E-Commerce

8 Pages 2073 Words

mpanies. Many companies that began initially as a brick-and-mortar store have now extended their businesses online. One example of this is Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has launched a very successful online business that supplements their brick-and-mortar stores. To help promote their website, Wal-Mart often offers products that are exclusively available to online shoppers. Many other companies are beginning to follow the same setup.
One very important benefit to launching an e-business is that the Internet tends to blur geographic boundaries. This gives smaller businesses an opportunity to expand beyond their local markets. In the past, many small businesses were unable to operate on a national or international level. Operating beyond local markets can usually be a very expensive venture. However, thanks to the technology of the Internet, operating beyond local markets has now become a reality for companies that would otherwise not have this opportunity. The Internet allows these small companies to be boundless for virtually no additional costs.
E-commerce also allows buyers to have more convenience than the traditional brick-and-mortar stores. The World Wide Web is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. It never closes! “In some case, consumers can immediately obtain a product or service, such as an electronic book, a music file, or computer software, by downloading it over the Internet.” Consumers love the idea of being able to shop from the safety and convenience of their home.
E-commerce is an especially good idea for companies looking for ways to cut costs. These companies do not need to build staff, maintain a store, or print and distribute mail order catalogs. Automated order tracking and billing systems can greatly reduce the costs of labor, an...