Consumers + Money + Internet = The Opportuinity to Buy Online

eBusiness Opportunities & Challenges

A Consumers Perspective.

We, the consumer, have access to a  national or global supermarket for shopping,banking and managing nearly every aspect of the, day to day running of our lives. I'll talk about a few issues, in this blog. 

Opportunities 

Staying in is the new going out!

There might be days, when we might not want to leave the house or it's just not an option.The consumer, with the right tools can shop anytime day or night , at any location.For example,the queue's and push n' shove of seasonal shopping is not for everyone.The organised on line shopper has the advantage of  having their Christmas paraphernalia and presents delivered to the door .

I got mine for Half Price On Line :)

Indirectly, there are many reasons why the consumer might be able to buy a product at cheaper cost on line, least of all that the seller is saving on operational costs allowing them to pass on a discount to their customer.The consumer has the luxury of instant price comparison, no trailing around the shop's to find the best bargain.In some cases there is also the option of bypassing the retailer or broker, prices can often be cheaper coming directly from the manufacturer.


Shopping for Fun
If shopping is your sport, sites such as eBay can be your arena.Then there is couponing,this link explains on line couponing .http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/using-coupon-codes-to-save-money.html

Temptation

It can be difficult to shop without falling into the trap of impulse buying. Its all part of the psychology.If this is your downfall, on line shopping can keep the focus on the product you actually do want to purchase. Certainly, on line stores will still use tactics, but the consumer might not succumb so easily when they don't encounter a salesperson.  

Challenges

Can't Touch This!
A tangible product is a physical item, meaning we can touch, smell, hear or taste it. The consumer can't physically see or feel the product they are planning to purchase. There is no guarantee that clothes are going to fit or perishables will be fresh as you like them to be.

Lost in Transportation
What happens if the product you have excitedly waited for turns up in a less than perfect state, or not at all?Depending on the shipping terms and conditions, the consumer may be taking on the risk and hassle of convincing the seller that the goods are unsatisfactory. Consumers can often end up paying shipping costs for returns, this can be costly and time consuming.

Gone Phishing  
Designed to look like the web page of a major bank, these phishing sites send out millions of emails to random addresses.They ask the recipient to log into the banks site using by typing in log in codes and passwords.Voila, the victims might very quickly discover an empty bank account.

A Sense of Community
When the consumer decides to shop or use a business service on line,they might be forsaking their local retailers/services. The consumer faces an ethical challenge,supporting the local community or taking advantage of cheaper on line products/services.

The Death of the Record Shop

Cause of Death.....iTunes

Recession has created a change in consumer behavior, most of us are more cautious about

how we spend? eBusiness is our Toolkit 

Amazon on Cyber Monday 

1. cyber monday

   Web definitions

   1. Cyber Monday is a marketing term for the Monday after Black Friday, the Friday following Thanksgiving in the United States, the term "Cyber Monday" was created by marketing companies to persuade people to shop online. The term made its debut on November 28, 2005 in a Shop. ...
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyber_monday

There's no Business like eBusiness

A short assessment of the opportunities and challenges afforded by e business from a business perspective.

Although, the type of business has to be factored in, this is such a broad market segment that we can only discuss the main relevant issues in business.

Opportunities

Open All Hours 

Anytime, anyplace, anywhere....this old mantra could not be anymore appropriate for any company that decides to go online as a business. MCommerce allows access to your product from any wireless device, mobile phones being the obvious choice. 

Office Space

The cost of rent, utilities and general operational costs for an office or shop premises can put a huge strain on a business budget. The costs of keeping the the  costs of expanding to other premises can really damage the business cashflow. 

 Web Content & Style 

An online business can look exactly how you dream it to be. There is no limit to the amount of colour, design or content on your website. Anyone, operating on a small budget can build a site with the right tools and know how. See www.wordpress.com for idea's.

Blogging can be used as a research tool for gathering data and customer feedback. Google Analytics gives vital information regarding traffic, how many customers are visiting and buying from your site.     

Staying Fresh 

In reality, it is hard to understand why any company would not consider ebusiness as a relevant tool. The Internet is not going to become a thing of the past anytime soon.Making your business accessible, user friendly and relevant to a whole new or existing customer base  makes good business sense. 

Challenges 

Customer Loyalty 

Due to the lack of physical interaction, customer loyalty might come into question. Creating a  long term business to customer relationship  can be tricky.The buying experience loses some of that personal touch that encourages repeat trade.
This blog from brandchannel.com discusses customer communication.  http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/UK-Study-Social-Media.aspx

How long? followed by Disappointment. 

Depending on the product or service being provided (online media being an exception), the customer might question the waiting time compared to simply just going to the local retailer. The customer does not have the luxury of touch,smell or taste that are associated with tangible products such as clothing or perfume.The onus is on the seller to provide a product that exactly matches the online description and the customers imagination.   

Are you not Online? 

Although, I am still of the belief that all businesses ,need to in some way,to appear on search engines. In wrongly thinking that everyone has Internet availability,there is a chance of losing an entire sub group of your market segment (depending on your product or service) . For example, would a retired couple with a passion for golf who live in town near a well known Golf Club, only buy their equipment and golf gear online?  

Has your Customer read the Small Print?

Any business that operates online, holding  information regarding both the consumer and their own company assets, are at risk of hackers, fraud or viruses. A company can warn about this in the terms and conditions of the business.The reality is if customers accounts are hacked, this news in the hands of the media can cause huge adverse attention to the company, not to mention a broken customer relationship and loss of income. 

Every business will face challenges, as long as the benefits outway the disadvantages of putting your business online, it's a safe bet. You will really need to know what you are doing to reap the rewards,mistakes early on could cost you your business.

