e-commerce and international markets. key topics what is e-commerce? why should small businesses...
TRANSCRIPT
E-commerce and International Markets
E-commerce and International Markets
Key topics
• What is e-commerce?• Why should small businesses trade
online?• How can it help a small business
reach international markets?
What is e-commerce?
Using the Internet to trade and communicate with customer and suppliers
How e-commerce can be used
• Pre-sales– Offer product information / frequently-asked questions– Provide samples– Customer testimonials
• Making the sale online– Customer places order to meet requirements– Take payment & delivery instructions– Allow customers to track status of order
• Post-sales– Customer support: post sale questions– Adjustments / returns / complaints– Follow-up sales, upgrades
Making the shop-front work
• Professional e-commerce software packages can build credibility of small businesses
• Important for products to be displayed out intuitively (including search)
• Pricing and product information has to be sufficiently detailed
• User-interface is crucial – customers need to know where they are in the buying process
http://www.vinceremos.co.uk/ Allow potential
customers to search easily
Clear explanation of what the website
sells
Sales promotions to encourage purchase
Intuitive use of categories to group
products
Taking payments
• Customers expect to be able to pay for goods & services online
• Online trading requires dedicated banking / payment set-up (“merchant account)– Credit / debit card account– PayPal is a popular alternative for start-ups
• Online sales generally good news for a small business cash flow
Reaching an international market
• Online trading allows even the smallest business to reach a more global audience
• The products still have to be relevant and priced competitively
• Likely to be achieved using paid online advertising + search engine traffic
• Care needed on:– Payment security– Shipping & delivery + handling returns
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