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E-commerce Is Here to Stay
Neither the absolute level of Internet sales nor the growth rate tells the
whole story, but this year e-commerce became a mainstream retail
channel. You don’t have to look far to find reasons for
pessimism, however: a sluggish economy, the aftershocks of Sept. 11, and the
problems of particular Web retailers. And even if consumer e-tailers don’t post
big numbers during the holiday shopping season, Web retailers have done a lot of
work behind the scenes to make the Internet a viable channel overall.
Web commerce now has a more reasonable set of expectations. Many a dot-com
company boasted that it would put traditional stores out of business. Remember
Web grocers Like many of their dot-com peers, those who went it alone folded or
were consumed by traditional grocers. Now, the once independent Web grocers make
up the online channel for retail supermarkets. Likewise,
e-tailers seldom think of themselves any more as the entire sales channel -- but
that doesn’t mean they are disappearing altogether. Instead, they now form one
part of a larger selling strategy. Not only has the Web channel
become main stream, but also it has helped make a multichannel approach more
effective. A customer can buy a sweater online, and then return it at the store.
Or a customer can try that same sweater on in the store but buy it online. An
online presence improves the shopping experience for consumers, while retailers
benefit from the different points of interaction with potential
customers. Finally, retail Web sites have done a better job at
fulfillment, especially when dealing with tricky problems such as merchandise
returns. Sites have also gotten better at delivering on promises. This year, you
probably won’t see as many people complaining that the toys they bought for
Christmas haven’t shown up or that orders were duplicated. Customer relationship
management technology has helped sites manage customer concerns and improve
relationships with customers. So don’t fall for the head-shaking
this season over online retail. Business-to-consumer e-commerce is more than
just here to stay -- it’s here now. The author’s attitude toward the issue is ______