Marketing on the Web Review Questions, Essay Example

Q#1

The most attractive components of a website are pictures, blogs and effective organization of writing and banners. These mechanisms help to promote the website with full scale resources. The most unattractive things about websites are ones that attempt to cram a lot of information onto one page and keep the tone of the page at monotone. A customer is looking at a site for information or to purchase an item and is looking to find quick information that leads to further information if available. The use of brilliant colours can make a site very attractive as well as appealing animation.

Q#2 

Consumer and business market variables are used to identify market segments. Marketing segments exist throughout the business world both physically and over the internet. We group buyers by who will buy the most products in one group and another group of why would consumers buy these products at another establishment versus the one we are examining. The purpose of this research is to determine the most effective means of advertising by comparing what the competitors do. Negative websites are also considered to avoid these factors. Demographic variables are a third issue to examine in order to determine your business is focused in the highest booming areas. Lifestyle statements and words play an important role I market segments with much reckoning.

Q#3

Golf Digest Magazine is widely advertised and would prove to be an efficient marketing tool for the products. This magazine is read by the older golf players and promotes advertisements of the financially secure population for the most part. Gold Fitness Magazine is read by golfers who are amateur looking to stay in shape and by professional golfers. The population that reads this magazine foremost is the younger to middle aged gender. This is the route to promoting products because nearly everyone thinks they are a professional but reads the magazines to find out who the real professionals are and to get tips on how to improve their game.

Q#4 

These are the points of interaction between the customer and the products. Many people shop in store to find the product because they can visually look at it, pick it up, examine it, shop around then buy it. These people have to accentuate a personal feeling with the product in order to purchase it. Online shoppers distinctly know what they want to buy, are there online for a reason, have touched the product elsewhere and cannot or will not go to the store to purchase most likely because of urgent need or inconvenience of shopping at a physically traditional store. I conduct much online shopping for the availability of products and because there is a large variety of stores to choose from online. The only negative aspect is having to give my credit card online which leads to the potential of identity theft and fraud. I examined Lerners.com, an infamous women’s clothing store located across the United States. The website was visually beautiful with easy application for credit; however the selection of clothing online was very selective. If I did not shop at the store in person prior to visiting the online store I would get the impression this is a mediocre store rather than an exceptional one. Hence a company’s website should emphasize very close to the same selection that is offered in the store.

Q#5 

Dear Editor:

I speak for the journalists and the readers. We love to see banner ads that promote products but we dislike pop-ups that ruin our peaceful surfing on the internet. Companies should find more interesting ways to catch the public’s eye rather than annoying their surfing experience. The surfing experience should be invigorating and eye-catching. It is important to remember a customer has resources to many stores on the internet and can click off of your website and decide not to purchase from you just because of a glitch with your website or a simple annoyance. Banners promote a casual but creative thought process in the surfer but pop-ups create frustration and lower the company’s chance of selling a product. Keep the website simple, colourful, engaging and easy to understand in order to keep traffic to your business site. Further navigation should be easy and the customers should be able to answer any questions he/she has online or easily by calling you. Present pertinent information on the site keeping in mind this is what the customer would most look for. Communicate effectively through links to other important sources on your website if needed. Lastly, promote interaction from your customers.

Sincerely,

XXXX

Q#6 

Traditional customer service interaction will always be essential to services and products such as buying a home or buying a car if you want to receive a custom product. There are some items or services that can be advertised online prima facie but closing the sale has to occur in person.  Technology has allowed the public to take advantage of products that are sold at the store by ordering them from the convenience of their home with a safe haven of a return policy. There is always the factor of the mail and courier services to consider when ordering online. Sometimes they are not reliable and your order could be delayed. You must present a valid credit card to order online which gives rise to identity theft and fraud. Even though sites are encrypted hackers are very intelligent and often break the security system. If you order online you should check your credit card statements frequently for unauthorized charges for a period of time. You should also track your items to ensure they are delivered at all.

Purchasing a service or good in person allows you to make the choice by touching the item, examining it and receiving assistance from the sales force and management. At some stores the buyer is even able to negotiate a discount whereas online the price is set in stone unless there is a coupon available. Coupons should be read carefully to ensure they are applied instantly because often mailed coupons never arrive via rebate or you may forget to send in your coupon thus losing money in your pocket.

If you feel safe purchasing online and are not a picky person or in a rush to have your product in your possession you might enjoy the many advantages online ordering has to offer. If you need an item in a hurry and don’t mind dressing yourself or rushing to the store then you might consider in store shopping. Some people are resilient to change and online shopping involves having an open mind to change.

References

Schneider, G (2007) Electronic commerce (8th Ed)Boston: Thomson Learning