| Too good to be true?The pros and cons of internet | | | | and appreciated at the session; the ability to browse, |
| trading, a brief guide by Ed Baker.A new market has | | | | compare, search and research, and the lack of |
| emerged.It is now commonly known that the last | | | | overheads driving down prices, one thing became |
| five years has seen an unprecedented rise in internet | | | | clear: people want an end-to-end experience. This |
| shopping, both in terms of commercial sales and | | | | means they want satisfaction from the first - |
| private transactions. The online retail giant Amazon, | | | | confirmation emails, detailed tracking of delivery, fast |
| who began life selling books, reported a 20% hike in | | | | shipping, reliable handling, guarantees, human and |
| sales in the first quarter of this year, to the tune of | | | | helpful customer service, a check-back and continuing |
| $2.28 billion. On average in the UK, 2.5% of household | | | | support from the business. These comments applied |
| spending is now online, and this figure is rising.The | | | | not just to ebay of course, but to the thousands of |
| phenomenon of search - the internets' ability to | | | | other online businesses that provide goods and |
| deliver potential answers to our infinite questions - | | | | services to shoppers everyday.The issue of shopper |
| has been the key benefit to the online trader. Search | | | | security has become so important that the Office of |
| engines bring the market to the marketplace. | | | | Fair Trading commissioned a study in 2004, scheduled |
| Increasingly, they are being paid to do it. Google's | | | | to mature in 2007, which will examine awareness |
| AdWords program accounted for over 30% of its | | | | amongst shoppers and traders. It will look closely at |
| income last year, as it promises to deliver targeted | | | | whether businesses are aware of regulations, and |
| "traffic" to online business. One cannot perform a | | | | whether individuals are aware of their rights. Did you |
| search nowadays, it seems, without happening upon | | | | know, for example, that as consumers we are |
| a sponsored result near the top of that little green | | | | entitled to a "cooling off period" of 7 days, within |
| column to the right of your screen that says, | | | | which we can expect a refund if we are not |
| "get cheap '*******' on ebay, buy it now for | | | | satisfied? Try telling that to the bloke you just |
| '£***!'"A new market brings new challenges.So it | | | | bought a dodgy Ford Sierra from over ebay last |
| is that ebay has become the prominent location for | | | | week.The advice is simple - do your homework. The |
| people to buy and sell their wares online. Implicitly | | | | internet is the single greatest resource for an |
| transferring Harrods' "anything from a pin to an | | | | individual to research a given topic. Spend some time |
| elephant" claim to the ether, the buyer is assured | | | | comparing prices, services and market value. You can |
| that he will be able to find literally anything for sale in | | | | use to check ratings of vendors posted by their |
| the auction sites' vast virtual stockroom. It is this | | | | customers, and you can read independent reviews of |
| very vastness however that has begun to spell | | | | products before you buy at Examine the companies |
| trouble for the company, and its consumers.The lack | | | | carefully - are there any hidden costs? How do they |
| of human interaction, guarantees, a bricks-and-mortar | | | | make their money? Honest businesses will be upfront |
| existence, and the absence of strict and | | | | about commission and delivery charges. They should |
| comprehensive regulations have allowed unscrupulous | | | | also have an address or at least phone number, |
| dealers to flourish online, particularly on the larger | | | | preferably toll-free, where you can talk to a |
| auction sites. People create an identity, advertise a | | | | customer service representative for your own peace |
| product they may not even have, collect the money | | | | of mind. A money back guarantee is a must if you |
| and simply vanish. More disturbingly, sophisticated | | | | can get it, and if buying from an individual, find out as |
| criminals are now able to use sensitive credit card | | | | much as you can - do they have a number or email |
| information from other online consumers to assume | | | | address? Strike up a dialogue and don't buy |
| identities and buy goods. Witness the recent case of | | | | blind!Trust - the key to success.As a seller, all of the |
| Terrill D Johnson of Ilyssa Way Ohio, who used credit | | | | above must be taken into account, with one concept |
| card receipts to obtain $18000 worth of merchandise | | | | at the front of your mind - trust. Businesses |
| through Amazon.The global nature of ebay has | | | | especially must strive to build trust into their |
| brought its own pitfalls. Many buyers and sellers are | | | | reputation. They must meet the needs of the |
| not aware of the cultural or legal differences | | | | consumer in providing a real physical identity to back |
| governing trade outside the borders, with the result | | | | up their online presence -the website is not enough. |
| that buyers foot huge premiums for the processing | | | | Be open, be honest, keep it simple. It is better to |
| of foreign orders and often end up empty-handed if | | | | specialise in one type of product or service than to |
| they unwittingly attempt to purchase something | | | | have a free-for-all; imagine how impossible it must be |
| prohibited in their country.One of the common | | | | to police ebay and how confusing it is to a first-time |
| misconceptions about ebay is that if the seller has | | | | buyer.For variety and value, not to mention freedom |
| lots of feedback, the majority of it positive, they are | | | | from the old-fashioned "hard-sell", the internet is |
| a safer prospect. Recent studies have shown this is | | | | becoming the number one choice for today's |
| simply not true. Satisfied buyers on the whole don't | | | | consumer, and it is beginning to produce its own |
| bother to leave feedback, they just get on with | | | | code of business practice. For companies in particular, |
| enjoying whatever they bought, hence the presence | | | | the goal must be to set new standards of service |
| of a dialogue between buyer and seller can often | | | | with a simple, clear, guaranteed and reliable service, |
| indicate some problem or lack of clarity somewhere | | | | underwritten by an accountable, human presence |
| in the transaction.In April of this year I attended a | | | | offline.For more information on internet trading you |
| market research evening for ebay, run by the | | | | can read "Don't get burned on ebay" by Shauna |
| company Saros, who source everyday consumers to | | | | Wright, O'Reilly press, and "ebay - the missing |
| give detailed information and constructive criticism | | | | manual" by Nancy Conner, Pogue press.Ed Baker is |
| about a particular product or service. The three hour | | | | business development manager for allticketclub.com, |
| session focused entirely on buyer security, indicating | | | | an online site for buying and selling event tickets, |
| that ebay has recognised the widely-held view that | | | | currently the market leader for customer satisfaction |
| its' site favours the seller and affords inadequate | | | | and customer repeat business.Ed Baker is business |
| protection to the prospective buyer.A new marketing | | | | development manager for - the leading online ticket |
| model emergesThe experience shed light on an | | | | market for sold out and exclusive tickets. He has |
| interesting concept that I believe some businesses | | | | written articles on everything from music criticism to |
| are already developing, and more and more will need | | | | marketing, incorporating principles that deliver |
| to devote time to - that of the "user journey". While | | | | successful growth to online companies. |
| the existing benefits of the internet were identified | | | | |