The Benefits Of Internet Marketing For Consumers
In this report I will explain, fully, the benefits to consumers of a business using internet marketing. I will give examples of contrasting organisations that use each benefit successfully. I will also analyse, in detail, the evidence of the benefits of internet marketing with regards to the retailer JD Sports.
The internet and the world of online shopping has seen the demise of the high street retailers. It has changed consumers shopping habits, with people being able to access the intent whenever and wherever they like. Businesses have benefited from the opportunity to reach out to new customers and markets and offer better ranges of products and customer service. There are five main ways that customers can benefit from using a business that offer internet marketing and many successful company’s have become successful from seeing a benefit early on and monopolising that benefit. Amazon, Ebay etc have all become global brands and household names all through the power of internet marketing. JD Sports latest sales figures for 2018 sport that online sales grew by 30% on the year. “The Group embraces the latest online and instore digital technology providing it with a truly multichannel, international platform for future growth. ” - Peter Cowgill, Executive Chairman.
Comparing and Selecting Providers
The internet allows the customer to browse, compare and select products from any business that has a website. Businesses pay to come top of internet searches using key words and phrases, such is the competition to hols a buyers interest. Once a product has been chosen by a consumer they can then go on to select the retailer with the best price, delivery costs and service by comparing against other retailers selling the same item. Becoming a reliable internet business may mean that consumers may not shop around as much if they get good service with their first transaction. Some company’s such a Groupon attract customers who may not even know what they are looking for as a product or service, just that they have a reputation for offering “experiences” at greatly reduced prices. For the customer who has specific needs there are comparison websites who will search for the best prices and range of services within those set needs and present the consumer with a list of potential business who fit their needs. Examples of these are insurance and travel companies, confused. com and trivago. com were early pioneers of this sort of comparison based industry. Auction websites such as ebay. com allow customers to select items and bid for them, above a reserve price, at a level or price that they feel it is worth. Many eBay traders are people who have set up successful businesses by offering products and services that were perhaps too niche to be successful before the internet. Second hand and “bootsale” sites are also now becoming increasingly popular. It todays more environmentally friendly society, selling unwanted items to others in their local area or community is much more preferable than advertising in the old fashioned way of classified or private adverts in local papers and much better for the environment than just throwing things into landfill or the local tip. gumtree. co. uk and shpock. co. uk are the leaders in this field.
Company’s that used to be only B2B based can now sell directly to a private customer, without a trade account, without the need to set up showrooms or retail units, simply by offering their products online. This is particularly useful to consumers when things break down or need replacing. They can order spare parts or specialist items normally only available to specialists. JD Sports website comes top of the search engines list for key words that are typed in by customers looking for fashion/street/sports wear. JD pay for this to happen, to maximise their sales. When a customer logs onto the website, they are immediately aware of the huge global brands that JD sells, the brands logos are clearly advertised straight away. JD also use the adverts and promotional images for the products from the big global brands they sell directly from those brands marketing departments. This creates an exiting and up to date first impression, leaving the customer with little doubt about what JD are selling. Screen shot for Google search for “fashion sportswear”. The amount of information in this small space is amazing, allowing the person searching to see what JD is offering and where their nearest branches, with contact details are. Offers and discounts are available with one click. The company’s star rating/reviews are easy to spot too.
Comprehensive and Up-to Date Product Information
Customers shopping online do not have the retail experience on the High Street, allowing them to sample products, try on clothes and shoes on or touch, taste and smell their purchases! Instead the online experience offers them a huge amount of information, with photos, text, videos and size charts and comparisons to make their decisions. A good website will make information on the key product details easily available. These would include, price, and online promotions, full description of features and specifications, colour options and a choice of delivery methods and costings. Other customers who have purchased the same product, are frequently asked to leave feedback or reviews of the product and the service they receive. Retailers and traders on amazon. com rely on their “star rating” when customers are searching through the thousands of products available. The more stars and reviews available for that product are a key selling point and customers will tend to buy those products with the best reviews. When making a large purchase or one that is hugely important to them, such as a holiday, customers often visit sites such as tripadvisor. com. This site and others offer detailed reviews and the ability to upload photos and videos of holidays, meals and experiences.
There have been complaints from the owners of businesses reviewed on these sites that the people who have posted reviews have not actually stayed or visited their premises and that some people use them as blackmail to get discounts and money off future purchases, if they say they have a complaint to make. Tripadvisor and other sites have now tightened up the way that these reviews are posted, allowing business to reply and respond to the reviews. On the whole they have provided a comprehensive way of researching such a purchase.
