Delivering information to customers online presents a number of technological obstacles. Frames, as well as other parts of web site design, can be perplexing. Slow computers and outdated browsers can turn off potential clients, and there’s also the issue of how to get people to visit the site. These are issues for which new solutions are being developed all the time. Some businesses use traditional advertising to supplement the information they provide online, while others use it simply to promote their websites.
Positioning on Internet search engines like Yahoo!, Excite, Lycos, and AltaVista is an obvious essential to online sales success. These services serve as the electronic marketplace’s gatekeepers. A consultant can assist in positioning a company prominently in search results. Search engines rank websites depending on characteristics including hit count and how keywords are employed in the title, content, and coding. However, listings are frequently counterintuitive. Popular websites like Walmart.com and Amazon.com do not usually rank high in subject listings for their respective market groups.
Email communication channel
Another approach to communicate with prospects online is through e-mail. Companies that send monthly e-mails to prospects include the Los Angeles Times and the Harvard Business Review. They strategically place bits of news and information, as well as a commercial pitch, in the message. Both of these organisations also understand how important it is to provide customers the option of opting out of future e-mailings if they so wish. E-mail is an extremely cost-effective method of communication. Sending an e-mail message to 1200 prospects costs around $9, whereas sending a direct mailing or fax to the same audience costs over $1600.
Customers who shop online require security. Is it safe to conduct business via the internet? Despite acknowledged improvements in the online handling of credit card information, widespread security worries remain among customers. According to a recent survey, 65 percent of Americans believe that participating in e-commerce is risky. According to another survey, only 5% of Internet users would submit credit card information over open lines.
To reassure clients that their personal information is safe, e-businesses employ a range of security procedures and frequently publish general summaries of these measures on their websites. Customers will not be held accountable for any fraudulent behaviour coming from online purchases, according to progressive businesses. Their websites frequently include broad discussions of encryption technologies and other security measures in place to secure credit card information.
Data encryption
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a technology that encrypts financial data before it is sent over the Internet. Customers may also be given the option of paying by check or inputting their credit card information over the phone. Public key infrastructure, or PKI, technology is another modern method of securing internet data. This cryptographic system is similar to a bank night safe, in which multiple keys are granted to enable deposits, but only the bank has access to these deposits via a private key. For Internet transactions, public keys that are openly available lock communications that can only be unlocked by the recipient’s private key. The Secure Electronic Transaction, or SET, protocol is a third method of Internet security. This technology encrypts payment transaction data and checks the authenticity of both parties involved in an e-transaction.
Despite these safeguards, security issues exist. The Wall Street Journal, for example, has revealed that newer, faster computers can open files encrypted with popular techniques of encryption. However, savvy organisations who promise consumers of security and have mechanisms in place to reduce their own losses from fraudulent transactions have a considerable competitive advantage.
E-customers require assistance.
The Internet opens up new avenues for building stronger client interactions. In essential aspects, such techniques mimic face-to-face encounters. E-mail and messaging are two methods of communicating with customers that might help you better understand their needs. Customers’ ability to submit feedback to a company via the Internet can assist establish two-way connections and increase customer trust. It’s also crucial to consider return policies.
Many companies will give you a full refund if you return the item in its original condition. Customers will be more likely to conduct online purchases if they are assured of their satisfaction. However, the level of consumer loyalty over the Internet has yet to be determined.
Customers that shop online require privacy. Finally, buyers require assurance that internet businesses will not share personal data with third parties. Firms must refrain from selling or exchanging consumer names and demographic data if the Internet is to remain mostly self-policing. When such practises are revealed, customers will swiftly depart businesses.
Bringing E-Commerce to Life
Firms that wish to get into e-commerce will have to invest a lot of time and money. The creation of a website is one of the first steps. This will necessitate individuals with technical expertise to programme the site, as well as those who can make the site appealing to potential clients and manage the orders and information generated by the site.
Existing employees will require varied levels of training in order to effectively use e-commerce. Employees may be resistant to changes in the company’s strategy and culture that they perceive to be significant. Some employees may need to know how to use the Internet to communicate, receive, and seek information. They must also be able to provide guidance and assurance to customers who are new to online transactions. It will be necessary to create and deploy new marketing and competition analysis methods.
