The Digital Age: Electronic Businesses and e-Commerce
An entrepreneur is essential to know how the company can benefit
through commerce and electronic business, creating true digital networks
through Internet technology that differentiate the traditional method of
communicating with customers and suppliers, improving and scanning processes of
internal and external business also relationships with other organizations
become more efficient and competitive, but facing some challenges as: Commerce
and electronic business require complete change in its organizational structure
and management processes, arriving at having to redesign entire business
processes, acquire new technologies for information systems and business
practices finally totally changing the physical, cultural and administrative
structure of the company.
Through the Internet created a new digital infrastructure for IT to
share information by allowing all sectors of companies that increasingly rely
on it to remain efficient and competitive, because communication is easier, the
cost is less, and fits any computing platform that is different from the old
proprietary networks that were used. Trading partners have direct communication
24H a day without intermediaries and inefficient procedures, so even share and
distribute information in other formats other than text, attracting new
customers and suppliers with little effort and still reduce transaction costs like
paying bills, processing orders , meet a client deadlines, especially the fully
digital delivery such as music, videos, texts and even softwares.
New business models are Virtual Store sells direct to customers or
individual companies. Electronic commerce has two forms of transaction, 1
refers to the nature of the participants that divides the e-commerce in three
ways: business to consumer (B2C e-commerce): selling products and services to
individual buyers. Business to business (B2B e-commerce): sale of goods and
services between companies and consumer-to-consumer electronic sales of goods
and services among consumers. The 2nd refers to the physical connection between
the participant and the web, it was used networks connected by wire and now you
can access the internet and all its types of services through mobile phones and
other portable digital wireless applications. using this type of device is
called mobile commerce (m-commerce).
Amazon,
eBay and
Alibaba
can be taken as e-commerce giants.
Another advantage of the internet is that it provides lasting
relationships and regular purchases, where manufacturers can sell their
products directly to retail customers, avoiding intermediaries such as
distributors and retail stores, to avoid costly leases, sales department etc.
.. The advantage to the client is that it is cheaper. The removal of
organizations or business process layers, ie, intermediaries in the value chain
is called disintermediation. The same way that creates new intermediate
excludes some sectors, may be called infomediaries that help Internet users to
obtain information and locate products and services online, then
reintermediation that moves a value chain to a new source occurs. Well contrary
to what occurs in traditional distribution channels where the final product
cost is higher.
Marketing people use interactive features of web pages to hold the
attention of customers, capturing information about tastes, models,
preferences, and interests, doing one to one marketing, collecting information
from them through software tools that track the web activities knowing which
pages the customer has accessed and how often. è also used a technique
Customization Web, where companies create unique and custom web pages that have
ads, messages of products and services for individual customers fortifying the
relationship with the customer, through information obtained by tracking and
record it on websites. It is a technique that draws the customer's attention,
but otherwise is considered an invasion of privacy, because much of the data is
collected without the customer knowing. The ideal would be to know the tastes
of the customer through surveys they fill entries, but the cost is higher to
keep them, with the advantage of less spending part of sales to customer
education and even the company can improve its products and services through
the different suggestions, so customers no longer just passive buyers and
became active participants in the value chain.
Through the use of tracking, portable devices, tracking and
personalization techniques marketing strategies no longer need to worry about
top take the information to the client, but in taking the message directly to
the customer according to their need, for example, notify a broker when the
turnover is very high on weekdays.
Through the relationship with the customer through increased web
technologies and their services mainly email, clarify doubts of the customers
just got easier with automated service that costs less than a phone call.
Companies are creating call centers online department intended to clarify
doubts that can be found on the websites through the links "contact
us" that are answered by e-mail registered by a call from the company or
even in real time, including customers being able to help them shop that will
do.
In the e-commerce business to business, proprietary systems and paper
processes for applications, deliveries of goods, provision of information and
are being replaced by other web technologies creating virtual stores,
increasing sales among large companies through Private Sector Networks being:
extranet to connect to suppliers and other business partners in order to
perform efficiently managing the supply chain and other collaborative commerce
activities eg project to develop a product. E-marketplace or public squares are
said to online market where multiple buyers can purchase from various sellers,
do not turn much for relationships, but generating revenue for transactions
with buying and selling, auctions, orders, and others.The E marketplace
classified as direct inputs, goods used in the production process eg: Indirect
steel plates and all other goods not directly participating in the process
produção.Ex: office supplies. Some E-marketplace serving specific sectors Ex
Vertical Markets: Markets Horizontal cars other goods and services for
different industries eg equipment. Some benefits of both: share online catalogs
for supply prices, cheapen supplies decrease delivery deadlines etc. Many
e-marketplaces failed because competition between suppliers was very
encouraging high competitive bids and overthrow prices, and do not provide
long-term relationships with buyers.
