To develop the mass consumer market, vendors will have to offer strong incentives to purchase over the Web. Given the potential cost savings, vendors are likely to use price incentives. Several hi-tech employers are encouraging this trend by cooperating in supermarket home (or office) delivery schemes for their staff. Business-to-business looks likely to be the real growth area of electronic commerce and major vendors like IBM and Microsoft have firmly targeted their sales and marketing efforts at this market. However, it is also clear the selling office supplies and other consumables to companies has many of the same characteristics as selling directly to consumers, so developments in business-to-business electronic commerce will also benefit the retail market. To exploit electronic commerce fully, organisations must integrate web processes with their existing legacy systems which may incorporate reliable and secure electronic data interchange links with trading partners. These are generally supplier-oriented and driven by an administrative desire to reduce costs as opposed to web based links which are usually to do with the marketing aspect of business and furthermore their main goal is to produce revenue. The challenge is to integrate and exploit both electronic data interchange and the web as complementary perspectives on electronic commerce.
In order to create a mass market for E-commerce all types of businesses must be involved. Improved awareness and understanding of electronic commerce continues to be the key issue for all sizes of business. Many companies, especially small business enterprises, are still complacent about the threats to their business if they do not take up the opportunities offered by electronic commerce. It is important to develop guidelines for best practice and promote awareness of electronic commerce. At present there are many spokes without a clear hub providing best practice and training. It is very important to ensure that local advisors have a strong understanding of the business issues of electronic commerce.
Louie Lishomwa 11:52, 29 Oct 2004 (EST)
Omura G.S (2004) 'Creating the digital imaging Mass market' [Online]:http://www.pmai.org/studies/11omur99.htm [Accessed 27 October 2004]
Till, R(1999) "Electronic Commerce and Public Policy", Parliamentary information technology Commitee, West Heaton, Old Hillside Road, Winchester, HANTS
Paul, L(1999) "E for two-Electronic Commerce" [Online]: http://www.cio.com/archive/021599/ecom.html [Accessed 27 October 2004]