Diary of a Tech Fast

My Two Day Attempt to Abstain from Using.....

• The Internet- Goal Achieved

• Mobile Phone - Non Starter 

• Email - Goal Achieved

• All 3- Total Fast 

First off,we need to clarify the meaning of 'Fast' . This is an exercise in abstinence, not broadband speeds. In September of this year I removed the Candy Crush application from my phone.It just had to be done, although I've never ever been a fan of gaming, Candy Crush became my nemesis. I haven't got the time for games, but what about everything else that my trusty Galaxy SIII provides, could I survive pressing the off key for a maximum of two days?

The answer is no, on the second day I didn't even get as far as silent let alone a complete shut down . I am blaming my mother entirely.We are living in a world where an 86 year old woman, whom at the age of sixteen would drive a pony and trap some 10 miles to the local village in order to make a phone call, cannot fathom, why there would be any reason in the world that she can't contact her daughter in a matter of seconds. How quickly we forget the past, when technology spoils us with life altering methods of communication.

So, I took the easy option and packed away my laptop, of course I can also email, use Facebook and Twitter on my phone so I simply logged out of Facebook, Twitter and switched my email notification function to 'off' .

My chosen times over this two day task

2pm-9pm 

Not a problem the first day. I'm at college 2-7pm, the next day I made busy, actually physically visiting friends and family.
9pm-3am

Read the paper,watched TV and slept. No difficulty here.

3am-9am 

Sleep and breakfast.Easy peasy, I woke up at 8am without an alarm ( not recommended on a daily basis)

The cliched result is that, yes I had more time to myself ( sleep time not included). My phone was not welded to the palm of my hand. I held eye contact in conversations without the obligatory glance at the phone screen ( which I know is an extremely rude habit).

Press Play ....Hands up who is guilty ????

The biggest benefit for me was not having access to Facebook (FB). I realise now that there have been to many wasted minutes scrolling through endless ads that have been shared and liked by my FB buddies. Since this experiment, I now check FB once a day. I nearly missed sending a happy birthday to an old friend, before FB I would have sent a card.Due to the fact that I'm a part time tweeter ,I didn't expect that not accessing Twitter would cause to much heartache.My father buys the broadsheets every day, so I recycled his (imagine spending an extra €2 a day on the news!). Strangely, I found myself only reading the headlines and image captions. Worryingly, I seem to have forgotten about content, skipping over paragraphs to get to the punchline. 

Email and text is non negotiable, we have communicated by written word for thousands of years.Why would we even want to run our lives or businesses without using technology to communicate?  I am having a hard time trying to make an argument that I have been more efficient during this 'fast'. My communication methods are primarily by email and texts.My phone is used as a multitasking tool, it's my alarm clock, teller of time, encyclopedia, diary, data storage device,camera and communication devise. It's not a question  of a phone having total control of my life, I have made the choice to use technology to my best advantage.

My point is that, yes of course we can function without these technologies in our daily life, many people do. The reality is that technology is not going to stop, new technology makes life exciting . We have created tools to make life more efficient, both in our personal and business worlds. Why not use them?

Get Posting..Blogging as a Business Tool

Blogging as a Strategic Communication Tool

Blogging in Business 

We, the consumers like information and we like it fast. There is no time for time wasting, or long winded jargon; we are a fickle lot who are capable of losing interest swiftly. While personal blogs can range from pleasantly enthusiastic to the downright ridiculous, business blogs are on a different level. The business blog has a strategy; in fact there is a lot of planning involved. 

To start with, blogs won't break the business budget especially for small businesses, great if it’s already included in an existing employee’s job speck. However there is an alternative, not so long ago I was introduced to a person who described themselves as a ‘Professional Blogger’. This title fuelled my curiosity; not surprisingly there is a market for this skill, be it corporate or small business. Needless to say the author must have excellent product knowledge, be an expert in their field .A successful blog needs care and attention to detail. The rewards will be great for any business that knows how to please its target audience.

Check the Nominations List for Inspiration
 http://www.blogawardsireland.com/

Why Use Blogs in Business?

• Search Engine Optimisation SEO,use your blog to boost your search ranking.This link explains it simply enough.http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/blog-seo-modern-marketer-optimize-your-posts-ht 
• The creation of communication, business to customer and vice versa. The Blog is part of your online marketing toolkit, use it to advance how your business is promoted.
• A blog is a quick way to share company information, keeping employees  and customers aware of what's happening within the business.
• Answering questions,using a friendly, personal approach to connect with customers will encourage their valuable feedback.
• Low costs , especially for small business (just had to be mentioned again, so important!)

Keeping it Real

A business blog is definitely not a forum for the latest office gossip or personal opinions.Even if the strategy is about increasing your communication , using shock tactics would not be the most professional way to achieve this.We the consumer do want honesty, we are reading a business blog because we have an interest in the product.When the blog can provide us with testimonials,industry trends and product updates, we feel included in any changes that are being made .Blogs are not just about sales, the marketer would be foolish to presume so.Business blogs are about  consumer information. 

Success Means Creating More Business

A business can blog to its hearts content, but if nobody's bothered enough to read or comment what's the point? For instance, a corporate company blog that really works is BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ . There are blogs about everything in the media industry connected to BBC, all alphabetised,with authors ranging from behind the scenes crew to the news editors. Looking closer to home , a great blog to look at is Blackknight Solutions http://blog.blacknight.com/ .Blacknight are a domain register and hosting company, they post regularly with industry updates and company news. 

To truly understand how blogging has influenced business communication, we'll have to let a blog guru have the last word. Seth Godin and Tom Peters talk blogging way back in 2009.