Tomorrow, I am leading a workshop called 'E-business: Using the Internet as a Sales Tool'. It is all part of an International Market Forum being organised in Tauranga by NZTE & Export NZ. This focus is on North America.
The timing is appropriate. I noticed a lead story on Yahoo Finance today that is highly relevant to tomorrow's workshop. It is entitled 'Wary Online Retailers Step Up Offers'.
According to the article, with a holiday season that is expected to be the weakest since 2002, and numbers of new online customers leveling off, more Web retailers have been pushing special offers and promotions to draw consumers. "The online community is getting more competitive as the amount of new customers slows," according to Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org, an online arm of the National Retail Federation. "Add to that the concerns about the economy, and promotions and sales provide a great way to get people excited."
Silverman said the number of retailers offering free shipping with no conditions, such as a minimum purchase, has jumped to 41.4 percent from 36 percent last year.
It does pose a series of questions at NZ businesses that might be thinking of entering the US e-commerce market. How up-to-speed are they in terms of online market intelligence and how should they respond to the type of commercial pressures that now exist within this online space? Tomorrow's workshop will attempt to address some of these questions.
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