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INFS7040 E-Commerce for Managers

Semester 2, 2007 – Major Assignment

Managing the Digital Enterprise

Digital Markets

Ahmad Fauzie Nur (u4450324),


Andress Hamenda (u4330344),
Andrey Hasiholan Pulungan (u4435830),
Anindya Khrisma Sari (u4383790)
Patarika Piyapanee (u4348405),

Word Count: 8,540 words (excluding references)

Due Date: Monday 17 September 2007, 12:00 noon as follows:


E-copy: via email to walter.fernandez@anu.edu.au
Paper copy: assignment box, ABIS School Office

Last Update: 16 July 2007


File Name: INF7040_Assignment_Template v 02.doc
Writing Documentation That Works

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Key Success Factors in the Digital Market 2

3. Major Issues/Considerations 4

3.1. The Types and Infrastructure of Electronic Market.......................... 4


3.1.1. The Types of Electronic Market .............................................. 4
3.1.2. Electronic Market Infrastructure .............................................. 5
3.2. The Effects of Digital Market on Price........................................... 7
3.2.1. Digital Market and Price Elasticity of Demand.......................... 8
3.2.2. Digital Market and Price Dispersion ........................................ 9
3.3. Switching Costs in the Digital Market ......................................... 10
3.3.1. The Importance and Types of Switching Costs........................ 11
3.3.2. The Movement of Switching Costs in Electronic Markets ........ 12
3.4. Promotion in Digital Market ....................................................... 12
3.5. Customer Relationship Management ........................................... 16
3.6. Ethics in the Digital Market ........................................................ 19
3.6.1. Privacy ............................................................................... 19
3.6.2. Trust................................................................................... 20
3.6.3. Security .............................................................................. 21

4. Potential Impact 22

4.1. Impact of Digital Market on Society ............................................ 22


4.2. Impact of Digital Market on Organisations................................... 24
4.3. Impact of Digital Market on Individuals....................................... 25

5. Conclusion 27

6. References 28

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Writing Documentation That Works Introduction

Tables
Table 1: Membership and Individual Contribution............................................................................b
Table 2: Human Resources Mismanagement Penalties. .....................................................................b
Table 3: Topics and Teams....................................................................................................................ii
Table 4: Internet Advertising Method................................................................................................ 14

Figures
Figure 1: Percentage of Global Population with Internet Access ...................................................... 2
Figure 2: The E-Business Market Trading Model .............................................................................. 5
Figure 3: Electronic Payment Process .................................................................................................. 6
Figure 4: Percentage of Business with Internet Access..................................................................... 23

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Writing Documentation That Works Introduction

1. Introduction

Digital market today is playing a significant role in the world’s economy


particularly in the way of conducting business. Both digital and traditional markets
have a basic function of assisting the buyer and seller conducting transaction through
the exchange of products, information and payment (Bakos, 1998, p.35). Moreover,
the application of internet in commerce is predicted may reform the communication in
the marketplace and lead to the perfect market, which has many sellers, buyers and
substitutable goods and services as well as symmetric information (Bar, 2002, p.29).
For years, digital market has raised many issues, for instance whether digital
market increases the level of competition in the market or whether digital market
affects the price. Janssen and Moraga (2000, p.2) argue that the internet will reduce
the search cost for consumer and increase competition among sellers that will lead to
higher level of welfare and lower price of commodity. Another researcher, Bakos
(1998, p.42) also claims that it is clearer that internet-based marketplaces will support
better economic efficiency and maintain economic growth.
The digital market may also change the way of the business implementing the
marketing strategy and managing its relationship with costumers. Song and Zahedi
(2005, p.222) state that the internet can be used as an alternative medium by business
to perform product branding and conduct transaction and maintain the relationship
with public. This may bring positive effects on lower cost of communication and
transaction, improved communication with customers and vendors in the terms of
speed and quality, as well as broader market scope (Song & Zahedi, 2005, p.222).
The objectives of this report are to analyse the key aspects in digital market and
how the digital market affects the market dynamics nowadays as well as its impact on
individuals, organizations and society in overall. To achieve those objectives, we
examine six major issues in digital markets, which are communication infrastructure
of digital markets, the effect of digital market on price, switching costs, promotion
and customer relationship management function, and ethical issues in electronic
market. Furthermore, we explore the overall effects of digital market on society,
organizations and individuals. Finally, in the last section, we present the conclusion of
all issues in the digital market.

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Writing Documentation That Works Key Success Factors in the Digital Market

2. Key Success Factors in the Digital Market

Digital market or e-market is an international organization systems where


buyers and sellers exchange information each other about products offered and price
(Bakos, 1991, p.296). Varadarajan and Yadav (2002, p.297), then, extended the
electronic market definition as networked information systems enable buyers and
sellers to exchange information, trade, and execute other activities related to the
transaction made. The purpose of digital market is to attract large numbers of
suppliers and buyers, which then become the member of that marketplace (Ferreira &
Ferreira, 2004, p.254).

The role of internet in trading and commercial activities has become dominant
over time. Figure 1 below shows how the percentage of internet users in the world had
been increased in 1995-2000 (Chaffey 2002). The interactive between buyers and
sellers has been transformed from physical to virtual form. Time and distances are no
longer being the barriers or obstacles for buyers and sellers to make a transaction
through the internet. It creates a borderless world that change the way of business
today.

Figure 1: Percentage of Global Population with Internet Access


Source: www.nua.ie/surveys , cited in Chaffey, 2002.

