The Internet, The Web And E-marketing

1. INTRODUCTION

The Internet has attracted a great deal of attention in marketing circles over the past ten years. In marketing terms, the Internet can perform a number of functions: it is a source of marketing research information, it is a promotional medium, it can be a source of revenue (a product in itself), and it is a new distribution channel.

2. THE INTERNET, THE WEB AND E-MARKETING

The Internet is an international network of computers. It allows individuals and organisations to communicate directly with one another via electronic media, regardless of where they are in the world.

The use of the Internet for business purposes is relatively new. Although the Internet can trace its roots back over 30 years to ARPAnet, initially it was the domain of government organisations and academia. The commercialisation of the Internet began in the early 1990s when access was granted to other groups, including individuals and companies. The Commercial Internet Association was established in 1991, with the aim of encouraging greater business participation in the net (Hamill & Gregory 1997). By 1994 commercial users of the Internet outnumbered research and educational users 2 to 1.

The World Wide Web, or Web, was officially launched in 1993. The Web is a hypermedia information storage system, residing on the Internet, which links electronic resources around the world. Browser software allows Internet users to view documents and files on the Web, and "click" from one linked file to another, no matter where the source of the resource is physically located. The Web introduced a much broader audience to the Internet, and allowed anyone (individual or organisation) to have a presence in cyberspace.

Marketers quickly seized upon the potential of the Web; it offered them the ability to undertake market research, make available online catalogues, provide electronic order forms, offer on-line customer support, publicise new ventures, elicit customer feedback and even distribute certain products cheaply and easily (Berthon et al 1998).

2.1. The role of the website in the marketing communications mix

Today, the Web has become a standard part of many organisations' marketing communication mix. Although the Internet exhibits some unique technological features, the processes that it supports are not new to the marketing function (Chaston & Mangles 2002). Accordingly, the Internet has been likened to a number of traditional marketing communications media and tools. For example, Luk et al (2002) discuss the role of the Internet in advertising. They suggest that the Internet can be used to create awareness of the firm and its products, build general publicity and contribute to corporate image building programs - all traditional advertising functions. They state that it can help to market products by showing online catalogues and by providing potential and existing customers with detailed product information.

Berthon et al (1998) suggest that the website is something of a mix between direct selling (it can engage the visitor in a dialogue) and advertising (it can be designed to generate awareness, explain/demonstrate the product, and provide information - without interactive involvement). They compare the Web to a trade show - it can be thought of as a large international exhibition hall where potential buyers can enter at will and visit exhibitors. From the exhibitors' point of view the fundamental problem is converting casual visitors to sales leads and/or customers. Similarly, for Web marketers, the issue is how to turn surfers into interactors and ultimately customers.