CHAPTER 4 - MARKETING ON THE WEB

Chapter 4

Question 1:

Select a retail store with which you are familiar that has a Web site on which it sells products or services similar to those it sells in its physical retail stores.

Explore the Web site and examine it carefully for features that indicate the level of services it provides. Using your experience in the physical store and review of the Web site, write a 200 word evaluation of the company's touch point consistency.

SHOPPING.COM

Shopping.com store located at Ground Floor, seri-kiulap mall. The store has only one branch in brunei.

If we go to the store we have to find park and go directly to the counter and que up to be treated by the staffbut sometime i didnt satisfied with the services given. I can see for real the item and testing the device before decide to buy. i can pay the item on the spot by cash.

For the first time knowing this store that had been advertise from the news paper, then i saw a website on it. i go and search it and easily found the address location of this store. i also can see the info of the contact number and ask via email if i wonder to ask anything about the item. In the onlineshopping i can find the item easily and it cost me more cheaper using internet connection. i can see all detail complete with  the price and the latest promotion. I dont have to drive to update latest device and news from the store. But i only can see the picture provided and pay the item by debit or credit card. opening the website using the internet connection, it is more cheaper rather than calling the store wasting the phone bill or going to the store waste of time, energy and transport fuel

Question 2:

What were the main forces that led to the commercialization of the Internet? Summarize your answer in about 100 words.

Entrepreneurs around the world generating billions of dollars of almost this medium. Whether digital or physical products, everything is possible with the existence of the internet. This is because if offline, the number of humans is limited, while secaraonline, your business could be introduced in the thousands of people in a short time only. long distance communication is not a problem any more with the support of internet and credit card for payment transaction. In the modern age now, people do not want to be left behind with the latest technology .

Question 3:
Describe two possible service-for-fee offerings that might become available to users of Internet-enabled wireless devices (such as iPad or mobile phones) in the near future. Write one paragraph for each service in which you outline the profit potential and risk of losses for each.

GROOVE STUDIO - http://www.groovestudiobrunei.com/

This studio got a lot of fitness services like hip hop dance, cycling and hip hop dance for child and adult. This studio need a lot of capital to buy the exercise machine and they need to pay foreign workers. The owner have to provide accommodation for the staff and maintenance the expiry of foreign passport, the process is not easy and take a lot of processes. Groove studio gain a lot of profit since they got a lot of regular customer and promote their blog and Facebook for their costumer. They usually updated their timetable schedule and i really satisfied for the services as i don't have to go direct to the studio to know about the timetable and the price to be paid.

NAZYAN SPA - http://nazyanspa.blogspot.com/

Nazyan spa located at serusup offer spa services and do selling some beautician product for skin.  the spa give service for the mother after giving birth. They get big amount for 1 completed services ($2,000). They will bring the spa eqiupment like sauna house and massage oil. I really feel comfort to have the service direct to my house as im not strong enough to go to the saloon after giving birth. I need to pay big amount for  the services. this spa bear lose when their product expired and cannot even return the product. The company didnt gain a lot of profit and not worth it as they received small amount of customer and high demand of shop rental and worker salary.

Question 4:
In two paragraphs, explain why a customer-centric Web site design is so important, yet is so difficult to accomplish.

-Website allows you to display your products for everyone to see. You can explain the advantages, compare prices with other products, or display a satisfied customer testimonials and benefit of your product purchase. We also can offer services / service, shop or officefor free.Obtain customer feedback to improve performance of the company. Ensurimg the visitoers need and a unique experience is the key driver of sales and much desired of mouth of advertising. The more customer interest on the website, the more amount of customer will be increase.

It is also hard to achieve because usually the creator give up to deliver and follow up and not creative in doing their website design. It is important to make more effective decisions about the content, offering, design and the process in the website. Time management also improtant as customer is not interested with slow respond from the  website creator and also need to beware there is a lot of competitor in website with different experient amd idea.

Question 5:
Promoting products on the Web is different from using mass media promotion or personal contact. Assume that you want to explain these differences to a person who is planning to open a Web site that will sell fishing-rod. Write one paragraph about each approach (mass media, personal contact, the Web). In each paragraph, explain the advantages and disadvantages of the approach for the fishing rod Web business.

Fishing rod business got a lot of advantages and disadvantages. People will explore ways of diversifying to provide uniqueness to sell fishing rods either through the mass media, personal contact and web.

MASS MEDIA 

mass media is a media channel information to customers such as print and electronic media to disseminate advertising messages . An advantages is the media mass can broadcast their information to many different region of the world simultaneously and cost-efficiently and it have large audience, support multimedia or hypermedia, long distance user can connect and communicate . The disadvantages is the advertisement for television, radio, banner and flyer is high cost. The advertisment need trasportation and labour charge for the promotional activities.

PERSONAL CONTACT

Personal contact is another type of business strategy for selling fishing rod. The advantages is we can see the customer face to face, the payment transaction much easy and clear, the customer can see the item for real and the best thing is we also create friend relation among the business. The disadvantages, need to keep a lot of contact, phone cost to answer and calling the customer, transportation and oil car for the advertisement activities and also the labour charge.

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WEBSITE

One big advantage using a website to market your business on the Internet is that you can put information and photos of products or services your business offers. This is important because many customers use the Internet when reviewing products and services. Having a presence online gives your business a competitive advantage in as a customer much more likely to choose a product or service on products and services offered by your competitors who do not advertise online. Some disadvantage  is misinformation, a lot of changes can be easily made and hacker sometime occur.

CONCLUSTION FROM THIS TASK.
In this task,i really prefer to promote my business by using the website. In this modern and knowledge people, all around the world most of people use internet and communication to know the latest information and even promote thier business. Also to be reliase that the advantages to have web site for business is more cheaper compared with personal contact and mass media. cheaper, faster, easier and user friendly.