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Writing Documentation That Works Key Success Factors in the Digital Market

Many companies can achieve their best performance by using information


technology or internet in their operations. According to Turban et al (2008), Boeing,
for instance, can successfully develop their jet aircraft with its 3800 direct suppliers.
In maintaining the relationship with its suppliers, Boeing develop ten multimedia
rooms for the use of collaboration teams which is open 365 days a year, 24 hours a
day (Turban et al. 2008).
On the other hand, Clark (2001) reported the bankruptcy of Boo Hoo, an e-
tailer company. Boo Ho collapsed because they fail to get sufficient buyers fast
enough to generate revenues that exceed the company’s setup cost (BBC 2000).
People who visited their websites have over expectations on Boo Ho (Clark 2001). At
the end, Boo Ho were forced to sell their technical equipment to another UK internet
venture and sell their web address to a Unites States fashion retailer (Clark 2001).
There are several reasons that might cause the failure companies that
participate in the digital market. First, companies might not aware of the price
structure in the digital market. Second, the high cost of customer relationship
management reduces significantly the profit of companies. Third, companies fail to
ensure the customers of the security and privacy of customer data, so that customers
are reluctant to conduct transactions in the digital market. Therefore, the purpose of
this report is to analyse several important factors that are required to support the
success of companies in the digital market.

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Writing Documentation That Works Major Issues/Considerations

3. Major Issues/Considerations

In this section, we examine six different issues related with electronic markets.
First, we explain the communication infrastructure needed to support the operation of
digital market. Second, we evaluate the effects of digital markets on the price,
particularly about the price elasticity of demand and price dispersion. Third, the effect
of digital market in the switching cost will be described. Fourth, we examine how
digital market affects the marketing strategy as well as the customer relationship
management implemented by the seller. Finally, we analyse the ethical issues in
digital markets

3.1. The Types and Infrastructure of Electronic


Market
As stated earlier, electronic market is a place that links buyer and seller.
Electronic market is unlikely to sustain unless it has a large number of buyers and
sellers, for example MetalSite, an electronic market in metal industry, was shut down
in 2001 because the trade volume was too small for MetalSite to survive (Papazoglou
& Ribbers, 2006, p.217). In contrast, Ebay is able to survive because it has 233
million registered users worldwide (Ebay 2007). Gillespie (2005) reports Amazon had
nearly 49 million active customers, in which most of them bought more electronics
during 2004 holidays. Furthermore, Yahoo and media companies CNET states in their
annual reports in 1998 that their profitability was driven by customer loyalty
(Goldfarb 2003, p.266).

3.1.1. The Types of Electronic Market


According to Berryman et al. (cited in Chaffey, p.43), there are three types of
electronic marketplace:

1. Sell-side electronic marketplace is a site which is controlled by seller. For


example the supplier’s home page which can facilitate e-commerce
transactions.

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2. Buy-side electronic marketplace or buyer controlled site is an intermediary in


which the buyer initiates the creation of the market. For instance when the
buyer requests to the number of suppliers through the intermediary, to procure
the goods and services required.

3. Marketplace or neutral site is an autonomous intermediary who can provide


the comparison of price and product.

3.1.2. Electronic Market Infrastructure


According to Papazoglou and Ribbers (2006), in electronic markets, there are
suppliers who offer their products to the electronic market and buyers who search and
review product offerings. Orders from buyers are then sent to suppliers through
messaging system, which also communicates the order status to buyers (Papazoglou
& Ribbers 2006). Figure 1 below shows how electronic markets working.

Supplier Supplier Supplier Supplier

register/offer/sell

E-market

search/select/buy

Buyer Buyer Buyer Buyer

Figure 2: The E-Business Market Trading Model


Source: Papazoglou & Ribbers 2006

In conducting purchasing transaction in electronic market, the credit card is


the most common method of payment. That is why most of transaction on the web
depends on credit card payment processes (O’Brien 2005) However, in banking and
retailing industries, the major form of payment systems is electronic fund transfer
(O’Brien 2005). Figure 2 below shows electronic payment done in electronic market.

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Customer Merchant
Request
Client Merchant’s
Browser Web Server

* Verify merchant * Verify customer


* Receive order info Payment * Review payment info
* Receive payment info Server * Authorize or deny payment
* Confirm order

Online third-party
computers with links to
multiple payment systems

Credit Cards Bank Accounts Online Buying E-Bill Payment Electronic Cash
VISA Debit cards Payflow Pro CheckFree BillPoint
MasterCard Online banking 1 ClickCharge Paytrust Paypal
Figure 3: Electronic Payment Process
Source: O’Brien 2005

The question is how sellers can offer their products to market place, and how
buyers can search and review offers from sellers. In other words, what types of
communication technologies are needed to form the electronic market infrastructure.
Several researchers, for example Bar (2002), Maes, Guttman, and Moukas (1999,
p.81) argues that basically internet provides infrastructure and channel for the
electronic market. Internet is the “global interconnected network environment”
(Turban et al. 2008, and Strauss, El-Ansary, & Frost 2003). It is a place where buyers
and sellers meet and make business transaction (Bar 2002, p.39). It also makes
exchanging information about product and services become faster (Bar 2002, p.36).
The debate about the internet as the infrastructure of electronic market is
whether internet is only a network-aided commerce, which is to make market process
more efficient rather than essentially a new market process (Bar 2002, p.27). The
improvement that the internet offers is argued similar with any other improvements
done by communication technologies (Bar 2002, p.37). For example the invention of
fax also enables buyers and sellers to exchange information faster. Internet only
makes it more rapidly and possibly more efficient. Thus, there are two reasons behind
this argument; first, in order to be the basic of a new market process, the

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improvements done by internet need to be different with what has been done by
previous communication technologies and, second, the improvements represents the
first phase in a new cyclical pattern of the new market (Bar 2002, p.37).
Nevertheless, Bar (2002, p.38) states that internet becomes the communication
technology that underlies the new market process mainly because it develops new
market architecture. The infrastructure of the traditional market is physical (Varadajan
& Yadav 2001, p.296), in where the organizations are brick-mortar, which are purely
physical organizations (Turban et al. 2008). Basically, the physical marketplace can
only be reached by nearby consumers. In contrast, with the internet, the market
infrastructure is no longer physical but network or electronic (Varadajan & Yadav
2001, p.296). The impact, then, electronic markets can serve much larger scale of
sellers and buyers (Varadajan & Yadav 2001, p.296). For example, Kelkoo.com,
founded in 2000, served 8.5 million users from across Europe
(http://www.kelkoo.co.uk/co_4293-corporate-information-company.html).
Hence, we find internet can be defined as a communication technology that
forms a new market process because it does not only create market more efficient, but
because it underlies the new market architecture. Internet has created the new market
infrastructure, which is network. It is different with the physical infrastructure used in
traditional market.

