Benefits of e-commerce

Electronic technologies will continuously and progressively be deployed throughout the entire
supply chain of all industries over the next decade. It is expected that e-Business will become so
commonplace, that the “e” will become redundant and it will be “business as usual”, but conducted
through a whole new medium.
Far too many small and medium businesses fail to perceive the full importance of the electronic
business model and make little effort to understand it or adopt it. Indeed, many businesses still
confuse e-Business with e-commerce, which is the transactional aspect of e-Business.
E-Commerce refers to the various transactions which occur between Government,
citizens/households and businesses.
Though e-commerce opens a world of businesses to customers and a world of customers to
business, the model clearly shows that e-Business incorporates both this function and the
provision of more significant opportunities for interaction, transaction and profitability in back office
and supply chain systems. Many supply chain systems are, in fact, e-commerce tools, eg
procurement, inventory management, CRM and some ERP systems.
Front-end e-Business systems include email, websites (whether in-house or out-sourced, passive
brochures or highly interactive) and marketing strategies geared to promote the website. Back-end
systems include procurement (purchasing), warehousing, production, delivery, administration,
accounting systems, inventory systems etc.

The bottom line benefits of e-Business are simply this:

Business process optimisation

Full integration of electronic technologies throughout front and back end business processes will
provide significant benefits.

Improvements to customer responsiveness and service

By allowing customers to track delivery of parcels in real time, the Federal Express website keeps
customers in touch with the location of their goods and when they will arrive. Provision of this sort
of information creates greater customer satisfaction and sense of control. Automatic Teller
Machines (ATM’s) are now well used by most bank customers, who, although some still express
feelings about the lack of personal interaction with bank staff, generally would not want to return to
the old system of standing in a queue for personal service. They feel more in control of the
transaction process and can access their information any time. Publishing Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ’s) on a website saves customers time and money waiting on the phone for a
response. They also allow the business to concentrate on generating more business rather than
dealing with often simple issues.
Automatic email responses provide customers with instant information to their inquiries and help
create more sales by answering general queries more quickly and comprehensively. Websites with
interactive features, eg chat line, bulletin board, email, e-forms. These facilities help keep the
customer in touch with the “real person” in the business. Some customers respond better in this
environment and the business owner can ask more direct questions of the customer to help build
personal profile information.
Useful information about products, services, prices etc and something FREE or value adding. This
again provides the customer with what they are generally looking for in their first contact with a
business and helps to create a successful sale more quickly.
Across the board cost savings

Labour costs

Reduce Wages by engaging labour via the Internet on performance based rewards. Incur labour
expenses only when you need them by outsourcing work like invoicing, debt collection and
customer support, advertising, copywriting etc. turning fixed costs into variable costs. Labour costs
can also be reduced by automating business processes which require less human intervention.

Materials costs

Reduce materials costs by requesting and receiving both expressions of interest and quotes from
materials suppliers worldwide. Collaborate electronically with other businesses to bulk purchase
materials.

Overhead and other costs

• Outsourcing labour and casual work and automating business processes both help reduce
space and equipment requirements.
• Using email for communicating and information dissemination saves phone, fax and courier
costs. Also other Internet tools can be similarly used to communicate with suppliers, staff and
customers.
• MS Netmeeting, IRC Chat and other tools allow voice, image and word communication saving
travel, airfares, accommodation and teleconferencing costs.
• Voice recognition software helps minimise the need for secretarial support and increasing your
typing speed.
• Most communication costs can be significantly reduced with a combination of email, other
Internet tools, phone answering machines, voice response systems, call diversion and mobiles.
• Reduction of inventory holdings.
• Reduction of work capital requirements.
• Reduction in transactional costs.
Cashflow improvements
Reduce Interest charges, bank fees, collection fees, postage and printing by using Electronic
Funds Transfer (EFT), Point of Sale (POS) and electronic banking facilities.

More fruitful customer/supplier relationships

Using email and other voice, image, word communication facilities not only saves money and
provides greater responsiveness, but can facilitate better supplier, customer and staff
relationships, because it can be used more often, much more readily and can provide so much
more information at no cost.
With interactive databases and electronic loyalty programs, personalised and targeted direct
mailing used wisely, can strengthen customer relationships and increase sales.
E-Business tools can empower the customer to find many of their own answers, monitor order
status and check account details etc.

