UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMERS IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY-A DILEMMA OF NEW ZEALAND CORPORATE EXECUTIVES
INTRODUCTION
A recent study conducted by IBM under its Global C-suite programme on corporate executives revealed that a comparatively low percentage of New Zealand business hold that they understand their customers (IBM Global Business Services, 2014). According to the study, only sixteen percent of top corporate executives (CEOs, CFOs, COOs and other C-level executives) in New Zealand believe that they understand their clients or consumers. The figure is relatively low if compared to the global total of thirty-five percent considering the advance economy among OECD countries. The aforementioned article also pointed out that significant efforts will be made to improve New Zealand’s overall percentage performance to around 82% in the next 3to 5 years.
The study also introduced a new e-commerce business model in the social media & digital age being the “everyone-to-everyone” or e2e economy. What makes it different from the two major types of e-business (Xu & Quaddus, 2010) being business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) that we have come to know of is the creation of business ecosystems that focuses on the individual customer, the level of customer experience and engagement individual customers expects, the freedom of movement from one seller to another, highly interactive relationship among industry players, the promotion of transparency and promotion of
Once a decision is made to develop a business, whom the customer will be is the next decision to be made. Whom will the company target as a customer? Will it be a business? Or will it be a consumer? Business-to-business (B2B) marketing has differences from business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing practices. This paper will outline these differences between the two types of e-commerce business transactions.
A computers have become more mainstream, more and more operations are conducted online. From online bill pay to simple searches, as one would do with the yellow pages, to online shopping, the Internet has helped shape the way computers are used today. With the Dotcom boom of the mid-nineties and early 2000s, ecommerce and e-business really started to take off. The Internet has given way to some of the biggest economic booms in history. The invention of smartphones and tablets has allowed for consumers to have instant access to the Internet, right at one's fingertips. While e-business is becoming more mainstream, and has its advantages, e-business also has its disadvantages.
Consumer to consumer e-commerce industry is a worldwide stage for any purchaser or customer. While most income originates from colossal number of exchanges, they increase enough from ads, auctions, reviews and so forth. Samples of such e-business incorporate Amazon, Etsy, Craigslist, Kickstarter, Taobao and so forth.
We cannot deny how big of an impact social media has on our lives now, not only on people but businesses too. It has opened a whole new door to the business world and given them a big opportunity to interact and attract a larger amount of customers. It’s given us a new and faster way of communication by exchanging pictures, stories, news, blogs, online discussions, etc. In exchange businesses have benefited by a long shot just by the click of a button. With the help of the Internet a company no longer is dependent on a particular customer base to survive because now it can reach out to a worldwide audience within seconds. It’s imaginable the countless business attributes of all social media to this day and still is growing. Social media
Online business using the internet has experienced significant growth over the last two decades. According to the Internet World Stats (2014) the number of worldwide internet users has grown from an estimated 16 million in 1995 to 2.9 billion in 2014. This world of interconnectivity has provided a way for people all around the globe to communicate with one another in a real time format. The internet has removed the distance between governments, industries, businesses and individuals. This interconnectivity has helped to establish the foundation for a globalized community.
From King Street to Wall Street and from classrooms to boardrooms, there is a revolution happening and it is being driven by how we communicate with each other and by the unprecedented rise of what is commonly called “social media”. (Dictionary.com, 2014) Social Media is the use of dedicated websites and applications to interact with other users, or to find people with similar interests to one 's own. (Dictionary.com, 2014) A business, also known as an enterprise or a firm, is an organization involved in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. The historic invisible walls of the Internet are being broken down daily, locally and globally. Social media touches nearly every facet of our personal and business lives so it’s imperative for social media to be an integral part of a company’s overall strategy, a business’s overall success will be partly owed to the success of their social media use. Social media will be a business’s customer today, tomorrow, their employees and others.
This study will prove that e-commerce has grown because it adds value to people’s lives. It will show that e-commerce will not disappear but evolve into something even greater than what it is right now.
As a conclusion, throughout the years social networks have become more popular for people to use this social network to share information, business purposes and meet new people, etc. Besides that, social network have become a platforms for business to sell their products and services as it can be a strategic e-commerce plan. Therefore, businesses should take these opportunities to expand their products and services and also their customer
In recent years, social media has become the most popular activity on the Internet. As a central feature of the Internet, social media has also become increasingly essential part of any industry. This digital era has changed how businesses market their products or services. E-commerce industry is the evidence that the rise of new technologies has allowed businesses to engage consumers in a digital market. E-commerce industry mostly depend their business strategies on digital marketing. Most marketers today use social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as part of their marketing strategies to reach consumers. This paper aims to address the role of social media in e-commerce industry as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using social media and the dangers in using social media.
Online business using the internet has experienced significant growth over the last two decades. According to the Internet World Stats (2014) the number of worldwide internet users has grown from an estimated 16 million in 1995 to 2.9 billion in 2014. This world of interconnectivity has provided a way for people all around the globe to communicate with one another in a real time format. The internet has removed the distance between governments, industries, businesses and individuals. This interconnectivity has helped to establish the foundation for a globalized community.
The world that we reside in currently has been introduced to a fresh phenomenon, which has completely taken over the world of communication. Consumers from all over the globe were accustomed to communicating with one another one on one. Local hangouts, temples, and parks where places were consumers communicated and formed relationships with one another. However, over the last few years things have drastically changed. With the invention of the Internet and the technologies that utilize them, the way consumers communicate and relate to one another has changed. This fresh way of communication has been coined the term, “social media”. Social media refers to the interaction among individuals in which they create, share, and or exchange information and ideas within networks and virtual communities. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, message boards, and LinkedIn are all types of social media. It has become one of the greatest opportunities to brand businesses’ products to potential buyers. Businesses all over the world acknowledge the utilization of social media as a marketing platform. A successful business cannot afford not to be involved in marketing via social media. Consequently, social media has become a vital tool for both small and large businesses.
This report provides a detailed analysis of the significant similarities and differences between the utilization of social media between Business to Business (B2B) marketers and Business to Consumer (B2C) marketers. This analysis is necessary to combat the widely accepted notion that social media marketing campaigns primarily serve B2C marketing only. To contest this false stereotype, this paper will justify reasons that B2B social media marketing is not only pertinent, but is also crucial in the success of companies to establish and maintain relations with customers in modern times.
E-business can be defined as a network of business structures and processes which use the internet and software to connect and improve relationships with their customers
The modern business environment is marked with electronic businesses operations where customers effortlessly purchase goods and services through company websites. Social media has a vital role in driving traffic to such commercial websites (Leonardi et al 2013). Businesses attach their website links in every social media post which, upon click, redirects the reader to the websites. Therefore, social media plays a crucial role in marketing global products and in generating business ideas since people from diversified backgrounds converge virtually and share ideas and opinions. It also builds long-lasting relationship amongst people and between businesses and their audiences.
E-business also known as electronic business is the conduct of business processes on the Internet. These electronic business processes include buying and selling products, supplies and services; servicing customers; processing payments; managing production control; collaborating with business partners; sharing information; running automated employee services; recruiting; and more. (Rouse, 2012) I have chosen The Body Shop as my organisation to discuss. The Body Shop has expanded their business to online as well as having hundreds of stores on market streets all over the world. By using e-business it has introduced them to a wider audience of people and is keeping them up to date with their competitors.