3.2. The Effects of Digital Market on Price


The internet is believed to change the structure of market closer to perfect
competition. In the economic theory, a perfectly competitive market is identified by
homogenous product, no power to set the price, mobility of resources and symmetric
information among participants (Thompson Jr. & Formby 1993). Internet attracts
more buyers and sellers to participate in electronic exchange because of the benefits
offered by the transparency of information in that market. Buyers that have more
information about the product will have better decision making. Sellers also gain
better knowledge of their customers, business partners and competitors. Furthermore,
with low cost of implementation and wide offerings of applications, internet will
lessen the entry barrier and spread the bargaining power among the participants in the
market, which then bring near to perfect market (Bar, 2002, p.28).

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The market that is more efficient may affect to the fall of price, to the narrow
price spread, to the smaller and more frequent price changes and high price elasticity
of demand (Bailey cited in Häring 2003, p.2). The internet reduces the cost of
searching of customers, thus, lessens the bargaining power of sellers in the market,
particularly in setting the price (Janssen & Moraga, 2000, p.2). On the other hand,
suppliers also try to increase profit, which may decrease due to lower cost of
searching, by increasing the level of its product differentiation (Bakos, 1998, p.41).
Thus, in the next parts, we examine the explanation of the effect of the digital market
to the price in digital market will cover price elasticity of demand and price
dispersion.

3.2.1. Digital Market and Price Elasticity of Demand


The implementation of the digital market in exchanging goods and services
might affect the level of price elasticity of demand. Price elasticity of demand would
become higher since buyers tend to search for the best price for the goods and
services needed, particularly for homogenous products. Ellison and Ellison (2004,
p.4) found that search-for-price activity through the internet was frictionless and
might affect to the significant increased demand elasticity. Moreover, charging the
low price for low quality goods might encourage not only their sales, but also the
medium and high quality products (Ellison & Ellison, 2004, p.4). Chevalier and
Goolsbee (2003, pp.204-205) found that in the online book market, for example
Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, the price was more volatile than in the
conventional market. In addition, the demand in this homogenous market was
significantly elastic to price (Chevalier & Goolsbee, 2003, p.216). This result is
consistent with the research conclusion conducted by Brown and Goolsbee (2002,
p.483) in the life insurance industry. Furthermore, these outcomes may happen
because the buyer is provided with the facility to search and compare the price in
easy, inexpensive and fast way (Rappa, 2007). Besides the frictionless of the price
searching activity, another factor that drives the decline price is the advertisement.
The more frequent the product advertised in the internet, the tendency of its price to
decline became higher (Clay, Krishnan & Wolff, 2001, p.522).
In contrast, other researchers have found that the demand was far from
sensitive related to the sellers’ products sales, even in homogenous products. Smith

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and Brynjolfsson (2001, p.542) conducted a research using the sample of shopbot
consumers, who were considered as the most-price-sensitive consumers. They found
that the consumers really considered about the brand of retailers, even for the
homogenous product, in this case were books (Smith & Brynjolfsson, 2001, p.542).
There were two reasons behind this finding, which first, the brand might reflect the
non-contractible aspects (i.e. quality) of products, which were not informed well in
the electronic market, for example the shipping time (Smith & Brynjolfsson, 2001,
pp.542,553-555). Second, suppliers tended to differentiate their products and services
from their competitors (Smith & Brynjolfsson, 2001, p.542,556-557). Thus, it
becomes difficult to compare those goods because of their differentiated
characteristics. The demand, furthermore, becomes less sensitive to the price changes.
Despite the increasing number of information provided by the internet, the
asymmetric information among the participants still does exist. The quality of
products and its related services were not well informed through the internet (Ellison
& Ellison, 2004, pp.3). Moreover, sellers had the intention to do that obfuscation in
order to make their consumers less informed of the product then could not compare
the price accurately (Ellison & Ellison, 2004, pp.4,38-40). The motive of sellers
behaving in that way was to avoid direct price competition because they had to cover
relatively high expenses related with the adoption of internet, handling the order
individually and the increasing number of advertising (Ellison & Ellison, 2004,
pp.4,38-40).

3.2.2. Digital Market and Price Dispersion


In this part we examine whether the electronic market could affect the price
dispersion. The major factor of the narrow price dispersion is the low of searching
cost. Brown and Goolsbee (2002, pp.504-505) found that in the early stage of the use
of internet as a searching tool, price dispersion in life insurance market increased.
However, as the wider spread of internet use, its dispersion becomes narrow Brown
and Goolsbee (2002, p.505). The more numbers of consumers involving in the online
market and searching intensively made tougher the competition among the sellers,
thus brought the pressure to the sellers to keep the price close to their competitors. It
also happened in online book industry (Clay, Krishnan & Wolff 2001, pp.521-522).

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On the contrary, sellers tended to avoid the price competition by


differentiating their products and services from their competitors. They did
differentiation in brand, price as well as the depth of the offerings (Clay, Krishnan &
Wolff, 2001, p.522). This strategy was supported with fact that there was not equal
competition among commodity goods and some numbers of consumers did not
migrate to online market (Clay, Krishnan & Wolff, 2001, p.537).. The sellers applied
high price to get surplus from those offline consumers, which might cause substantial
amount of the price dispersion still existed (Janssen & Moraga, 2000, pp.3-5).
Generally, even in the homogenous product,,sellers try to deliver distinct
products and services to their consumers. They prefer to increase their economies of
scope than to increase their economies of scale. Sellers avoid the direct price
competition in order to get higher revenues over their high expenses. In addition, the
heterogeneity of buyers particularly in their needs and preferences might support the
implementation of differential pricing (Clemons et al., 2002, p.75) Moreover, the
existence of asymmetric information among participant in online market, particularly
in buyers’ side might also bring the same effect (Bailey, Faraj, & Yao, 2007, pp.57-
59). Then, the substantial price dispersion will exist.
Overall, we find that in most cases, suppliers tend to differentiate their
products and services to customers because they are more likely to avoid direct price
competition that may reduce their profits. As the result, they tend to set their price that
is different with the average price in the market. The price elasticity of demand, thus,
will not be as higher as expected and there will be still significant price dispersion in
the market.