Faster provision of products and services to the marketplace through streamlined and thus
cheaper production

Integrating a strong marketing website with business processes allows the customer to order via
the website, the order is the sent electronically through the other business processes, eg
accounting, production, warehousing and distribution and the customer is provided with a product
to their specification and in a timely manner.

New markets

Whether geographical, industry or niche, the clever use of email and a website can increase
customer numbers, purchasing volumes and frequency of return (loyalty). It will improve your
ability to capture and leverage customer intelligence to direct your marketing, purchasing,
warehousing, delivery and pricing strategies and will ultimately result in increased revenues.

Trust

Investing in a well-built e-Business system including email, website and back end systems will
greatly assist in building client trust. Providing free, useful information, secure ordering and
payment transactions and reliable delivery, support and feedback systems are the key to
establishing strong and successful customer relationships on the Internet.

Customer loyalty

Successfully capturing customer intelligence will help the small business operator to anticipate
customer needs, tailor products and services, set pricing strategies, ensure availability and provide
superior delivery, support and feedback systems, all of which helps to build trust in the business,
confidence in the system, loyalty to the supplier and repeat sales “at the till”.

Market leadership

For many businesses, planning, investment and implementation of electronic technologies will
improve international competitiveness, resulting in improved market share, return on investment
(ROI) and consequently market performance through business leadership. For example, using the
Internet, a business can seek out and respond to a tender from anywhere around the world more
quickly than ever before. Also, a business can use the Internet to source technical specifications,
materials and other resources more cheaply and quickly than traditional means. Further, email and
teleconferencing can facilitate greater collaboration between businesses in joint ventures to enter
new markets, produce products or supply a customer. These factors combined contribute to better
“access to markets” and a faster “time to market” for businesses and their products.

New products and services

Electronic technologies significantly add to organisational agility and lead to new services valued
by customers. In many cases, information and knowledge are becoming the new products or
services of the future. Businesses are also able to source new materials, technologies or
techniques and venture into markets previously outside the scope of business operations. Joint
ventures are increasingly possible through e-technologies providing businesses with new
opportunities and potential areas for growth.

To access a new market, a business should consider the following 10 steps:

1. Consider the language of the country, ensuring navigation and important information is
translated to suit.
2. Prepare website keywords and search engine listings to suit the language.
3. Product instructions or manuals must also be translated to suit.
4. Some products may require approval by the country’s authorities.
5. Check out VAT/GST and other tax issues.
6. Establish an after-sales and repair service reasonably close to the new market.
7. Establish a toll-free number directed to either your own business or a branch or a partnering
business close by.
8. Promote the website within the new market area using the appropriate strategies, eg email,
reciprocal links with local prominent website services and portals, newspapers, magazines,
TV/Radio etc.
9. Specify where legal issues are to be dealt with.
10. Determine a suitable currency for exchange.

Intellectual and human capital

Email and website technologies support business, procurement, production, administration,
warehousing, payment, delivery, support and feedback systems. Together, these provide whole
new opportunities for a business to capture, research and leverage so much information about its
customers and transactions, that exponential growth in intellectual capital is emerging as a major
business benefit and addition to the balance sheet. Systems that are “smart” and informed by
business trends can improve the quality and uniformity of decision making ensuring businesses
operate more effectively if staff leave or are away.

Technology

These days, electronic technologies, from an accounting perspective, should be considered an
ongoing operational cost, rather than a capital investment. Thus, the key to achieving the most
benefit in the bottom line from computer systems lies in choosing the right technology and
implementing it to optimise the many benefits of e-Business. This means that putting “boxes” on
desks needs to be accompanied by effective training in data storage techniques and security
procedures with regular assessment of best practice processes and systems. The above benefits
are related to business infrastructure, relationships and marketplace performance perspectives. If
these systems are part of a well-specified and well-implemented business plan, they can bring
about benefits and improvements in productivity, efficiency and cost savings, which ultimately
contribute to increases in profitability.

Resource: Queensland Gov

Arcus Example E-Commerce Site: www.gebbemarket.com