Persuasive Communication in E-Tailing, Research Paper Example

Abstract

Increased competition has pushed retailers to the limits of innovation. The emergence of electronic retailing is a facet towards attracting customers by improving the communication mediums available for use by the customers. Armed with such information customers are able to make decisions based on information that is more reliable. Similarly, it enables the retailers to have feedback mechanisms through which suggestion can be weighted and used to improve service delivery.

Question 1

As posited by Florenthal (2007), the interaction between customers and u-tailers can be classified into three distinctive categories: product, process and partnership. During the product level, the retailer dwells on strategies that make the product more attractive to the customer through matching product characteristics with the preferences of the customer. It is imperative that the retailer appreciates the preferences of the consumer, failure to which the relationship will not suffice. Thus, for goods, information relating to their use as well as physical appearance should be appealing to the consumer as a way of ensuring that the good exceed the consumers’ expectation. Other characteristics to consider include pricing as asserted by Krizan et al (2007).

At the process level, the retailer aims at facilitating acquisition of the product by the consumer. The hardware and software systems in place to ease the process of accessing goods are also key to the process of e tailing (Florenthal, 2007). Thus, classification of products into categories with similar characteristics enables the consumer to access the goods since they know where to find the goods. Retailers may also include customer care agents to provide assistance in instances where the systems fail.

Strategic partnerships are central to success in e-business. In order to form long lasting relationships, information sharing with consumers should be boundless to enable them to make decisions that are more informed. As opposed to indirect sourcing of information from records, first hand information is more reliable and always serves to imply to the customer that the retailer is concerned about their welfare. Similarly, consumers feel more of apart to the company if the contribute to the improvement of service delivery. As articulated by Locker & Kaczmarek (2004), this contributes to customer loyalty.

Question 2

According to Florenthal (2007), during the product stage, information is mainly in visual format since the consumer needs to see the product itself for the m to judge. Variations to the visual include text and graphs as well as audio-visual messages. As one moves into the process stage, the appropriate medium is audio visual. Because of the significance of the stage, the e-tailers should include audio and visual components to enable the consumers carry out successful exercises when accessing the goods. On the other hand, at the partnerships stage, the most appropriate medium is text. Consumers prefer filling out responses or responding to queries involving text due to the universality of the output.
Question 3

As postulated by Locker & Kaczmarek (2004), the audiovisual medium enables consumers to appreciate the characteristics of the product on offer. In addition to seeing, the voice output offers additional information that was not conveyable through visual means. Thus, in the end, the e-tailer relays more information within a limited amount of time. Audio messages play an important role in creating suspense to create interest. Tonal variation and testimonial messages serve to reinforce the visual component displayed.
Question 4

As the initial stage in the communication process, the sender of the message in this stage is the producer of the good or service. Through the packaging and design, he communicates the desired message to the potential consumers. In addition to packaging, audio-visual messages can be relayed via media in the form of advertising (Florenthal, 2007). Printing errors and. Process as the product is in the e-tailers’ possession, he has to find a way of communicating to the consumers about the availability of the product. Thus as the sender, he may use online databases and other form of media to pass on the information. The internet presents an important facet in the channeling of the message to the designated recipients.

Feedback from the customers is necessary for decision-making as outlined by Krizan et al (2007). As a result, during the partnership stage, the sender could be either the customer or the e-tailer depending on the circumstances. Online mediums as well as text present a way in which the information can be relayed (Locker & Kaczmarek, 2004). Ill filled or uncompleted survey questionnaires are major setbacks to this stage since the e-tailer will not decipher how to serve the customer better.

Question 5: Sample Persuasive Message

As it has been clear to you for the past five years, BestFoods Ltd has dominated the foods industry. The successes experienced in the foods category have encouraged us to launch a new product category in the beverage category, which compliments our current product range. The new product will be in the form of bottled fresh juice, whose production has already started. In a week’s time, distribution and sales channels will be designed to assist in the distribution of the new product to the existing retailers. Due to the increased product lines and destinations, we urgently need a market perceptive sales manager to lead the exemplary sales team. The sales manager will be responsible for seeking distribution channels and scheduling deliveries to the retailers in a timely and appropriate way. Our new product will coincide with introduction of a new feature of our e-tailing stores where shoppers will receive free delivery services. Similarly, we will require our customers to offer feedback based on the quality of the feedback service. By so doing, those customers who are not able to visit our stores will still enjoy our products.

How the Message Enables E-Commerce

The above message is aimed at facilitating e-commerce because in addition to improvement in the product lines, customers will also have a choice of whether to shop online or visit the stores. By so doing, our customers will have information at their disposal since they can visit the online portal and peruse the product categories available and the price on them. Similarly, consumers will be able to access information relating to the relating

References

Florenthal, B. (2007). Matching E-Tailing Strategies to Customer’s Behavior: Three Levels of Interaction. Journal Of Business And Public Affairs. Vol. 1(2). Retrieved from http://www.scientificjournals.org/journals2007/articles/1200.pdf

Krizan,A.C. et al. (2007)Business Communication. Ohio: Cengage learning Locker, K., O. & Kaczmarek, S., K. (2004). Business Communication: Building Critical Skills McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2004