3.3. Switching Costs in the Digital Market


Switching costs can be defined as costs incurred when economic agents, for
example buyers change their suppliers (Ke, Minyi, & Li, 2004, p.1). It is like ‘two
edged sword’ (Shapiro & Varian, 1999, p.111), which may be dislike by customers,
but embraced by certain suppliers. According Goldfarb (2003, p.267), switching cost
in electronic market can be measured and easily perceived, such as email accounts, or
can be more subtle, for example psychological cost or brand loyalty cost (Klemperer,
1995, p.518). In this section, we discuss why switching costs are important in the

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digital market, types of switching costs and whether switching costs decline in digital
market.

3.3.1. The Importance and Types of Switching Costs


Switching costs should be considered important in digital market (Glassberg &
Merhout, 2000, p.54) because they may determine the success or failure of sellers in
electronic market. Switching costs prevent customers to move to other suppliers
(Chenn & Hitt, 2000, p.134), thus, if a company fails to recognize the switching costs
in its business competition, the company is likely to have a high risk of failure
(Shapiro & Varian, 1999, p.111). As this essay explains previously, an electronic
market needs a large number of buyers and sellers to keep going (Papazoglou &
Ribbers 2006), thus, many emerging e-commerce companies intend to recruit new
customers (Chenn & Hitt, 2000, p.134) so they may survive. However, there are
customers who are reluctant to change their existing suppliers to the new one. In some
cases, it may cause the close of electronic market. Eumedix, for example, could not
continue its electronic market operation in medical industry because of the reluctant
of hospitals to change their suppliers, which created difficulties to the new suppliers
to sell their products (Papazoglou & Ribbers 2006). At the end, Eumedix did not have
sufficient number of buyers and sellers, which caused Eumedix to close its operation
(Papazoglou & Ribbers 2006).
Klemperer (1987, p.375) argues that there are three types of switching costs,
which are transaction costs, learning costs, and artificial or contractual costs.
Transaction costs are costs occurred to begin a new relationship with a supplier and
occasionally also include the costs needed to end an existing relationship (Chenn &
Hitt, 2000, p.136). Second, learning costs are the effort needed by customers to learn
a new product so that they can use it in the same level of comfort or facility with the
old product (Chenn & Hitt, 2000, p.136). If somebody makes a cake mix, for
example, it is easier for that person to buy from the same brand that the person
already familiar with because the person already knows how to prepare the mix cake
by using it rather than to buy a new brand, even though the person knows that those
brands have the same quality (Klemperer, 1995, p.517). Shapiro and Varian (1999,
p.117) includes the learning cost as part of searching cost. Artificial switching costs

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are costs made by intentional actions of firms and are very common in the
marketplace, such as frequent flyer programs (Chenn & Hitt, 2000, p.136).

3.3.2. The Movement of Switching Costs in Electronic Markets


It is argued that information technology might reduce the switching cost,
particularly searching cost. Benslimane, Plaisent, and Bernard (2001, p.221), for
example, concludes that the used of the world wide web could reduce search costs
because the world wide web may help buyers to identify potential suppliers quickly
and easily. Similarly, Xiao, Feng, and Roche (2005, p.189) suggest that information
technology is likely to reduce searching costs, which is the part of switching costs,
yet, the effect of information technology is insignificant to the switching cost in
overall (Xiao, Feng, & Roche 2005, p.189).
On the other hand, Chen and Hitt (2000, p.143) and Chen (2002, p.92)
empirically measured online switching costs in the online broker market and found
that switching costs vary substantially across brokers in electronic markets. Chen
(2002, p.92) also found that firms can significantly control their switching cost
through retention strategies. Goldfarb (2003, p.272) concludes that switching costs
faced by users can create market power and economic profits. Suppliers may create
switching cost to increase their profitability (Goldfarb, 2003, p.273). Ivang and
Sorensen (2005, p.401) argue that interdependency relationship between suppliers and
customers increase the switching cost for both suppliers and customers.
Generally, we found that switching costs do not significantly decline in the
electronic market. Information technology seems to be only able to reduce searching
costs but not to the switching costs in overall. Even though buyers attempt to reduce
switching costs by bargaining and having alternative suppliers, suppliers are likely to
increase the switching costs in order to retain their existing customers (Shapiro &
Varian 1999, pp.135-141). Thus, switching costs will be difficult to decline.

3.4. Promotion in Digital Market


The debate about how effective the promotion in the electronic market has
been raised for years. As explained earlier, in the digital market, buyers and sellers do
not have to meet physically in certain place and specific time to make transactions.
They can do it from everywhere and anytime. However, buyers face some

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uncertainties about products that they want to buy, particularly about the physical
conditions of products since they cannot examine the product physically (Sun, 2006,
p.626). In doing promotion in the digital market, information has become its own
viable product because the physical product has been replaced by the product
information on web site (Allen & Fjermestad, 2001, p.14). On the other hand, sellers
have to answer challenges in providing the information accuracy and reliability about
their products through the internet.
Allen and Fjermestad (2001, p.18) argue that the ‘traditional marketing’ is no
longer effective and tends to be expensive over time. Sellers must initiate and
maintain the relationship with their potential buyers so that they will be able to sell
their products repetitively in the future (Allen & Fjermestad, 2001, p.18). Other
researcher, Sun (2006, p.626) also argues that by using the internet, sellers can give
the signals to buyers who are able to search and learn for further information about
the products.
Sellers can conduct several approaches in promoting their products through the
internet, such as unsolicited advertising, permission marketing, as well as interactive
and targeted advertising (Turban et al. 2008). Unsolicited marketing is a method of
distribution of emails to several potential customers without their request or
permission before (Turban et al. 2008). This type of marketing is including ‘spam’
and ‘pop-up’ advertising (Turban et al. 2008). Permission marketing asked
authorization first from the consumer to receive the online advertising and e-mail
(Turban et al. 2008). Usually the costumer will receive e-mails periodically or
advertising messages with incentives. (Turban et al. 2008). Targeted advertising is
using specific group as the marketing target (Turban et al. 2008). There are many
methods of internet advertising can be used as decribed on following table.

