NFIB

The Vast Scope of E-commerce, Part II
04/ 15/ 2002

Stories about E-commerce in the media could lead someone to conclude that there's little more to the subject than selling products online. But the true scope of E-commerce takes in everything and anything that the Internet can do to enhance the financial performance of your business. In today's Workshop, Jeffrey Moses continues the topic of how understanding the vast possibilities of E-commerce can help your business expand, while cutting costs and increasing profitability.

Your site can provide a 24/7 resource for your reps, distributors, suppliers and associates of all types -- at almost no additional ongoing cost to you. Detailed information about pricing, ordering, shipping rates, shipping status and other key data can make your associates' work easier -- they won't have to contact one of your in-house staff to find out what they need to know. And with complete product and pricing information available through your site, your in-house staff won't need to spend as much time on the phone answering the same questions over and over. This means they can be doing other, potentially more productive work. For confidential information about products, prices and customer service personnel, many companies have Intranets requiring a username and password for access.

One of the greatest advantages the Internet offers is endless space. "Old-line" ads in newspapers and magazines, and on TV and radio are relatively expensive, and the resulting space limitations usually prevent a company from presenting anything but the barest outlines of a product's features and benefits. But there are no such limitations on a Web site. When you need more space, simply add another page, or direct visitors to another section of the site -- it hardly costs you anything extra. Because of the unlimited space and resulting cost effectiveness of a Web site, all your old-line advertising should direct people to your site, where you can tell them everything they need to know to make a buying decision.

One of the most important aspects of any site is user friendliness, which means that visitors can easily navigate around your site. To accomplish this, you should include on your home page a sidebar or other type of guide that directs people to their specific interests. For example, your sidebar could include sections titled: "Product Information;" "Associate Information;" "Company Information" or "About Our Company;" and "Useful Tips." While in the initial stages of planning your site, simply make a list of every type of person with whom you want to interact on your site, and make sure there is a section addressing the needs of each. For example, the sections mentioned above would satisfy customers, reps and suppliers, financial contacts and potential partners and employees.

Essentially, E-commerce touches upon everything you do as a company. It even interfaces with the brick-and-mortar aspect of your business. Your site, when properly designed, can serve to create a "community" of individuals who are interested in your products. Realizing this can enable you to make fuller use of the exceptional potential of the Internet.

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