Internet Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice

Book Preface

The Internet represents a tremendous opportunity. For customers, it gives a much wider choice of products, services and prices from different suppliers and the means to select and purchase items more readily. For organisations marketing these products and services it gives the opportunity to expand into new markets, offer new services and compete on a more equal footing with larger businesses. For those working within these organisations it gives the opportunity to develop new skills and to use the Internet to improve the competitiveness of the company.

At the same time, the Internet gives rise to many threats to organisations. For example, start-up companies such as Amazon (books) (www.amazon.com), Expedia (travel) (www.expedia.com), AutoByTel (cars) (www.autobytel.com) and CDWOW (CDs) (www.cdwow.com) have captured a significant part of their market and struck fear into the existing players. Indeed the phrase ‘amazoning a market sector’ has become an often-used expression among marketers.