while maintaining a web shop. This article is too short to include the tiniest fragment. This is why I will present you with some questions hoping that they will give you a direction or an idea:
- Do your different distribution channels support the processes of the web shop?
- Do the technologies in the organization support the new eCommerce processes?
- Do the different technologies can communicate with the in line shop?
- Which products you would like to market with the web shop?
- How would the products be delivered?
- Do the products need to be redesigned (a book into an eBook, seminar into a webinar)?
- Which price policy would you like to apply to web shop?
- Are you planning to deliver free products in order to generate sales for other products?
- Which payments methods will you offer your customers? This again relates directly to the issue of trust
Communication between the different elements must face a new reality – there is a new actor in the organization (the webshop) and it needs its inputs and generates its outputs.
Fourth Discipline – Data Security
Online shops are constant targets for hackings and attacks. The attacks focus on two aspects of the web shop – the website itself and the data that it manages. Any attack of these kinds will be fatal. On one hand your trust is being damaged and customers will prevent from doing business with you. The other danger is damages that can follow law suits and compensations that could lead to a complete crash of your business.
This is why a security concept is required. Security concept encompasses all IT elements that are involved. One aspect is the reviewing and closing security holes. There are many companies that offer these kind of services for on line web shops – security structure and measures.
Fifth Discipline – Internet Marketing
Traditional Marketing as we know it is becoming irrelevant as long as the internet is gaining momentum. Terms like SEO (search engine optimization), pay per click and social media marketing are the reality today. For eCommerce you do not need a good sales man in the store. The store is hosted in the cloud. You do need a terrific marketer on the internet. It means that marketing concept needs to change and be adapted to the new reality.
Marketing on the internet is building a customer portfolio that gathers information at every stage of the customer journey. In the practice the eCommerce solution should offer tools that support the marketing and gathers critical analytical data in real time to drive optimal business decisions.
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