A history of internet purchasing: suggestions for web‐based entrepreneurs and SMEs

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the marketing developments since 1992 at the interface of information and communication technology (ICT) from a marketing channel and consumer perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe research method used was a review of contemporary literature in the field of ICT with particular emphasis on the internet in relation to web‐based purchasing behaviour. This paper examines the usage of the medium as an aide to shopping and selling since its inception and suggests future directions and areas for further investigation.FindingsThe findings chronicle the evolution of the internet from a mere tool to enable web‐based shopping to an entity that is able to think; and with the possibility of being able to express or channel emotions and social interaction among users.Research limitations/implicationsThis research, whilst purporting to be a conceptual theory building paper, based on thorough literature review, would by no means pretend to be comprehensive and aims to engender further scholarly discussion and empirical testingPractical implicationsIn what ever way the web‐based entrepreneur and small to medium‐sized enterprise view the internet, it is not a business‐facilitator to be ignored; and those that do not treat it with the urgency and seriousness that it deserves, do so at their peril.Originality/valueThe paper suggests a novel way of viewing what we have come to take for granted. It is hoped that the discussions will be of value to academics and practitioners alike.

The entrepreneurial marketing domain: a citation and co‐citation analysis

“…Further, the co-citation analysis revealed that EM is mainly influenced by entrepreneurship literature with a disconnect between MO and the rest of the field. In fact, EM to a large extent still refers to the classic marketing approach (Kotler and Keller, 2009) and has paid little attention to more recent developments in the marketing literature such as for instance the service dominant logic (Kasouf et al, 2008;Uslay and Teach, 2010), online marketing (Epps et al, 2008), and the related trends of Guerilla, Buzz, and Viral Marketing as discussed in Kraus et al (2010). It will be increasingly important to investigate the ways of how recent developments in the marketing literature can be used to help small and new firms.…”

Marketing “Gamer Foods”: Qualitative Insights into Responsible Strategy Development

“…E-marketing allows for the customization of advertisements, including content and posted websites thus enabling marketing messages to be shown on gaming relevant web pages or alongside search results of videogame related keywords. Social Media Marketing (SMM) tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and Wiki may also be useful in promoting specialised foods (Epps, Govers, & Go, 2008). These tools tie in with the social motives of gamers found throughout this research and provide an effective online medium to generate exposure for specialist product offerings.…”

Extra-industry imitation of digital platform business models

“…Many digital platforms (including the one owned by Omega) can boast very fast order processing and realisation times. Customers become accustomed to this convenience and grow to expect this level of service from all digital platforms, fuelling the so-called on-demand culture (Epps et al, 2009). While such effectiveness concerning order processing is relatively easy to achieve when dealing with digital goods and services, and distributing goods that have already been manufactured, or goods that can be assembled quickly on the spot (as was the case with Omega's flower bouquets), for more traditional industries such as confectioneries, it remains unfeasible.…”