Monday, February 11, 2008 . 10:03 AM

E-commerce, internet marketing, e-business. These terms represent specific fields in their own right, yet are all as vast as the Web itself.

Let's take e-commerce, for example. You've got B2C, B2B, and C2C relationships. As B2C in directly related to Internet Marketing, (in the sense that more B2C relationships are built and maintained through Internet Marketing) I'll focus on that so that this entry sounds coherent. It also makes more sense to focus on B2C, as according to some sources, B2B marketers haven't quite harnessed the potential of the Internet as much as B2C marketers have. What does this mean?

More B2C marketers are getting it right when it comes to increase online sales. What are their secrets of success?

My top few reasons:

Superior Design Basically, this means ease of navigation. When visitors do end up on the website, they need clear directions about where to go and what to do.  Search engines, links or targeted marketing campaigns leads them to a page that tells them exactly what they want to know. Simple, up-front, and the product is easy to buy.

Personalization On the Web, you're not face-to-face with the customer. Yet, attention must be instantly grabbed and kept. This is achieved through using a casual, "human" tone in the written content on the Website. Power-packed words and an engaging style that coax the customer into buying the product, are key. A few pictures here and there wouldn't hurt, too. And lastly, comprehensive information (visually, or through text) about the product should be given online.

The right visitors. Relevance is key. There are many ways to make an e-commerce site relevant to the visitor. These include targeted e-shots to pay-per-click campaigns and natural search engine optimisation. After all, once the visitor has that pre-requisite level of interest, snagging them is very easy. Successful B2C e-commerce companies invest in this, wisely.

Customer Loyalty - retaining customers. Firstly, customer loyalty reduces cost-per-sale. Secondly, a loyal customer base results in referrals and cross-selling opportunities. Successful B2C e-commerce companies build a relationship with their customers, engaging them, keeping them updated about new products that come online and enticing them to make a repeat purchase. These are all traditional marketing skills that can be applied to online customers.

Other reasons (which I won't elaborate on for the sake of keeping this post short) are:

Security, and reliability of the website. Shopping is more convenient. Nobody wants their online shopping experience to be marred by being cheated of their money... or worse still, having their personal information being stolen.

Global Reach of e-commerce The Web's flattening effect provides companies with a huge target market from around the world.

Constant learning As I stated above, the business world is "flattened".. there is fierce competition as basically all companies, SMEs and the giants, fight for their customers. This, added to the ever-changing, dynamic nature of the Web, forces the good companies to constantly improve their websites to beat their rivals. This would mean the not-so-good companies would encounter...

Learning experiences. Lessons from failure

We may know of the infamous "dot.com" failures of 2001 and 2002.

The so-called "failures" of e-commerce websites can be used as stepping stones, or rather, learning experiences for those just starting out, or those open to reinventing themselves for the e-commerce scene.

Let's take the case of Yahoo.com

The company was in trouble in 2001-02 because they failed to take note of:

1) Economic Environment - they charged too much and lost ad revenue

2) Competitive Environment - they misjudged the impact of the entrance of Google into the market

Competition was also the reason Musicmaker, the online site which offered music to be shared by users at a price, failed in 2001, thanks to Napster (=free music).

3) Technological Environment - Yahoo! were apparently not using the most advanced algorithm as upstart Google

4) Legal Imbroglios... Lik Sang.com is a gaming retailer from Hong Kong which was forced to close down due to various legal actions brought against it by Sony. According to Sony, Lik Sang was liable for infringement of its trademarks, copyright and registered design rights by selling PS2 consoles from Asia to Europe.

Other reasons:

Failure to globalise

Doing the same thing - refusing to change

Neglecting the customer

Lack of innovation...

Customer service "meltdown".

There's one rather uncontrollable reason why e-commerce has "failed" in some aspects and that would probably be:

10) The buying habits of people are fundamentally the same. People actually prefer going out to a shop, trying things on, and then buying them, rather than buying online.

Internet marketing: crucial skills

The key to successful internet marketing is firstly: Foundations. Building marketable skills and values is the foundation for getting off to a good start in internet marketing.

The second step is to build a routine. Visitors may need to have information regularly - the website must be constantly updated

The power of adwords and keywords can never be underestimated. It directs your target audience to your website.

Going for internet marketing seminars is also a good option. As leading internet marketer Stuart Tan asserts, guidance is the start of most internet marketing venture.

In the end, of course, perseverance, skill, dedication, and the willingness to learn are some of the core characteristics to succeed in Internet Marketing, and even in e-commerce. It is not so much the situation but the attitude that counts in making an online venture succeed.