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METHOD DESCRIPTION

Banners and buttons Brief ads that can be targeted or customized;


you can click on them to go to the advertiser’s
site
Pop up, pop under Automatically launched, unsolicited, when
you wait, enter, or exit Web Sites
Automated targeted advertising Google’s AdSense and Microsoft’s AdCenter
(search-related ads) are leading examples. These are targeted text
hints that appear when you conduct a search
Sponsored links in search engine Appear on top or right side of a page; bring
results you search results of Google, Yahoo, MSN, or
other search engine. Paid by sponsors to be on
first page
E-mail Relatively inexpensive. Can be targeted to a
group of recipients or individuals; frequently
unsolicited.
Electronic catalogs and rich media Advertise products/services; some with price
ads comparisons
Spy ware banners Advertiser-sponsored unsolicited ads; can be
in different formats
Classified ads Similar to newspaper classifieds. Search them
to find what you need
Wireless localization Knowing where you are, an ad is sent to your
cell phone or PDA regarding a business close
to your location
Online chat Customers are invited to text chat with sales
representatives
Affiliated marketing Advertisers pay Web sites (“partners”) to
place a banner on partner’s sites
Blog advertising Advertisers pay blog owners commission if
visitors click (and buy) on banners displayed
in the blogs
Viral marketing Online “word-of-mouth”, ”forward our
information to others”
Online promotions Several innovations that provide
entertainment or incentives to be exposed to
ads
Table 4: Internet Advertising Method

Source: Turban et al. 2008


Buyers can now compare the competing products and services with minimal
effort and less personal time (Srinivasan et al., 2002, p.41). Through digital market,
buyers have many choices of product sizes, types, and colours. On the other hand,
through the web pages or internet, sellers can provide almost unlimited information,
especially if it contains links to different sites (Samaniego, Arranz & Cabezudo 2006,

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p.165). Sellers can also use hyperlinks as the effective promotional vehicle (Wehling
1996, p.171).
Electronic markets also give a low cost for suppliers and manufacturers in
engaging direct links with buyers (Nolle, 2007, p.11). It can reduce the promotional
and advertising costs as well as increase the time effectiveness. Some companies who
tried to promote their products and services through internet have some difficulties
when their potential buyers cannot find their web pages. This obstacle may disturb the
company sales target achievement. As the solution, companies can use the promotions
that inform the companies’ web site addresses (Lee, 2003, p.306).
Moreover, there are some opportunities and challenges for companies to sell
their products through internet. Sellers in the electronic market can give more options
of products rather than in the physical market as well as details of product information
(Evans & Wurster, 1999, p.84). Sellers can also design and manage the web site
content so that the potential buyers can make one-stop-shopping and find the product
they need in effective way.
In digital market, product branding will still become the important part in
internet marketing (Allen & Fjermestad, 2001, p.18). Moreover, the new visitors tend
to search the products’ information based on the brands or logo that are familiar to
them (Quelch & Klein, 2006, p.70). It means that most of the customers still rely on
previous experience of buying and using the products (Quelch & Klein, 2006, p.70).
Thus, the trust to the products is the significant factor in buying decision (Quelch &
Klein, 2006, p.70)
In order to introduce product branding, web marketers should be able to utilize
consumer information to produce substantial value for the potential buyers. Taylor
and England (2006, pp.77-85) proposed the better way for web site design. They
introduce two methods of web site design; first, the web site content ranking which
puts the most required website contents higher in web site display, and second, web
site content grouping which gathers the similar web site content in the same place
(Taylor & England, 2006, pp.77-85). For marketing purposes, the main purpose of
this method is to increase the accessibility and prominence of the web site that may
lead to the higher sales of products (Taylor & England, 2006, pp.77-85).
However, promotion in digital market has some limitations. Consumers do not
always give the requested information to the companies through internet marketing

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because of the privacy concerns (Allen & Fjemerstad, 2001, p.18). The other
limitation is the cultural issues. If the companies failed to include the cultural
characteristics in doing promotion through the internet in a country, then the adoption
of product knowledge will be slow (Gong, Li, & Stump, 2006, p.69). Another
difficulty in promoting new products is the high switching costs in electronic market.
As examined in the previous sections, the higher the switching costs, the less likely
the customer will move to the new products. Therefore, companies must have the
clear defined objectives which are integrated in the company strategy in doing
promotion through website unless they will hard to achieve the commercial goal of
the website (Tiago et al., 2007, p.138)
Overall, we find that by using the internet in its promotion and marketing
strategy, companies can potentially increase their sales as well as market share. From
buyers’ perspective, they can select the most suitable product as their needs and
preferences.

