Sales and Marketing in Management Information Systems

The Internet over the past few years has seen a huge increase in online businesses and consumers. Electronic-commerce is expected to generate $36 billion in revenue during 1999, up 140% from last year alone.[1] With such a huge amount of money to be made on the Internet it is becoming very appealing for small businesses and start-up companies to try and make their niche in e-commerce. The Internet is drastically affecting the way companies and people conduct business now. E-commerce encourages growth in existing as well as new businesses because of lower overhead costs, the huge consumer base and the freedom of information flow. However the online revolution has created a large

​With the new age of technology we have entered, it would seem simple to enter the internet sales industry but things are not always as they seem. Entering the internet sales industry will prove to be a

When accessing a website there are certain peculiarities that may enhance or distract from a pleasant experience. If those peculiarities are too great, a visitor is likely to leave the web page without completing the intended objective of the site owner. Toward that end, this paper compares the websites of two similar online retailers Dick’s Sporting Goods (Dick’s) and Sports Authority (SA). Comparisons were made of each company’s home page and product pages. Product pages were of similar items, by the same manufacturer if possible. The criteria used was modified from published lists however since most of these lists are several years old the author has eliminated some criteria that is obsolete with advances in technology and speed and included some criteria that is relative in today’s era of mobility, privacy and security concerns.

This report will be to present research done on online Marketing opportunities for retail sales. It will not only allow a better understanding of

The new advances in technology allow businesses to reach different customer bases. This includes buying and selling products over the Internet. The online shopping process is considered e-commerce. E-commerce is made up of different behaviors but for the purpose of this discussion the three discussed are consumer-to-consumer (C2C), business-to-business (B2B), and consumer-to-business (C2B). The different behaviors have different mediums to reach their targeted audience. The message for each behavior persuades a particular audience to purchase a product using that particular medium. Consumers and businesses look to the web for cost-effective ways to sell and buy products.

Varian (1999) argues that the fundamental principles with regard to competition are very much relevant to the new economy considering the changes ushered by e-commerce. These principles include marketing, interconnection, and price matching. According to him, marketing is very much present in e-commerce since electronic retailers use versioning. Like loyalty programs and promotions to increase their market shares. Interconnection is also of the utmost importance as consumers want to be connected to as large a network as possible. Finally, intense price competition would also prompt merchants to look for ways to increase customer loyalty and adopt pricing strategies that reduce the intensity of competition (De Vera, 2004).

M2 – Analyse the marketing opportunities and challenges faced by a selected business when using internet marketing.

The trend toward shopping using the Internet is growing faster than expected (Cramer, 2014). Since Internet has become popular medium for people to shop, more companies then launched online shopping platform. With this new platform, they were able to do sales directly to their customer.

The internet is being developed rapidly since last two decades, and with relevant digital economy that is driven by information technology also being developed worldwide. After a long term development of internet, which rapidly increased web users and highly speed internet connection, and some new technology also have been developed and used for web developing, those lead to firms can promote and enhance images of product and services through web site. (Arjun 2013)

In last ten years, internet users have increased from 10 million to over 600 million worldwide. [NUA, web survey] This rapid increase has brought a paradigm shift in the business strategies and introduced new marketing concepts. According to figures released by US department of Commerce, online retail sales in US alone had crossed over $ 50 billion in the year 2002. [E-Commerce Times, February 26, 2003] Analysis of the sharp rising graph of sales over internet, predicts direct channel to be the most utilized channel of the future. A lot has been written on the subject of e-commerce and its importance in today's expanding world of technology. A critical appraisal of online selling / direct channel highlights the following aspects:

A Marketing Information System can be defined as 'a system in which marketing data is formally gathered, stored, analysed and distributed to managers in accordance with their informational needs on a regular basis' (Jobber, 2007)

In today’s world of business, everything is computerized and most of the companies use the Internet and information business to help keep their quality, save time and also cost. It also can reach out to more customers worldwide. For an example, with a website in the internet, it would relay the message to millions of viewers worldwide regarding the product and service that the particular company can provide and indirectly saves cost in advertising in television and print advertisments.

Marketing Strategy and E-Commerce Introduction With the rapidly advancing technologies that are occurring in modern business, organisations are required to be ready, and able to adapt within their ever-changing environment. It is true across all diverse industries that in order to stay competitive, organisations must be able to utilise the various tools that technology has to offer. Technological factors have been of growing importance, particularly in recent years. A major factor involved in these technology issues is the use of the Internet as a major issue to modern organisations. The Internet has been rapidly growing since it's inception and is now commonly used in all sectors of societies, in all

Businesses that use internet as a marketing tool have the advantage of reaching many customers within a short period of time. Marketing over the internet enables the businesses to overcome the

Internet marketing is relatively inexpensive when compared to the ratio of cost against the reach of the target audience. Companies can reach a wide audience for a small fraction of traditional advertising budgets. The nature of the medium allows consumers to research and purchase products and services at their own convenience. Therefore, businesses have the advantage of appealing to consumers in a medium that can bring results quickly. The strategy and overall effectiveness of marketing campaigns depend on business goals and cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis.