Is this the end of E-commerce? 

The Internet has drastically been changing the way we communicate. One of the extreme changes in this day and age is the change in business communications over the Internet.

“Internet is a tool that dramatically lowers the cost of communication. That means it can radically alter any industry or activity that depends heavily on the flow of information. “*

 

Picture this: Worldwide, Internet users have grown from 361 million in 2001 to nearly 3 billion today ­– that is almost half of the worlds population using the internet. With the heavy flow of low-cost information and the high level of efficiency the Internet allows us to have, there has been a revolution:

The end of E-Commerce, and the beginning of E-Business. 

“What was once e-commerce (buying and selling goods and services over the Internet) has evolved into e-business, using the Internet to facilitate every aspect of running a business, including the management of virtual teams.“ *

Now businesses are running their entire communications on the Internet, talking to people in Singapore, China, and various different countries with ease. But this does not just pertain to businesses. Customers are taking advantage of this medium more than ever. Instead of the traditional sales funnel where awareness about a product might start with a phone call or mail, customers are doing all of their own research, finding all of their materials through reviews, social media, feedback on products, and search results. They are exposed to so much information that when they arrive to your business or website, they are ready to buy, not needing any nurturing. 

So what does this mean to you?

As a small business, it is important that you make sure your customers are getting all of the information they need to be able to find and purchase your product online. You need to make sure that you are providing them with searchable reviews of your product, a quality website that builds rapport with your customers, and enough positive online information that will make them trust you before you even have one conversation with them.

Consider the following questions to check if your E-business practices are up to par:

·      Do you have a website?

·      Do you have a Facebook page?

·      Do you know what users are saying about you online?

·      Are you generating reviews for your business online?

·      Do you regularly post content to your website’s blog?

·      Are you focusing on target keywords that your users would search to find your products?

Welcome to 2015, the year of E-Business.

*Kreitner, Robert, and Angelo Kinicki. Organizational Behavior. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2013. Print.