3.5. Customer Relationship Management


Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is essential for corporations
because it can increase customers’ loyalty through building one-to-one relationships
and aid the profitability of a corporation (Turban et al. 2008). In order to build this
relationship, a firm needs technology to keep interacting with its customers
personally. Internet technology, a communication technology in digital market to
connect groups of sellers and buyers together (Papazoglou & Ribbers 2006), which
can bestow great impacts on the interaction between sellers and buyers, is more likely
to improve their relationship. In digital market, sellers are able to share the
information about their goods and services through internet and buyers are also able
to learn about products before buying them (Rappa 2007).
In contrast, according to Reicheld and Schefter (cited in Chaffey p.330), it is
costly to obtain online customers, because firms will spend around 20 to 30 per cent
of their budget higher compared to conventional one. They also state that corporations
may find it difficult to yield profits in a period two to three years at the beginning of
their business. This finding, however, presents that corporations will be able to
increase their profits from 25 to 95 per cent if corporations can maintain even merely
5 per cent those customers (Reicheld & Schefter, cited in Chaffey p.330). If

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corporations are able to make customers loyal, these customers will speed up their
profitability compared to the conventional businesses due to less costs to service these
customers (Reicheld & Schefter, cited in Chaffey p.330).
Srinivasan, Anderson, and Ponnavolu (2002, pp.42-45) propose some business
factors (8Cs) that influence the cutomers’ loyalty in the digital market as follow.
(1) Customization. It is the ability of buyers to adapt products and services as well
as transactional environment to individual buyers.
(2) Contact interactivity. This refers to the activities between buyers and sellers
through their websites.
(3) Cultivation. This is the level in which a seller gives the relevant information
and rewards to its buyers with the purpose to lengthen their purchases over
time.
(4) Care. It refers to the positive awareness from a seller to all the stages of
purchasing in order to maintain a long-term customer relationship.
(5) Community. Community means an online community that consists of existing
and potential buyers. In this community, sellers organize, facilitate, and
maintain the information exchange related to the offered products and services
in internet.
(6) Choice. Sellers in the digital market can offer more categories of products and
services rather than in the conventional one.
(7) Convenience. Convenience refers to the level of the buyers’ satisfaction on
using the website due to its user friendly and simplicity.
(8) Character. The attractive display of a website can positively affect the sellers’
image in potential buyers’ view.
According to Strauss, El-Ansary, and Frost (2003), customer relationship
management is the process of relationship of obtaining not only final consumers
(B2C) but also business customers (B2B), maintaining them, and developing these
consumers for long time period. In the digital market, firms use database-driven
websites to apply personalisation and customization technologies. Strauss, El-Ansary,
and Frost (2003) point out that the basic role of the personalisation is to greet
customers’ names once they are online, which is easier than the customization’s role.
Customization is more difficult to implement because it changes the content of a site
in order to match the preferences of a user (Strauss, El-Ansary, & Frost 2003).

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Furthermore, Renner (cited in Strauss, El-Ansary, & Frost p.424) states that these
technologies enable firms to increase their profit as they are able to identify their
high-value customers, who buy products more frequently and spend their money
most.
With respect to obtaining consumers, companies can acquire both business
consumers and final consumers through online (i.e. internet) and offline. A call center
is one of the most essential devices used by firms to deal with customers’ matters.
Turban et al. (2008) point out in the digital market, firms can develop a call center to
the more advanced tools, for examples email and automated response, which are
cheaper and faster in answering customers’ questions, disseminating the confirmation
or the information of a product. In the online market, customers’ information will be
transferred to companies’ databases once these customers visit the companies’
websites, which enable companies to determine customers’ similarities and
differences (Strauss, El-Ansary, & Frost 2003). A firm is also able to provide chat
rooms as the part of its customer service in order to attract new customers and to
develop their loyalty so that they can share their experiences in shopping (Turban et
al. 2008). In addition, according to Bickerton, Bickerton, and Pardesi (2000), firms
should include their addresses, maps, phone numbers, and opening hours on the
internet to reach customer easier. In this case, the internet is also able to encourage
offline channels because some customers are probably interested to see products
directly in showrooms (Bickerton, Bickerton, & Pardesi 2000).
As for maintaining customers, firms should focus on knowing the percentage
of customers’ retention and the percentage of customers’ attrition. Strauss, El-Ansary,
and Frost (2003) suggest that in the practice of CRM, firms are better to eliminate
customers who do not repeat to purchase firms’ products in a period of time and focus
on customers who buy their products frequently. Cisco system, Inc., for example
applies Web-to-live contact center and the collaborative whiteboard, which enable
customers to communicate their problems to Cisco’s workers. As a result, Cisco could
increase the customers’ satisfaction and save $340 million in a year (Strauss, El-
Ansary, & Frost 2003).
With regard to developing consumers, customers’ loyalty is essential to
increase corporations’ performance for a long time period (Ghosh 1998, cited in
Strauss, El-Ansary, & Frost p.406). Companies are able to build customers’ loyalty if

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they can communicate and collaborate with specific customers continuously to attract
and satisfy them. In addition, customers would have positive image about products
and services offered if they are interested and satisfied with those products and
services in internet. Thus, it may encourage them to buy more frequently.
Overall, we find that applying CRM in electronic market may not earn profit
in corporations’ short term performances (approximately during the first two to three
years). However, organizations should start considering their CRM in digital market,
because it assists them to improve customers’ loyalty which may also result in
improving their profitability for long term.

3.6. Ethics in the Digital Market


Other issues related to the electronic market is ethics, particularly privacy,
trust, and security. The ethical issues in digital market are new species of generic
moral problems. This is true when it comes to online communication as in any other
area of computing. The generic problems are privacy, property, the line between
individual freedom, and public private authority, respect, and responsibility (Gurak
cited in Johnson, 1997, p.61).
All of the above things show that ethics is an important part of doing e-
business. However, ethics is not easy because the availability of the ethical resources
to the ordinary person is rapidly fragmented, distributed and ambiguous (Introna,
2002, p.72). In the digital market, it is common that companies buy information about
individual, personal details, and shopping habit which can be considered as unethical
acts (Leitch & Warren, 2001, p.56). Thus, in this section we discuss the ethics in
digital market particularly privacy, trust, and security.

3.6.1. Privacy
In the way of digital market use, the privacy is the most publicized ethical
issues. Privacy becomes a major concern for both consumers and enterprises in the
digital market. Information about customers can be leaked out in all the processes of
buying goods at e-commerce stores (Tan & Guo, 2005, p.217). Many research
efforts have been devoted to the development of privacy protecting technology (Byun,
Bertino & Li, 2005, p.102). Privacy in particular is a notion that has sparked much

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interest and sometimes causes alarms to be raised, especially when reports of privacy
violations are cited in the popular media.
The privacy issues come from the idea to gather the information about buyer
and seller that that will improve relationship between buyer and seller (Medley et al.
1998, p.62). Thus, in the United States, the code of ethics is more focus about privacy,
for example the intentional interception of the electronic communication is prohibited
(McCauley, 1997, pp.110-114). However, some customers loose their personal data
when being collected and used in improper way by companies (Jensen, Potts &
Jensen, 2005, pp.206).

