The Role of Internet in Marketing Strategies

The use of the Internet has increased in recent years remarkably. Conducting business in the digital economy means using Web- based systems on the Internet and other electronic networks to do some form of electronic commerce. Many research findings confirm and support being of positive effects of Internet on an enterprise's competitive advantage. In this paper, I will illustrate that enterprises can acquire relational and informational competency through Internet technology, and based on these competencies they can succeed in competitive cyber markets. According to the Internet competencies, Internet marketing strategies can be divided into five categories: Transactional, Profile, Customer-oriented, Relationship, and Knowledge strategies. Choosing and implementing any category of strategies depends on the degree of internet competencies (informational and relational) that a firm has. When both are high, proper internet marketing strategy seems to be knowledge strategies; and when both are low, transactional internet marketing strategies would be the suitable category.Internet marketing strategies; Information technologies; Network computing; Digital economy; Information system.

CULTURAL ISSUES IN WEBSITE DESIGN. A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE ON ELECTRONIC COMMERCE

Commerce and electronic business have gained momentum in recent years. Attracted by the mirage of global markets, most companies enter the virtual environment without taking into account thecultural implications of such a step. The major question that arises at this stage of development of global trade on the Internet is if companies understand the importance of cultural factors in their actions on the global market and if we have tools, theories and models with which to carry out cultural analysis for understanding cultural environments online.electronic commerce, Internet localization, culture, marketing

Tractors on eBay: Differences between Internet and In-Person Auctions

Internet auction platforms are changing the face of transactions in many business sectors, including agriculture. We provide one of the first systematic examinations of the differences between internet and in-person auctions in agricultural input markets. A hedonic model estimated with used tractor transactions from Midwestern sellers pooled between eBay and in-person auctions reveals statistically distinct price surfaces for the two auction venues and predicts significantly lower prices for comparable equipment sold on eBay, though this difference is attenuated for tractors fully covered by eBay's buyer protection program and is fully absent for the most frequently traded tractor. An endogenous venue-selection model reveals that larger, more-valuable tractors are less likely to be offered on eBay, a choice that should enhance seller revenues. Furthermore, sellers in states with more valuable stocks of machinery, more frequent tractor sales, and a lower propensity to use the internet for agricultural marketing are more likely to offer tractors for sale via in-person auctions than on eBay.auctions, electronic commerce, eBay, farm equipment, hedonic models, Marketing, D44, Q13,

Viewpoint: Marketing in the information age - Can we plan for an unpredictable future

Asserts that new technology will completely change the business environment as we know it. Highlights the interrelated changes that are already occurring: mushroom companies; virtual enterprises; electronic markets; blurring industry boundaries; and "fragvergence" of cultural differences. Outlines the implications for marketing management. For instance, suggests that the majority of all marketing activities will have to be international, as target groups are scattered throughout different countries; market research on the Internet will increase in importance; efficient and quick promotion of ideas, business concepts and services is essential; enhanced customer intimacy; and reduction of price flexibility

Internet sales as a new mode of internationalization

The way that organizations explore the Internet has been the focus of a substantial body of scientific studies and non-academic reflection. The main goal of this study is to analyze the potential of the internet as a mode of internationalization and the factors that influence the results of the adoption of this mean to access foreign markets. For this purpose, we examine the determinants of the level of international sales made via internet estimating an ordered probit model. The results show that the importance of previous experience in using the internet and developing international activity, together with the level of internet marketing budget , the level of investment on internet sophistication, the firm dimension, the business age and the type pf activity are variables that determine the results obtain in the international sales trough the internet.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Marketing channels and internet technology used by specialty crop farmers

An online survey was used to collect data on specialty crop farms in 2010 in Louisiana. The objectives included evaluation of familiarity with the Louisiana Food MarketMaker website and the All about Blueberries website, about marketing channels used, and the adoption of electronic and Internet based technologies to assist with marketing of differentiated products. Variables included use and effectiveness of marketing channels, level of use and quality of internet service, use of Internet-based functions and applications, barriers to internet use, frequency of use and usefulness of social media and smart phones, effectiveness of and familiarity with MarketMaker and All about Blueberries websites and specific application. Generally, despite small sample size, farmer characteristics from the Louisiana survey were reasonably consistent with results from the Census of Agriculture 2007. Descriptive analysis and Logit model were used for data analysis. Results from this study can provide useful information about these new (to many farmers) technologies for marketing. Familiarity with MarketMaker was strongly associated with share of total sales from vegetable crops, farmer occupation, Internet speed as a barrier, Internet use in farming and finding markets through MarketMaker in 5 percent significant level. Social media use in farming was statistically significant in explaining familiarity with All about Blueberries website. Internet use and specialty crop acreage also were significant. In addition, large impacts on the odds ratios were found. When speed of internet service was rated as not a barrier, familiarity with MarketMaker was higher. Significant impact of coefficients on odds ratios were found for both websites. Future questionnaires could segment users based on level of activity such as initial and intermediate involvement, improved ability to use the site for partners and for research, to manage risk, and for feedback for further development of the program. Length of the survey questionnaire was a limitation

eEnabled internet distribution for small and medium sized hotels: the case of hospitality SMEs in Athens

Advances in information and communications technologies (ICTs) have strategic implications for a wide range of industries. Tourism and hospitality have dramatically changed by the ICTs and the Internet and gradually emerge as the leading industry on online expenditure. The Internet revolutionised traditional distribution models, enabled new entries propelled both disintermediation and reintermediation and altered the sources of competitive advantage. This paper explores the strategic implications of ICTs and the perceived advantages and disadvantages of Internet distribution for small and medium-sized hospitality enterprises (SMEs). Primary research in Athens hotels demonstrates the effects of the Internet and ICTs for secondary markets, where there is lower penetration and ICT adoption. Interviews and questionnaires identified a number of strategies in order to optimise distribution. The analysis illustrates the strategic role of ICTs and the Internet for hospitality organisations and Small and Medium-sized organisations in general. Most hotels employ a distribution mix that determines the level and employment of the Internet. The paper demonstrates that only organisations that use ICTs strategically will be able to develop their electronic distribution and achieve competitive advantages in the future

Regional tourist destinations - the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in collaboration amongst tourism providers

The tourism industry can be seen as one of the first business sectors where business functions are almost exclusively using information and communications technologies (ICT). This has impacted on the way in which regional tourism destinations are promoted. The method of promoting regions via the development of regional tourist destination websites or portals using Internet technologies is increasingly being adopted both in Australia and around the world. This paper investigates whether this approach is the most effective to achieve increased awareness and subsequent visitation of a region. Are there other ways to achieve a similar outcome? One such alternative is via a bottom up approach achieved through co-opetition or collaboration established within the group of local tourism industry operators. This cooperative networking is made possible via the use of ICT to facilitate the establishment of virtual business networks amongst tourism operators in a local community, cascading into an informal secondary tourism network within that region. In many Australian regional areas the tourism bureau has been the key node for local tourism, but this structure has been fraught with many problems. Little is known about their effectiveness in delivering services to local small and medium tourism enterprises (SMTEs). The role of tourism bureaus in local tourism networks is changing and a study of this dynamic is provided here as an example of the interaction between top down and bottom up approaches. Published case studies from around the world are considered demonstrating alternative approaches to using ICT to promote a region and communicate with potential visitors. Future empirical research is required to more fully understand the effectiveness of the different approaches