Webex Seminar--Extra Credit

Today I watched the Webex Seminar with Mike Chapman and Jere Doyle. Each of these men were talking about marketing to the customer through various moods. Mike Chapman focused on the Ten Steps to Success. The first step is to recognize the Challenge, many consumers sidestep marketing techniques. The second step is to get permission. The consumer wants control so the marketer needs to find ways to get the consumers trust. The third step is to cast many lines; the marketer shouldn’t limit themselves to just emails. The next step is to make sure the things being marketed have relevance to the consumer. The fifth step is to capture the right amount of information; you don’t want to get to much information from the consumer because it can be invading. The sixth step is to pay attention to privacy concerns of the consumer. The consumer wants to know that their information is kept secured before they give it out. The next step is to convert prospects into customers. The eighth step is to keep it clean. You should keep everything in your data base updated to delete bounces. Next, measure for measure this means that the marketer should track their emails. Lastly, don’t stop now! I never knew that there was a step by step process that some marketers take to fish in consumers.

After Mr. Chapman spoke, Jere Doyle took over and he talked about five critical success factors for effective online customer acquisition. You should select a reliable, proven online marketing services provider who abides the best practices. Next, target precisely using enhanced optimization technology with robust decision criteria. Then, collect the right amount of consumer data. You should then make sure the data is properly cleansed pay only for verified data. Lastly, immediately begin a direct dialog through multi-channel marketing.

Overall, I thought that the online seminar was very interesting. It was cool learning all of the different ways that the marketers use to get customers. I thought the ten step process was a good way to go about attracting and retaining consumers. Unfortunately, I thought that Mr. Chapman’s presentation was very distracting for the amount of um’s and uh’s that were said which took a lot away from his topic.

Broadband Homes to Double in Britain

By the year 2009, 64% of the population in Britain should have access to broadband. Point Topic predicts that most of the growth will be in rural areas of the United Kingdom. The rural areas have the most potential for users because the currently have the smallest amount of broadband users. Currently, about 9.77 million people have access to broadband but this should increase to about 18.46 million users by 2008. The South East region will have the highest proportion of households using broadband at about 91%. The downfall to all of this growth though is the amount of competitors that will be in the market. For companies to stay competitive they will need to search for new customers rather than trying to take away customers from their competitors. Also, by 2008 the amount of new broadband lines being laid will decrease from 3.7 to 2.2 because the need for the lines will begin to level off. Since 2003, the amount of time Europeans spend on the internet has increased about 50% from 2 hours to 4 hours a week.

I think that it is a great that broadband is going to increase by almost 65% in Britain. I was surprised to see how the small amounts of people that actually have access to it right now. Also, I think that the people of rural population will definitely benefit from the use of broadband because it will give them a faster access to the world. I am a little weary that competitors may hinder the expansion of broadband. Overall, I think that the United Kingdom is taking a good step towards getting the population acquainted with what the internet has to offer.

Party’s Over for Online Gambling

The United States Congress is passing a new bill that will make most online gambling websites illegal. The news of this has sent many internet gambling sites in a frenzy on how to replace its American consumers. Many sites are angry because the bill came with almost no warning. Some websites will try to work around the law but this could be difficult because the law will block all American IP addresses and credit cards with American billing addresses. Since the announcement of this bill, the worth of many internet gambling sites plummeted at least 50% in most cases. Instead of fighting the new legislation, some gambling sites are leaving the American market permanently, and are looking towards Europe and Asia to fill the void. Unfortunately, due to the legislation the gambling websites will lose up $5.9 billion dollars in the United States alone. Those that will be hit harder are the smaller gaming sites because they don’t have the money to expand into new markets. Also, Europe and Asia markets will not meet many expectations because online gambling is considered a very American game, and only make up $2.1 Billion dollars in earnings. In addition, it will be hard to tap into these markets because most online gambling is used through credit cards; but many countries in Europe and Asia do not use credit cards as freely as Americans. European markets will also make it difficult for gambling websites to enter because they will place heavy taxes on the sites to protect state run agencies. In the end, the law does not look like it will make gambling become extinct in the near future.

I don’t understand why online gambling or gambling in general is such a big deal. I do not think that the United States government or even foreign governments should make laws that regulate things on the internet. The internet should be a place that government s can not intervene in. I’m hoping that Sportingbet.com and Partygaming.com are not shut down because they are good source of entertainment for the general public. I think that if the government must be involved in regulating online gambling than it should be in terms of receiving tax money on the winnings and that’s it. Europe and Asia will also be great markets for online gambling websites to tap into. This law just opens the doors for gambling sites to go international to make more money and get around government laws and regulations. Online gambling should definitely be an international phenomenon.

Zimbabwe Internet Slows to Crawl as Debts Unpaid

Recently, Zimbabwe was almost cut off the internet completely due to lack of funds. Apparently, the Zimbababwean government has not paid $700,000 to Intelsat which is the main satellite firm. Since the government has not paid their dues, Intelsat has cut down the bandwidth in which people can use on the internet. Many people are now frustrated with using the internet because the speed is so slow due to the lack of bandwidth available. Unfortunately, the people of Zimbabwe will have to learn to cope with this because the government is in a deep recession due to lack of natural resources and food, shortage of foreign currency, and a high unemployment rate. Despite the lack of resources the Zimbabwe Internet Service Providers Association severed all ties with TelOne with has almost completely shut down the internet in the country. At the same time TelOne is venturing out in the farming/agricultural industry, and are receiving up to $12 million dollars in revenue from sales of these products. So doesn’t look like they are in much need of that $700,000 dollars right away.

