On the Rise- Internet Marketing

As with most fields, Computer Technology plays a significant role in the business sector of the workforce. In fact, the stigmatic environment of a “9-5” worker is being inside of a cubicle, behind a computer. According to Microeconomics- Public and Private Choice by Gwartney, Stroup, Sobel, and Macpherson, computers should be rightfully utilized as “increases in technology result in more output for less input.” Therefore, the more advanced technology becomes in terms of the Internet and production and selling capabilities, the easier it will be to carry out the functions of a business and a market economy. Computer Technology is vital to the Business Marketing field because the Internet provides sellers with profound access to customers and customers with profound access to products.

Internet Marketing, or E-Marketing, has become increasingly popular over the last decade because producers and consumers alike have recognized the convenience of trade over the web. Even back in 1999, David Pottruck, the CEO of Charles Schwab, released a book entitled Clicks and Mortar in which he analyzed the innovation of Internet Marketing. The title, as it suggests, is a pun off the traditional (and possibly old-fashioned) store-front marketing and sales approach known as “brick and mortar” (Dawson, 2001). E-commerce, as a whole, has grown very quickly because methods for customers to securely provide their credit card numbers have become available (Aranda, 2007). Consumers can now order products from their home instead of having to spend time and money traveling to the store. E-Marketing is advantageous to businesses because they can reach customers all over the world through one useful tool; the computer.

The Internet has also become a practical use of advertising. Companies can now place ads on other websites to promote their products. Today, company’s use “pay per click” advertisements in which ads are placed on a “middle-man” publisher’s website (Aranda, 2007). Both the publisher of the website and the company benefit because the publisher gets a percentage of any sale that is made, and of course, the company gets the more substantial benefits of the sale (Aranda, 2007).

Another reason Internet Marketing is effective for a company is because their customers have easier access to company product and ...

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Another reason Internet Marketing is effective for a company is because their customers have easier access to company product and contact information (Aranda, 2007). For instance, when a consumer and fellow internet user wants to find the hours, location, and specific product information of the closest Wal-Mart to him or her, he or she either types “Wal-Mart” into the Google search engine or wastes valuable time looking it up in the phone book. If a customer is forced to look up company information in the phone book or rely on word of mouth, he or she might be less inclined to spend his or her limited time trying. This, in turn, could result in a loss of profits for a company because their customer found it too inconvenient to even start the sales process. Because customers with access to computers will search for company and product information on the web, both parties (retailers and consumers) benefit from the ease and convenience of Internet Marketing.

While Internet Marketing, in itself, is a useful tool to companies and clients, E-Marketing combined with physical store Marketing creates the best of both worlds. A clicks and mortar operation is one that has physical operations as well as a net-based operations (Bock, 2003). A bricks and mortar store who is looking to go on the net is off to a great start because they already have a customer base of people who know and trust them (Bock, 2003). According to Wolly Bock, “Long-term profitability for almost every business is built on increasing and expanding the sales from people who are already customers.” If a company already has customers’ names, addresses, and telephone numbers, all they need to do is get their e-mail addresses, too.

The key for a physical business to make a successful venture into the online sector is to use their existing presence to increase production for the web presence (Bock, 2003). According to Wally Bock, businesses should integrate their operations, promotion, and every aspect of the existing company into the prospective online business. A successful future in retailing relies revolving around Computer Technology belongs to people who can integrate face-to-face physical retailing with "click to order” (Bock, 2003).

Despite the ease and convenience of Internet Marketing, not all customers prefer ordering products online. E-Marketing is opportune, but because it is not always reliable, it is unfavorable to some cautious customers. In a 2003 study of retail preferences, it was found that one thing that customers really look for is an easy way to return merchandise (Bock, 2003). According to Wally Bock, “customers feel comfortable if they know there's a physical store they can bring merchandise into. Even if they can't physically bring it in, they like to know that there's a physical location they can identify that they can ship merchandise to.” To a current business, it can be assumed that customers still have the same values (as far as purchasing and returning) that they did a few years ago. Consequently, online sites have to work that much harder to generate credibility and customer confidence.

The change from a physical storefront to an online merchandiser poses another problem of entering into E-Commerce. Overall, a physical store’s advantages as a retailer when they start to go to the Internet are all the things already established: reputation, the customer base, original advertising and marketing strategies, and of course, the store itself (Bock, 2003). The problem for most physical stores is that when they decide to go online, they basically have to redo their inventory systems and start from scratch. For this reason, entering into E-Commerce can be extremely hectic and time-consuming (Bock, 2003).

Overall, Internet and E-commerce Marketing is on the rise. As time and money for customers and businesses are limited, the Internet seems to be the most economic and, overall, convenient, choice in terms of selling. As I, personally, am not very enthusiastic about using the computer as primary means of selling a product when I enter the workforce, I was shocked to listen to the responses from a teacher I interviewed on the subject of Internet Marketing. The interview results are as follows:

My high school Accounting II teacher, Robert Mattson, said to me at the beginning of the month: “Why are you interested in traditional marketing? There’s no need for that; everything is done over the internet nowadays.” Mattson even goes as far to say: “Internet Marketing is doing away with salespeople.” Although Mattson’s response to my future ambition was not what I wanted to hear, I still valued his opinion. Most days during the school week, Mr. Mattson and I would have conversations during my lunch period about college, the business world, and life in general. I truly respect Mr. Mattson not only because he is a partner in several businesses, a Georgetown alumni, and a Certified Public Accountant, so his opinion is definitely backed. As much as I would like to disbelieve his blunt statements about the future of Marketing, I cannot. It is obvious if one wants a career in the Marketing field, his or her computer literacy will have to improve proportionate to the progress of technology.

Works Cited

Aranda, Natalie. "A Brief History of Internet Marketing." EzineArticles 28 January 2007. 04 October 2007 <>.

Bock, Wally. "Bricks, Clicks, and Mortar." The Digital Age Story Teller. 2003. 04 Oct. 2007 <http://www.bockinfo.com/docs/bricksandmortar.htm>.

Dawson, Keith. "Jargon Scout." Tasty Bits from the Technology Front. 27 June 2001. 04 Oct. 2007 <http://www.tbtf.com/jargon-scout.html>.

Lee, Ook. Internet Marketing Research Theory and Practice. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publisher, 2001.

Gwartney, James D., Richard L. Stroup, Russel S. Sobel, and David A. Macpherson. Microeconomics- Private and Public Choice. 11th ed. Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western, 2006. 70-71.

Mattson, Robert. Telephone interview. 01 Oct. 2007.