The electronic payment systems have been developed to manage the
payment of goods and services purchased through the internet business to
business or business to consumer. Classified into: Credit cards: provide
greater security offering that provides the buyer the bank that provided the
card you deposit in the bank account of the seller, protecting information
transmitted between users and sites banks mechanisms. Digital Wallet (Wallet)
Software that stores credit card information and other data that facilitate the
purchase over the web, not requiring the user to enter their information each
time you make a purchase, they are automatically registered. Micro payment
systems developed for purchases of less than $ 10, can be of type Debtor
Balance Accumulated where micropayments is accumulated to be paid periodically
by credit card or phone bill. Systems for pre-stored value: enable consumers
make payments to merchants at the time whose value is stored in a digital
account, these systems rely on the existing value in current bank account,
credit card and some require digital wallet. There are special pre stored value
systems for micropayments that are smart cards, the same size as a credit card,
store digital content such as medical history, identify phone numbers etc. for
pay, are passed in a Digital (e-cash) for micropayments or larger accounts, is
the electronic currency where users receive client software and transact money
online with another user or retailer of the same, recommended for anyone who
has no credit. Peer-to-peer card (P2P ) cash transaction for the web sellers
who do not accept payment by credit card, where the customer through your card
creates an account for payment at a specific site designated for this type of
payment you will receive the money in the bank account or physical address .
Electronic payment after purchase at online stores and real digital check,
electronic check encrypted with secure digital signature that extend the
functionality of current accounts, and are safe to be used between businesses
and Electronic Systems presentation of invoices and payments support, used
routine to settle accounts with the possibility of verification, also notify
the winning accounts by presenting invoices and processing payments.
Research involving ROI (return on investment) published by
eQatar.com show that a major benefit of the
Net for business Intranets are reducing costs and agency coordination, because
they are inexpensive and can be enlarged or reduced in accordance with the
needs and resources can integrate multiple sectors types of enterprise systems
forming a single network system, creating a rich environment of online
information being updated and accessed at any time, avoiding costs of printing,
paper and distribution, enabling the company to follow the rapid changes, for
it requires high production cost, also benefit customers with innovative
solutions and best quality.
Collaborative environments are also created with Intranets where
members work together on projects, sharing planning ideas regardless of
location and management of business processes through the Intranet is more
efficient because it encompasses all functional areas of the company. For
Finance and Accounting provides an integrated view of the same and easy to be
used, for example, gather information ledger and functional data contribute to
decision making. In Human Resources keeps all employees informed about company
matters as records and benefits, online publishing their policies and planning,
also used for assessment of competence. Sales and Marketing are used for
individual customers and other companies coordinating them giving access to
updated price promotions to compete, customize documents etc. .. And finally
for Manufacture and Production are more used for inventory control collecting
production information real time, change suppliers etc.,
Integrated systems are helpful for managing the supply chain linking
all processes providing source information to the client, but they are
expensive compared to Internet that communicates all chain components sharing
all possible and updated information at lower cost, using Intranets improve the
coordination of internal processes Ex: set of shopping and order processing one
of the most expensive features of the e-commerce and extranets improve
coordination of the entire chain including links with business partners and Ex:
collaboration forecasts. The cost to provide this information in real time
encourages companies to share business information with a larger number of
suppliers that can be performed through B2B E-marketplaces also reducing
inventory easily meeting the customer will have the product as requested. Also
collaborating to introduce more and more products on the market by increasing
their income by applying it to product designs, ultimately it forms a digital
nervous system of logistics.
Security and Privacy are also challenges, for important information
such as personal data, preparation of a product... go through many computer
systems before reaching the destination and can be copied, monitored, stored
anywhere on the route being used for counterfeiting issues competition, theft.
These processes sometimes occur unintentionally through the tracking systems
used to automatically retrieve customer data without having to register q, but
can also be done intentionally by Hachers, vandals and computer criminals who
sometimes receive money in exchange for performing the espionage.
Anyway managers should evaluate their strategies and business models to
see if it fits the resources of web technology and is aware that they will face
many challenges and will have to perform several structural as well as in
policy and behavior changes, first deciding whether to use across the company
to reduce transaction costs, creating new business models with e-commerce
increasing contact with customers and suppliers through elimination of
intermediaries.
