The Right Path Start point advice for entering ecommerce

1
The Right Path?Start point advice for entering
e-commerce

• Horace Mitchell
• European Telework Online
• http//www.eto.org.uk
• eto-info_at_eto.org.uk

2
Horace Mitchell

• Director, European Telework Online
• worlds largest, most-linked, most-visited
  website for telework and related topics
• Programme Director, European Telework
  Development
• a highly successful, Europe-wide initiative
• Doing business online for more than ten years
• e-commerce for more than three years
• Member, UK OFTEL Small Firms Task Force

3
Roadmap 1
Existing business
New business
Ditch start again?
Keep going?
E-com as new (add-on) venture?
E-com as enhancement
Business re-engineering?
Get yourself an appropriate and effective website
4
Roadmap 1
Existing business
New business idea
Understand the Internet as a user and customer!
New business
Ditch start again?
Keep going?
5
The Internet is no longer an option or a
possibility, it is now an integral part of the
business (and social) environment
6
EITO 2000 Forecasts
European IT Observatory, see http//www.eto.org.
uk/eito The English speaking numbers
extrapolated from EITO and other data
7
E-commerce the rationale

• I am one of your customers
• I like using the Internet
• I want to do business using the Internet
• What is your response?
• Make it easy for me to do business with you?
• Make it difficult for me?
• Dont allow me to do business with you online?
• What is my likely response?

8
My likely response

• I will continue to use the Internet
• I will increase my use of the Internet
• I may continue doing business with you . . . .
  . . or not
• If I continue, your way of doing business will
  look increasingly old hat to me and . . . .
  . . sooner or later I will find a competitor who
  wants to do business my way
• And there will be more customers like me!

9
Your response?

• Do nothing (yet)
• life is difficult already
• few if any customers asking for e-commerce
• too expensive for us
• we dont use computers!
• Do as little as possible
• get an email address
• get a simple web page somewhere
• Start down a positive path

10
E-commerce simplified the questions

• How much will it cost to add an e-commerce
  element to my business?
• How much of a distraction will it be?
• What new skills do I and my staff have to learn?
• How much extra work will it mean?
• Do I need to change other aspects of the
  business?
• How long will it take?
• Will it bring any new opportunities?

11
E-commerce simplified the answers

• Cost from 500 to 5000 up front from 20
  to 200 per month thereafter
• Effort, skills, distraction from almost nil (
  a few days) to total disruption
• Other changes from nil to total renewal
• New opportunities from nil to unlimited
• but
• Why not start with a KISS approach?

12
KISS Keep it Simple, Stpd!

• If you keep it simple and avoid some pitfalls,
  the cost and effort of being online is
  worthwhile even if only one in a hundred of your
  customers is out there waiting for you
• UK statistics suggest that perhaps one in ten or
  more are actually ready to do business online
• Within 2-3 years, being competent in this field
  will have become essential
• Now is the time to start learning and make your
  mistakes!

13
E-commerce a KISS approach
But Keep It Simple!
Get yourself a proper web site!
14
A KISS Web Site
Home page
About
Our products
Ordering
Any questions?
Contact
15
A KISS Web Site
Home page
About
Range A
Our products
Range B
Ordering
Range C
Any questions?
Range D
Contact
16
A KISS Web Site
Range A
Pictures/detail
Any questions?
Range B
RFQ/I
Contact
Range C
Range D
Ordering
17
A KISS Web Site
Range A
Pictures/detail
Any questions?
Range B
RFQ/I
Contact
Range C
Range D
Ordering
Business as usual
18
E-commerce a KISS approach

• Should cost no more than about 2000 up front and
  400 a year running costs
• You and your staff should not need new skills
• Product catalogue entries created and updated
  through simple forms - no html
• If you have an effective existing IT system you
  may wish to integrate - the extra cost should be
  modest
• could be much less

Get yourself a web site!
19
E-commerce a KISS approach

• You could use a put your catalogue on the web
  service - may look cheaper but not quite the same
  thing
• Or you could learn alongside a less expert web
  services company - cost unlimited, outcome
  unknowable
• Or you could go into the DIY business - but would
  you design and build your own version of Word?

Get yourself a web site!
20
E-commerce a KISS approach
Make yourself easy to find!
Get yourself a web site!
21
KISS approach to visibility

• Page one in the main search engines
• Relevant industry directories
• Real names
• Mutual links with your suppliers
• Local directories - village, town, county, UK

22
KISS approach to visibility

• Again this can be
• cheap and useless
• expensive and fairly useless
• or cost effective

This is one aspect of e-commerce where learning
the DIY approach pays off - but make sure you
learn from - and with - a real expert!
23
E-commerce a KISS approach
Make yourself easy to find!
And once you are confident . . . .
Get yourself a web site!
24
E-commerce a KISS approach
Make yourself easy to find!
Tell your customers!
Get yourself a web site!
25
Make E-commerce work for you

• When customers order online, they do some of
  the work that you had to do when they ordered
  offline
• Looking up details they would have asked your
  staff about
• Putting their orders into your system
• and if you make it easy
• They will also tell you information about
  themselves

26
Make E-commerce work for you

• When new prospects (potential customers) visit
  you online, you can
• Know who came and what they looked at without any
  effort or cost at all
• Get their agreement to receive product news and
  offers from you
• Keep in touch with them regularly at little or no
  marginal cost
• Find out what influences what they buy and who
  they buy it from

27
Make E-commerce work for you

• If and when it makes sense to cast your net wider
  you can
• Sell to anyone anywhere in the world at little
  more cost than selling locally
• Contact and partner with overseas agents etc at a
  very low cost
• Use the net yourself to source supplies, get new
  products and ideas, get help with developing your
  business

28
Messages for Business Support Services

• Your clients shouldnt trust advice on e-commerce
  from someone who isnt doing it!
• Generalised get on the web advice is bad advice
• The e-commerce approach has to be relevant to the
  company, the sector and the (customer) geography
• There is an urgent need for validation of web
  services companies

29
Follow up

• My own online services
• European Telework Online online advice,
  presentations and help with telework, e-business,
  telecooperation
• http//www.eto.org.uk - eto-info_at_eto.org.uk
• plus online discussion with people world wide
• My web services partners
• Loud-n-Clear.Net - info_at_loud-n-clear.com
• Low cost, high performance web sites on a
  partnering basis
• Or connect with me direct horace_at_eto.org.uk

30
Good luck and success on your road to e-commerce!