- The Trouble with Websites
- Costs of Poor Usability
- Customer-Centric Vision
- So What's New?
- A New Kind of "Shelf"
- A New Kind of Shopper
- The Role of Product
- The Morphing Marketplace
- A New Kind of Business
- Competing in the New Marketplace
- Integrating into Global Markets
- Finding the Niche
- The New Rules of the Online Renaissance
So What's New?
The world changed with Internet adoption. Online stores emerged as an entirely new marketplace. Shoppers changed their shopping habits as new choices and an abundance of information became available. Marketplaces morphed and traditional channels of distribution blurred as new entrants came onto the scene creating a new competitive environment. With the adoption of the Internet came the following new factors influencing shopping:
Online stores displayed products on a new kind of "shelf."
Hybrid online stores emerged from traditional organizations and skill sets.
The marketplace focused increasingly on alternative channels.
The Internet reinforced the importance of a global marketplace.
The online renaissance created a new awareness of information as a shopping driver.
Given this new environment, it's important to take a fresh look at the features the online store offers and the factors that influence it. These new shopping methods require the merchant to play by new rules.