I find it very sad that the government in Zimbabwe can not afford $700,000 to pay off the satellite company so that their people can have the internet. It is unfortunate that the people of Zimbabwe are missing out on all the knowledge the internet could give the people. I guess that since the country of Zimbabwe has other major problems to deal with like food for their people and unemployment that the internet should be the last thing that they should worry about. Living in the United States I guess I take the internet for granted because it can be accessed almost every where. I feel bad for the people of Zimbabwe, especially those that had the opportunity to use the internet and now it has been taken away. I hope that maybe a private investor will come and give money to the government to restart their internet satellites. This article shows us in the United States and other developed nations how lucky we truly are to have the internet.

Wellness International Network, Ltd. Improves Shopping Website

The Wellness International Network is an online type grocery store that is on the international level. The WIT was founded in 1992 by Ralph and Cathy Oats and is head quartered in Plano, Texas. Wellness International Network also has affiliates in Europe (Holland) and South Africa. They focus their online business on convenience products and nutritional supplements for the global market. Their products also range from hair care, to products that increase energy, and weight loss to name a few. Their website can be read in French, English, Spanish, German, and Dutch which makes their website accessible for many people speaking any of these popular languages. Besides being able to navigate the website in any language one can select the country of origin. This allows the customer to see what kind of products are available at their disposal in a particular country. Recently, the Wellness International Network revealed their renovated website which had a better look and was easier for their customers to navigate. WIT was quoted in saying that their website “was revamped with distributors and customers in mind.” The website is definitely focused on the helping the consumer out as best as possible.

I feel that the Wellness International Network had the right idea in revamping their website. I am not sure what the site looked like before but their current set up is great. The website site is very striking and straightforward, which I personally like. I also like the idea that one can pick the country of origin and see what products that can be purchased. It is interesting to see that a grocery store can be on the internet but even more interesting is that fact that a grocery store can be global! The use of the internet for buying goods is great for today’s people always on the move. One can just sit down for a few minutes and click away on goods they need and then next thing you know it will be on the doorstep. Also, it is very convenient for those you live in cities that don’t have a grocery store right down the road for them to go too.

Global Networked Readiness Index

The Global Networked Readiness Index (NRI) is an index that measures internet activity in 115 countries. The NRI determines the readiness of a country to participate in and benefit from the ICT. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) list, which provides a means for people to get connected and communicate. The ICT seems to benefit the developed countries since these countries have more technological resources to use. Despite this, less developed countries are taking advantage of the large advances in technology. ICT has compelled governments in Singapore, the United States, and the European Union to make their own strategy for the ICT. They have found that if a country has sophisticated information system leads to economic opulence. After these advance nations starting making their own strategies developing countries, such as Malaysia wanted in on the bandwagon. A strong ICT focuses on the country’s finances, education, labor, communications, trade and information, and information technology .A successful ICT comes mainly from with a country’s head office. Also, for a country to have a successful ICT the country needs to be eager to participate in the global market. The more successful the ICT of a country the higher their ranking will be on the Networked Readiness Index. According to the Forbes 2005 NRI, the top ten connected countries are (from rank 1 to 10): Singapore, Iceland, Finland, Denmark, United States, Sweden, Hong Kong, Japan, Switzerland, and Canada. The bottom ten are (104-94): Chad, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Angola, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Paraguay, Honduras, Mozambique, Ecuador, and Zimbabwe.

I feel that Networked Readiness Index is great indicator of a country’s connectivity to the global market/economy. The NRI was very interesting over the last three years because of the amount of shifting of the top ten countries. In 2003, the United States was ranked number one according to the NRI but in 2005 the United States fell to the number five position, and Singapore took over the first spot. . This just shows how much changing is going on the world when the internet/connectivity is concerned. I was very surprised to see the United States loss position in the connectivity world. Overall, the NRI is very influential to show how the world is progressing through the internet.

Biography

Hi! My name is Christina Ryan and I am a senior here at the University of Delaware. I am majoring in Marketing and Management, and a minor in International Business. Upon graduation in the spring I would like to either attend graduate school at the University of San Diego or University of Texas or join the United States Marine Corps. Besides attending my classes I am involved in the University’s Water Polo team. I am writing this blog for my BUAD 477-011 class and my topic is Taking Internet Marketing International.” I hope that you enjoy my topic of choice.

Internet Users in China

After searching the internet, I came across the internet site known as Commerce Times and found the article Internet Users in China Number Nearly 80 Million. The site focuses on China being a large force in the internet world. In approximately ten years the number of Chinese users of the internet grew from 670,000 to 80 million people. This large influx of people puts China into the number three spot in internet users below the United States with 126 million users, and Japan with 100 million users. Frost and Sullivan predict within in the next 20 years, China and India could make up half of the world’s internet users. China has the potential to increase internet usage and become a large buying force in the online market because of a population of almost 1.2 billion people. This large population will almost dwarf the internet usage in the United States. Currently, 63% of American adults use the internet which is up 15% in three years.

China’s entrance into internet marketing has allowed them to purchase equipment from international businesses right over the net. According to China Telecom, they were able to buy $2.3 billions worth of goods from US companies such as Motorola and Cisco. The internet has increased trade between the two countries. Despite this incredible amount of money, many Chinese users have not stepped out into the online buying market. Less than 1% of Chinese users use the internet for shopping and ecommerce. Amazingly, the Chinese are able to enter this global internet market with strong censorship from the Chinese communist government.

I feel that China has great potential to enter the International Internet Marketing community. It is unbelievable the increase in the amount of Chinese internet users in only ten years. I hope that the growth continues for China because they will be a large player in the international market over the internet. In the future, more Chinese will become familiar with ecommerce and shopping which will boost global trade and commerce at the same time. Despite the fact that the China is a communist regime I feel that this is a step out of the box and into democracy. One could only imagine what the Chinese people would be capable of doing if they were to have entire internet at their disposal.