Emerging Trends and Best Practices in Global E-commerce

• Micro-payments

• Mobile technologies

• Social media

• Fulfillment options

• Global availability

• Localization

• Customizability 

• Time-based availability

• Micro-payments – Among the most revolutionary changes in the coming months—not years—is the use of micro-payment systems from a variety of financial firms, e.g., Paypal, Visa, WesternUnion, among others, including banks. 

• Mobile technologies – More people access the Internet on their mobile devices than on any other device. We are rapidly approaching the time (if we are not already there) where designs must be created for the mobile Web first, and for the desktop second.   Mobile technologies also facilitate impulse buys – especially with the advent of micro-payments tied to the mobile device. 

• Social media – As Facebook has become the most visited site on the Web, the role of social media, including Facebook and its local clones such as Twitter, is increasingly important.  Social media sites increasingly act as points of entry to e-commerce sites, and vice versa, as e-commerce sites build rating, loyalty and referral systems tied to social media. 

• Fulfillment options – I believe that users will want to have multiple fulfillments and return options when interacting with a vendor: ship to address, courier, pick-up in store, return to store, etc.  Having many fulfillment options is how customers view their overall customer experience. Some companies have made a business proposition online by being exceptional in service to the online channel (e.g., Zappos).

• Global availability – Increasingly, consumers want the availability to buy products from foreign sites and have them delivered locally.  Thus, currency and customs will be of growing concern to many online retailers.  Along with this, there will be concerns with local privacy laws and restrictions on related data collection and storage.

• Localization – While the trend is to globalize, what’s often more important is to localize.  User Centric’s research clearly shows that sites that ‘feel’ local – with proper imagery, language, time/date, weights/measures, currency, etc. – resonate far more than sites that seem culturally distant or sterile.

• Customizability – Consumers want control, and want to be able to design the details of the items they purchase.

• Time-based availability – Some of the hottest and most successful sites are those that have a time-critical response component.  Sites like Groupon, Gilt and others capitalize on the perception of limited-time availability.  Creating a sense of urgency drives traffic and purchase behavior.

M-Commerce- M-Commerce is the buying and selling of

goods and services through wireless

handheld devices.

- Access information of goods and services any time and at any place on the mobile device.

- Use mobile device to purchase tickets for events or public transport, pay for parking, download content etc.

Advantages of M commerce

- Mobility.

- Broad reach.

- Ubiquity.

- Convenience.

- Instant connectivity.

- Personalization.

- Lacalization

Disadvantages of M commerce

- User interface is often difficult to learn.- Use of graphics limited.- SMS limited to small number of

characters and text.- Limit types of file and data transfer.- Limited bandwidth.- Expensive.- Security is not protected

M-Commerce Services

- Location-based services.

- Information services.

- Mobile ticketing.

- Mobile banking.

- Mobile brokerage.

- Auctions.

- Mobile marketing and advertising.

- Mobile Money Transfer.

Mobile infrastructure - Other Devices.

Notebooks. Handhelds.Smart pads.

- Unseen infrastructure requirements.Web server with wire less support.GPS Locator

- Software.Mobile client operating system (OS).Micro browser.

- Network and access.Satellite.Radio.

Digital Commerce (D-Commerce)

• Digital commerce (D-commerce) is a type of e-commerce used by an organization that delivers and sells products online. D-commerce is used by companies that sell news, subscriptions, documents or any form of electronic content, and the digital commerce company collects payments, handles customer refunds and billing and manages other accounting functions for online publisher clients.

• D-commerce is considered a form of e-commerce because it deals with the exchange of electronic goods.

• The pay-as-you-go model is applied to digital commerce. Customers start an account with a digital commerce company and can purchase text and content from publishers, but they only have to relay their financial information once. This makes for a more secure online environment.

• Publishers of books, news, magazines, white papers and academic research papers are big users of digital commerce. Some digital commerce companies resell publishers' content. This form of business can be very profitable for publishers and digital commerce companies alike and, depending on the business contract, the d-commerce company may get a cut of the publishing company's profit.

What is E-Governance?

• It is the use of a range of modern Information and Communication Technologies such as Internet, Local Area Networks, mobiles etc. by Government to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, service delivery and to promote democracy

Governance : In IT framework

• Expansion of Internet and electronic commerce, is redefining relationships among various stake holders in the process of Governance.

• A new model of governance would be based upon the transactions in virtual space, digital economy and dealing with knowledge oriented societies.

• Electronic Governance is an emerging trend to re-invent the way the Government works.

E-Governance : Focus

• Focuses on Control of the operation and use of the internet

• Greater attention to improve service delivery mechanism

• Enhancing the efficiency of production

• Emphasis upon the wider access of information

• It is a link between customers, employees, businesses, and all other stakeholders

E-Governance vs. E-Government

• "Government's foremost job is to focus society on achieving the public interest."

• "Governance is a way of describing the links between government and its broader environment - political, social and administrative."

e-Government v/s e-Governance In e-Government-

• electronic service delivery

• electronic workflow

• electronic voting

• electronic productivity

In e-Governance

• electronic consultation

• electronic controllership

• electronic engagement

• networked societal guidance

Why e - Governance?

• It can transform citizen service, provide access to information to empower citizens, enable their participation in government and enhance citizen economic and social opportunities, so that they can make better lives, for themselves and for the next generation.

Strategy • Strategy is the roadmap to success.• Strategy answers the question what business

are you in?• Strategy determines how you compete within

the market you are in.• Strategy focuses the company in a unified

direction.

The goal is to develop a sustainable competitive advantage. There are generally two forms of competition, Operating effectiveness (production) or Competitive position (marketing)

Competitive Advantage Can Be Achieved By:

• Concentrating on particular market segments (niche markets)

• Offering products which differ from the competition (product differentiation)

• Using alternative distribution channels and manufacturing processes

• Employing selective pricing and fundamentally different cost structures

Strategic Planning

Industry and competitive

analysis

Strategy formulation

Strategy reassessment

Implement-ationplan

Electronic Commerce, 2000

Marketing strategies

• Permission marketing strategy

• Brand leveraging Strategies

• Affiliate marketing Strategies

• Viral marketing Strategies

• Social media marketing

• Content Marketing

Legal ,Ethical and societal impacts of Ecommerce

• Social factors- these include the influence of consumer perceptions in determining usage of the internet for different activities.

• Legal and Ethical factors- determine the method by which products can be promoted and sold online. Governments, on behalf of society, seek to safeguard individuals’ rights to privacy.