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Trading_around_the_clock_and_around_the_world
| Trading around the clock and around the world!
US business-to-business e-commerce will hit $2.7 trillion in
2004 and more than 90% of firms interviewed described plans to
buy and sell on the Internet, according to a recent Forrester
Research study.
The study, "e-Marketplaces Boost B2B Trade," reports that B2B
growth will be accelerated by the development of e-Marketplaces
- new models for conducting e-commerce - such as auctions,
exchanges, aggregators and bid systems. By 2004, Forrester
expects these e-Marketplaces to capture 53% of all online
business trade. Hand in hand with this development in B2B, is
the estimate that Internet sales (business to customer) will top
$1.35 trillion in the US by the year 2003. (Source: Masha E.
Geller, MediaPost http://www.mediapost.com )
Many netrepreneurs have already taken steps to hitch their wagon
to this rising star and have said goodbye to the traditional
shop front, and hello to the cybermall.
A cybermall can operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and
can sell to customers in every country in the world - if they
have an Internet connection. Nielsen/NetRatings figures show
that more and more people are connecting to the Internet every
month - in the US, 122.7 million people (aged 2 years and older)
had access to the Internet in January 2000. This had increased
to 123.6 million in the first week of March 2000.
With a world population of 6 billion, it's easy to see why
businesses are excited by the prospect of cybermalls.
Instead of battling with the rising costs of rent, staff wages,
advertising, packing and shipping, and dealing with the problems
of tracking down stock and suppliers - this new development in
e-commerce allows an individual to set up a complete web-based
business in less than 48 hours and receive commissions of 3% to
25% on all sales made from the site.
One such cybermall is http://www.aShop4All.com. It aims to
offer, "simply the best virtual one-stop shop," according to
CEO, John Freeman. "We should have completed a women's forum,
chat line and a consumer contest by the third week of March," he
says. This will complement the wide range of cyber stores
already part of the mall. "It's possible for customers to meet
all their shopping needs from this one site," says Freeman,
"from flowers and gifts, books and games, furniture and clothes
to office supplies, financial services and banking, travel
arrangements and auctions - there are even employment services
at aShop4All.com."
The inspiration for this concept dates back to 1997, when
Freeman's company was developing and producing bespoke software
and building websites; this was followed by the development of
software and hardware to upgrade computer systems for Y2K. These
products were certified by the consultant laboratories to the UK
Government, the State Pentagon and companies such as GEC Marconi.
"It was during this period of time that we realized that with
the growth of the Internet and e-commerce, niche marketing on
the Web would be very limited because of the volume of new users
and websites being registered," says Freeman. "We could see that
one-stop shopping sites would be the venue of choice for
consumers. Everyone knows that the info on search engines is
fragmented and the biggest complaint one hears is that it takes
too long to find anything, with our concept, if you're looking
for a golf ball you will have a number of outlets to choose from
- our software enables comparisons to be made and the best buy
found - the consumer is the big winner."
This view has been supported by recent reports into e-commerce
with Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) stating that
e-Marketplaces must evolve from today's isolated niche offerings
to become highly interconnected one-stop shops - or suffer the
consequences; and the National Retail Federation 2000 Conference
in January this year highlighting the challenges and
opportunities facing online retailers. More than 50% of major
retailers are still unable to take online orders, according to
findings presented.
This is where programs such as that offered by Freeman shine -
entrepreneurs can acquire sophisticated marketplace software or
entirely offload the building of their Web sites to an
experienced e-commerce integrator like aShop4all.com and be at
the forefront of e-commerce developments.
The Internet has achieved in marketing in just four years, what
it took radio forty years and television fourteen years to
achieve. Anyone can now be a part of the Internet explosion
without being an expert, just by becoming an aShop4All partner.
Americans spent 57.5 billion minutes online in January 2000
(according to a Media Metrix Top 50 At-Home and At-Work combined
Digital Media and Web audience ratings report). The research
firm says each person surveyed spent an average of 13.2 hours
online during the month - that's a captive audience in anyone's
language and justifies the enthusiasm of business people like
Freeman. "A cybermall can be set up for as little as $300 - how
many businesses require such a small capital outlay?" he says.
"At aShop4All.com, we take care of all the details. The entire
site is ready to start making money and is continuously updated
with new products. It's an ideal way for people to start their
e-commerce experience."
The last word belongs to Bill Gates, reported as saying, "By
2002 there will be two types of businesses - those on the Net
and those out of business."
About the author:
Jennifer Stewart offers home study tutorials, and professional
writing and editing services from her website:
http://www.write101.com .Subscribe to free, weekly Writing Tips:
mailto:WritingTips-subscribe@onelist.com
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