3.6.2. Trust
In the real world, the good relationship between buyers and sellers is
depending on trust (Cazier, Shao & St.Luis, 2006, p.718). Customer’s trust in the e-
marketplace will be fostered by both the market-maker and seller in comparison with
the e-marketplace where trust is built by only the seller who plays a role of a market
maker at the same time (Kim & Ahn, 2005, p.195). Trust is the most simply
consideration when customers decide to interactive with the providers. Trust, in
general, is an important factor in many social interactions, involving uncertainty and
dependency (Einwiller et al., 2000 and Einwiller & Will, cited in Grabner-Krauter,
Kaluscha, 2003 p.784 ). Trust can serve as the instrument to reduce the complexity of
human conduct in situations when people with uncertainty (Luhmann, 1989 cited in
Grabner-Krauter, Kaluscha, 2003 p.784). Lack of trust is one of the most frequently
reasons for consumers who not purchase in electronic market (Grabner-Krauter,
Kaluscha, 2003 p.783).

Consumer’s trust to digital market is affected by many factors, such as


technology, ethics, policy environment, enterprise reputation. Under this condition,
the target of trust and the forms of trust are both different. It is suggested to trust
network technology, online store and online products except for trusting person
(Zeng, Zeng & Guo, 2005, p. 221-225).
According to Shaw’s structure, there are four entities in digital market into
buyer, seller, third party and technology (Bellman et al., 1999 cited in Yang, Hu &
Chen 2005, p.188). In the part of buyer, demographic factors, experience, familiarity,
individual culture, privacy were the key factors that will induce trust (Bellman et al.,

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1999 cited in Yang, Hu & Chen 2005, p.188). In the part of seller, brand-equity,
competitiveness, availability, variety and customization were the elements that
determine the trustworthiness of web seller (Fung & Lee ,1999 cited in Yang, Hu &
Chen 2005, p.188).

3.6.3. Security
Another ethics issues need to be considered internet users is security. Both
customer and seller in digital market will get beneficial from increasing the security
systems and the trust worthy of online companies because trust is a mechanism to
reduce uncertainly and complexity in electronic market (Grabner-kraeuter, 2002,
p.49). In electronic market, it is necessary for security to be able to verify and
identical parties who doing transaction to make sure that nobody can get benefit from
exchange information and to prevent the disruption of service and application (Tan &
Guo, 2005, p.218). However, many questions about actions with the internet ethics
scopes are unanswered because they are difficult to assume that actions unethically.
It is important to e-commerce participants to ensure consumers’ trust. In the
digital market, people must be revealed personal data, credit card code, and any of e-
signature to dealers. According to that reason, many of e-commerce store owners had
decided to create the internet security to protect their clients’ secrets. Internet security
is trivial; integrity, privacy, and personal conduct are controlled primarily by a social
contract (Krull, 1995, pp.12).

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4. Potential Impact

The digital market, as discussed earlier, has affected not only the market
dynamic, but also the society, organization and individuals in general level. In this
section, we will present the impact of digital market evolution on the society,
organizations and individuals.

4.1. Impact of Digital Market on Society


The first impact of electronic market to society is to enforce government to
enact law to protect it. The number of business involve in electronics market is
growing continuously. Thus, the first effect of the digital market on society is the
increase need of legal infrastructure. Figure 4 below shows that business that has
access to internet in 2006 increase significantly since 1997 (97). ONS data in 2000,
the second largest used is finding information about goods and services (ONS 2000,
cited in Chaffey, p.123). This growth of electronic market transaction needs legal
protection because the transaction process in electronic market is different with in the
traditional market and there are risks of dispute between buyers and sellers.
Customers, for example, cannot fully protect their information when they make
transaction through the internet. Buyers can sell their customers’ data to other parties
and administrators of web servers can transfer their servers’ logs to other companies
(Tan & Guo, 2005, p.217). Therefore, the first effect of the electronic market is to
enforce government to enact law to protect particularly customers’ rights in that
market.

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Figure 4: Percentage of Business with Internet Access


Source: DTI, 2000, cited in Chaffey, 2002, p.131

The example of country that provides law is the United States where
regulatory environment is significantly better than in other countries. Inadequate legal
protection was rated high by 11% of respondents, and business laws that cannot
support e-commerce only 8% (Shih, Dedrick & Kreamer, 2005, p.61) In the United
States, the intentional interception of the electronic communication is prohibited
(McCauley, 1997, pp.110-114). By this electronic Act, the clients’ information which
is in the attorneys’ hands should be encrypted by the encryption software (McCauley,
1997, pp.110-114). If the clients’ information is leaked thus endanger people’s
privacy, the lawyer who involves in that prohibited action will be punished under the
code of internet ethic (McCauley, 1997, pp.110-114).
The second impact of electronic market to society is to make market more
competitive. There are several factors that may lead market becoming more
competitive. Firstly, the heterogeneonous consumers, who have different preferences
and needs, in the digital market will enforce supplier to have more variety of
products. Secondly, the lower searching cost for suppliers may help them to identify
the condition of their competitors. Suppliers will find the digital market attractive as
they could use them to reach a wide range of new customers in easier and cost-
effective ways and to find information about their competitors in their market too
(Narin cited in White & Daniel, 2003, p.248). Finally, the lower searching cost for
buyer may also lead to the increase of the competition in the digital market. In
conclusion, the competition in digital market will be more competitive.

