Background and Objectives
Background
Nowadays a successful company might rely on how well it markets itself and its products, assuring that its customers are satisfied and pleased, with the purchased products or services, the service received the auxiliary packages of delivery and finance that are offered. Consequently, “innovative managers are looking for unique ways to compete more effectively on a local, regional and global basis” (Pual, 1996). Therefore, the utilization of the World Wide Web (WWW) by companies and individuals to reach the visions and objectives of marketing, sales, and communication has become prevalent (Huang & Yang, 2008).
Economic globalization is a reality that no one can deny. The world economy is becoming even more integrated by advancements in information technology. Globalization comes with challenges as well as opportunities. A major challenge is an increase in competition. In a global business environment, an organization has to compete with more and even more competitive companies. Apart from challenges, globalization also comes with a lot of opportunities. Globalization creates a wider market for goods and services. An organization takes advantage of the wider market by taking appropriate strategies. The internet is an important tool in international business. Internet technology has not only reduced cost of communication but has also overcome some early barriers to international business such as distance (Smith & Chaffey, 2005). With advancements in internet technology, individuals can communicate in almost real-time. Besides, advancement in internet applications has led to applications that support sophisticated business transactions over the internet. Electronic commerce (E-Commerce) has been in rapid growth in the recent past. As more and more people have access to internet connectivity and spend most of their time with a computer, transacting business over the internet becomes the most efficient way to carry out business transactions. The development of portable digital devices such as phones that can access the internet provides a great opportunity for businesses.
An essential change in how organizations and their customers collaborate and interact is possible with the new technology now available as “the advent of the internet is having a major impact in the way in which communications between companies and consumers are conducted and maintained in the evolving marketing panorama” (Ozuem, Howell and Lancaster, 2008). In this respect, “The most important development….has been the explosion of international marketing activity on the Internet and the associated emergence of the global information superhighway” (Hamill, 1997). These new technological developments for sourcing information will alter and change how many companies handle their business (Ozuem, Howell and Lancaster, 2008). These days, internet application has increased quickly and the explosion of internet usage has led marketers to use international marketing as a good concept to market their business and increase their sales turnover and market share.
Advancement in internet technology has elevated the internet as the most important platform where future business shall be carried out. Marketing, as one of the important activities of commerce, benefits significantly from the internet. Electronic marketing or E-marketing is simply known as a modern is a contemporary form of selling and buying services, goods, ideas and information through the internet and other electronic means. Various authors provided varying definitions of electronic marketing depending on their specialization or background. For example, Smith and Chaffey define it as ability to accomplish objectives of marketing by use of digital means (Smith & Chaffey, 2005). Strauss and Frost on the other hand define E-marketing as “The use of electronic data and applications for planning and executing the conception, distribution and pricing of ideas, goods and services to create exchange that satisfies individual and organizational objectives” (Strauss & Frost, 2001). Perspectives from various authors will be considered in the research. Various perspectives on the subject will be compared to its application at Amazon.Com.
Amazon is an American electronic commerce company that has become an image of internet business. Jeff Bezos established the company in 1994 and launched it in 1995 as an online bookstore. However, the logo rapidly became symbolic as they started to sell wide variety of products. Amazon.com had many retail websites and provided its services in over 200 countries (Johnson G., Scholes K., Whittington R., 2008). It has also different patented technology services that sustain its delivery and products. It also uses internet technological tools to enhance its international marketing and increase its market share and customer satisfaction. Therefore, there is a need to study the practical impact of the internet on international marketing and how such modern technology will change the face of traditional marketing phenomena. Amazon.com is one of renowned companies which has obtained very good benefits through its international internet marketing tools.
An increase in competition in the global business environment has been a major challenge to modern businesses. Businesses have to consider new approaches to ensure that they remain relevant or competitive. Considering that survival of a firm depends on its ability to create value while value depends on customers, marketing has a very significant contribution to growth of a firm (Smith & Chaffey, 2005). Despite contribution of marketing to an organization, there is little research on contribution of E-marketing to business success. As a promising form of marketing, more research is required to establish its performance and come up with relevant contributions on how marketing can be conducted effectively in the dynamic internet platform.
As my background is in management information systems and I am currently studying MSc in International Business. I am really interested in the role of internet in international marketing and In order to explain my conclusion in a very practical way, I have chosen amazon.com as a case study to illustrate my objectives in practice. I hope this study will open a gate for me to enhance my future career in establishing an online grocery in Jordan and use good international marketing techniques to enhance my trade-in Arab countries.
Research Aim
Marketing is a very important activity in an organization. It is through marketing that an organization is able to present its product to customers and motivate them to make decisions to buy the products. Without marketing, an organization cannot be able to sell goods and services that are produced. Like other activities, marketing is influenced by changes in technology. Advancement in internet technology has significant influence on marketing. The research study aims to evaluate the role of internet in international marketing.
Research objectives
To accomplish the above states main objective, the following specific objectives were desired:
To explain the impact of internet on the international marketing and marketing mix: International marketing is significantly different from marketing and local market. In international marketing, targeted market is different: Market could be wider, diverse cultured, varying tastes and differences in language. The internet has significant influence on international marketing. Attaining this objective will lead to an elaboration on how internet technology has influenced marketing strategy in international market, especially on its influence components of marketing mix.
To provide a clearer understanding of the tools and benefits, opportunities of internet to enhance the international marketing, and understand the marketing challenges that a company will face in a global environment selling through Internet. The internet provides various opportunities and challenges. Through this objective, the opportunities, benefits and challenges will be evaluated. This will provide important information to organizations that want to use the internet to market their products.
To explain Amazon.com’s strategy and how amazon.com uses internet and innovation internet marketing tools to support its strategy and enhance its international marketing. Amazon.Com has been successful in using the internet as a marketing tool. Analysis of internet marketing as practiced as Amazon.Com is very important to any individual or organization that wishes to use internet marketing. This objective plays an important role as a point of reference to the main objective. Successes, challenges and opportunities presented from the case study are useful to application of internet marketing in another framework.
Reference List
- Hamill, J. (1997) ‘The Internet and international marketing’ International Marketing Review [online] 14, 300-323
- Huang, Y, Yang, W. (2008) ‘Motives for and consequences of reading internet book reviews’ The Electronic Library [online] 97-110
- Johnson, G., Scholes, K., Whittington, R. (2008), Exploring Corporate Strategy. 8th edn. Prentice-Hall, Harlow
- Ozuem, W,. Howell, K,. Lancaster, G. (2008) ‘Communicating in the new interactive marketspace’ European Journal of Marketing [online] 42, 1059-1083
- Paul, P. (1996) ‘Marketing on the Internet’ Journal of Consumer Marketing 13, 27-39
- Smith, P. & Chaffey, D. (2005) e-Marketing excellence: at the heart of e-Business. Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, UK. 2nd edition
- Strauss, J. & Frost, R. (2001) E-marketing. NJ: Prentice Hall