Electronic Commerce:
  The Strategic Perspective
              This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
          Electronic Commerce:
      The Strategic Perspective
       Richard T. Watson - University of Georgia
            Pierre Berthon - Bentley College
        Leyland F. Pitt – Simon Fraser University
       George M. Zinkhan - University of Georgia
                          Copyright © 2008 by 
              Richard T. Watson, Pierre Berthon, Leyland F. Pitt, and George M. Zinkhan
             The Global Text Project is funded by the Jacobs Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland
              This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
     Electronic Commerce      2                    A Global Text
                              3
              This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
      Table of Contents
        Preface...............................................................................................................................................................6
      1. Electronic commerce: An introduction...................................................................................8
        Electronic commerce defined...........................................................................................................................8
        Who should use the Internet?..........................................................................................................................8
        Why use the Internet?......................................................................................................................................9
        Disintermediation...........................................................................................................................................12
        Key themes addressed.....................................................................................................................................13
      2. Electronic commerce technology ..........................................................................................21
        Internet technology.........................................................................................................................................21
        Infrastructure..................................................................................................................................................22
        Electronic publishing......................................................................................................................................23
        Electronic commerce topologies....................................................................................................................24
        Security...........................................................................................................................................................27
        Electronic money............................................................................................................................................33
        Secure electronic transactions........................................................................................................................35
      3. Web strategy: Attracting and retaining visitors...................................................................39
        Types of attractors .........................................................................................................................................40
        Attractiveness factors.....................................................................................................................................45
        Sustainable attractiveness .............................................................................................................................47
        Strategies for attractors .................................................................................................................................49
        Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................51
      4. Promotion: Integrated Web communications......................................................................53
        Internet technology for supporting marketing .............................................................................................53
        Integrated Internet Marketing.......................................................................................................................55
      5. Promotion & purchase: Measuring effectiveness..................................................................61
        The Internet and the World Wide Web..........................................................................................................61
        An electronic trade show and a virtual flea market........................................................................................61
        The role of the Web in the marketing communication mix...........................................................................64
        Web marketing communication: a conceptual framework............................................................................65
      6. Distribution............................................................................................................................72
        What is the purpose of a distribution strategy?.............................................................................................73
        What does technology do?..............................................................................................................................74
        The Internet distribution matrix....................................................................................................................75
        The effects of technology on distribution channels.......................................................................................76
        Some long-term effects ..................................................................................................................................80
      7. Service....................................................................................................................................85
        What makes services different?......................................................................................................................85
        Cyberservice....................................................................................................................................................86
      8. Pricing....................................................................................................................................94
        Web pricing and the dynamics of markets.....................................................................................................95
        Flattening the pyramid and narrowing the scope of marketing....................................................................98
        Migrating up the pyramid and more effective marketing ...........................................................................101
      9. Post-Modernism and the Web: Societal effects..................................................................106
        What is modernism?.....................................................................................................................................107
        And Post-Modernism?..................................................................................................................................107
     Electronic Commerce      4                    A Global Text