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Ecommerce is not about
selling
by Claudie Clot, CEO of advancis.com
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2. So, what is ecommerce?
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If ecommerce is not about selling,
then what is it all about? Well, the key to doing business on
the Internet is the same as doing business in the real world:
achieving complete customer satisfaction. Forget about Web technologies
for a moment; forget about next-generation web sites or rich
media advertising. Get back to the basics: you are in business
to meet specific needs and wants of a particular group of prospects.
Your ultimate objective is to accomplish complete customer satisfaction.
Sure, sales are part of the equation but they are not an end
in themselves. Sales are needed because there must be an exchange
between your company and your customer so that you can help him/her
resolve a problem or satisfy a want.
It is not a revolutionary concept,
but it forces managers to rethink their approach to doing business
online. More importantly, it represents a starting point for
solidifying the foundation of Internet activities, setting the
direction for current and future Internet initiatives, as well
as defining a web site's structure, strategy, and content. The
result: clarity. Suddenly, determining which technologies will
take you a step closer to achieving customer satisfaction is
a lot easier; deciding what creates value to your audience a
lot clearer. Maybe offering low-rate products for FREE is not
really what your target market wants. Your customers might be
willing to spend more on a product if it includes features that
will help them reach their goals. The impact on your bottom line
cannot be ignored. As you develop a system for achieving customer
satisfaction, a viable online business model will emerge.
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