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4.2. Impact of Digital Market on Organisations

Digital markets have brought great potential impacts on the operations of the
organisations. Several corporations are able to obtain advantages through digital
markets, yet, other corporations are difficult or even failed to gain the benefits of
electronic markets (Biswas & Krishnan, 2004, p.681). The ‘technological uncertainty’
of obtaining actual advantages in digital market may negatively affect the behaviour
of prospective members of electronic markets, for example buyers and sellers
(Papazoglou & Ribbers 2006). Buyers and sellers tend to wait before joining in
electronic market systems with the expectation that they will be able to learn from
other organisations’ experiences (Papazoglou & Ribbers 2006).
However, Papazoglou and Ribbers (2006) also explain the essential impacts of
digital market on market structure and efficiency as follow:
1. Cost reduction
Digital market can decrease the cost of gaining information, called searching cost,
about alternative suppliers’ products and prices and the advertising cost to
additional customers. The reduction of this searching cost is more likely to
influence competition since corporations, that act as buyers, are able to obtain
better information about their suppliers’ best prices.
2. Network externalities
Digital markets can generate more value for their members since more businesses
link their interorganizational systems.
3. Switching costs
Substantial investment in digital markets, such as hardware, software, employee
training, and the business process reengineering in the organisations, will
probably become useless once their members make decisions to migrate to other
markets. The higher the switching cost, the more reluctant buyers change their
existing suppliers to new suppliers.
In addition, Lancastre and Lages (2006, pp.774-775) claim electronic markets
have influenced firms’ decision to focus on improving their cooperative relationship
with customers. In digital market environment, firms generate communication and
interaction with their customers more frequently through emails, automated
responses, and chat rooms in order to increase customers’ satisfaction as buyers can

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share easily their expectations with sellers (Turban et al. 2008). Corporations will also
be able to create customers’ loyalty through these long term relationships (Strauss, El-
Ansary, & Frost 2003).
Furthermore, Song and Zahedi (2005, p.222) state that corporations, that are
able to enter the electronic market, can decrease their geographical boundaries,
transactions and communication costs by making the names of their products,
transactions, and public relations. These costs can be reduced because corporations
can raise communication’s pace and quality with their potential consumers and
suppliers (Song & Zahedi, 2005, p.222). A publisher in electronic market, for
example, is able to reduce the costs of printing, circulation, inventory, and has better
relationship with the customers than traditional publishers (Song & Zahedi, 2005,
p.222).
Overall, we find that even though the technological uncertainty in this
marketplace may negatively affect potential participants’ behaviour, firms which are
able to adapt in this market are likely to increase their profits. It is because firms can
decrease their searching costs. Electronic markets may support firms to build their
relationship with customers and obtain benefits from network externalities.

4.3. Impact of Digital Market on Individuals


The digital market affects not only the whole society and business
organizations, but also individuals as the consumers in the market. Rappa (2007)
argues that buyers in the digital market can have more information about the products
and sellers in more cost-effective way than in the traditional market. Thus, it may
provide not only the more choices of goods, services and suppliers, but also the lower
searching cost of information in the digital market. Regarding those benefits, whether
the existence of the digital market can dramatically attract consumers to migrate to
online market is questionable.

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The first important factor that most consumers consider to conduct a business
transaction is price. Both in traditional and digital markets, most consumers always
look for the best price, which is the cheapest one. On the other hand, the difference
between traditional and digital markets is the availability of the easy, convenient,
cheap, and fast tool for searching the price offered among multiple sellers. Kumar,
Lang, and Peng (2005, p.88) argue that digital markets have search engines which
offer for the fast access and customized service at no cost, thus they may reduce the
searching cost for consumers. The lower the searching cost for consumers, the lower
the price (Brown & Goolsbee, 2002, p.482). However, as discussed earlier at section
3.2., we find that the lower the searching cost does not necessarily lead to the lower
price because in most cases, sellers try to avoid the direct price competition by
differentiating their products, which then can charge the premium price to consumers.
As the result, the price level the in digital market will not significantly induce
consumers to choose digital market rather than traditional market.

The other important factor that may influence consumers in choosing the best
channel transaction is the security of their personal data. The easy, fast, convenient
and cheap way of transaction may become meaningless when the security is not
assured. Ho (2006, pp.47-48) states that the valuable personalization and security
system are both required to attract consumers to use digital market. Järveläinen and
Puhakainen (2004, p.340) found that consumers prefer to use the traditional market
than the digital one because they do not believe in the lower cost and the accuracy of
the electronic transaction. We find that in most cases, building trust in consumers
particularly in the inexperienced ones is hard to achieve. Thus, we can conclude that
most consumers still prefer the traditional market than the digital market regarding the
security and privacy issues.

In conclusion, despite the benefits offered by the digital market, consumers are
constrained with significant threats, such as higher prices and unsecured transactions.
Hence, it is likely that fewer consumers will use the online market for conducting
business transaction.

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5. Conclusion

We find that the electronic market is a new form of marketplace, which usea
the internet as its communication infrastructure. Internet is argued to be the
communication infrastructure mainly because it creates new marketplace architecture.
Second, we conclude that the demand in the electronic market is as not elastic as
expected to the price and the significant price dispersion still occurs. This is mainly
caused by product differentiation. Third, we find that overall, switching costs in the
electronic market do not decline even though the searching cost is likely to decrease.

We also conclude that overall, suppliers and buyers should use internet as a
tool to make transaction because internet will support to reduce searching costs for
consumers and advertising costs for suppliers. Companies prefer to improve their
customer relationship management because they want to create customers loyalty and
to increase corporations’ profitability. Furthermore, ethical issue, such as security,
trust, and privacy can influence consumer to be reluctant to make transactions in the
digital market.

The potential impact of the electronic market to individual customers is not


significant because the price in the electronic market is unlikely to decline and it is
difficult to build trust in customer perception. In contrast, the electronic market
provides benefits to organizations because it supports companies to increase their
profit and maintain relationship with their customers. The electronic market also
makes market more competitive because of the heterogeneous of customers and the
decline of searching costs. The growth of the electronic market affects the
government to enact law related to it, since the electronic markets bring more risks
than in the physical market.

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