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| In Today's Issue: | |
| Quote: | Nicolas Negroponte on E-Commerce |
| News: | Online Retailers Brace for the Holidays |
| Facts: | E-Commerce Revenue Up |
| Tip: | Blind Carbon Copy |
| Biz Sites: | 1. Mleap - build your own store online |
| 2. Wired to Shop - another online store ASP | |
| Term: | Click and Mortar |
| Ripple Rock: | Europe's Online Population Growing |
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
*** "I think $1 trillion a year
by 2000 is modest."
- Nicholas Negroponte commenting on the predictions for the growth of ecommerce
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LATE BREAKING NEWS:
Online Retailers Brace for the Holidays
What a difference a year makes. In 1998, the idea of a holiday season selling boom virtually snuck up on the Web industry. Online retail sales of $2.6 billion during November and December blew out most industry projections and accounted for nearly 40 percent of the Web's total sales for 1998, according to estimates by research firm Jupiter Communications.
This year, the expectations are considerably higher. Jupiter, for instance, forecasts a near-doubling in holiday season retail sales to $5 billion. Not to be outdone, research firm Dataquest last week predicted a tripling in fourth-quarter merchandise sales on the Web.
But along with those lofty expectations come substantial new responsibilities for merchants as well. Far beyond the relatively simple task of keeping a Web site up and running, more attention will be focused than ever before on the logistics of processing customer orders and providing hands-on customer service, said Melissa Bane, analyst at The Yankee Group market research firm.
Source:
http://www.zdnet.com/
CyberSisters' comments:
Do you agree with these analysts or with Negroponte? Either way, chances are it will be a huge year for online sales.
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FACTOID OF THE WEEK:
According to Goldman, Sachs, by 2004 Business to Business e-commerce revenue will reach $1.5 trillion, up from an estimated $39 billion in 1998. In 199, B-to-B e-commerce revenue will reach $114 billion.
Research by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and The WEFA Group found that the Internet is the fastest growing business-to-business direct marketing medium.
Direct marketing b-to-b sales growth continues to outpace overall US business growth. From 1994-1999, direct marketing sales to business grew 11 percent per year, almost twice the growth of total annual US business sales growth of 5.6 percent
Source: CyberAtlas
http://www.cyberatlas.com/
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TIP:
Blind Carbon Copy (BCC)
If you want to to send the same message to multiple people, but don't want everyone getting it to see who else it was sent to - use the Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) feature of your email program.
The BCC field is usually beneath where you put the address of the person you are addressing the email to. You can place as many addresses you wish in the BCC field (about 1,500)! Everyone will get the same message and they won't know it was a multiple mailing, and won't be able to read the others' addresses. Most of the E-mail packages separate addresses with a comma.
If you are getting complaints about people having to scroll through dozens (hundreds!) of addresses before getting to your joke that you've just sent around the office, try out the BCC feature! It also helps maintain the privacy of your recipients!
P.S. Thanks to our loyal reader Keith who suggested this tip. Any more suggestions? Email our editor!
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BIZ SITES OF THE WEEK:
1. Mleap - setting up your own online store - a full featured e-commerce system. Thinking of cashing in on the online retail rush? Trying to get your share of the predicted "trillions" in e-commerce? Mleap is a new set-up your own store online service from the folks at Mind the Store, Inc. that allows small and medium size companies to exploit all the advantages of conducting business via the Internet with no up front costs. (They take a 5% cut of revenues).
Try it out at:
2. Another set up your own store service that offers similar full service build your own online stores is "Wired to Shop", a Vancouver, B.C. company. They offer true “drag and drop” features allowing you to create sophisticated and powerful online stores with only a PC, an Internet connection, an email account, and a browser.
Try it out at:
Comment from the CyberSisters:
The above are two examples of ASPs (application
service providers). If you are a small to medium size company, start looking
around for ASP services that will take some of the pressure off managing
your IT needs. Why re-invent the wheel? Your e-commerce needs, system backups,
online bill presentation, collections, etc.. are all available online through
ASPs.
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TERM OF THE DAY:
"Click and Mortar"
Think you've had enough of catchy e-commerce/retailing phrases? Try this one: Click-and-mortar describes a store that exists online and in the physical world. Barnes and Noble is an example of a click-and-mortar store.
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Ripple Effect "Rock"
What's a Ripple Effect Rock? Well, think of a rock thrown in a lake, and how the water ripples outward. This section of the newsletter covers developments and technologies that we think might soon cause a "ripple effect" in business or society.
Ripple Rock for Sept 27 1999:
Europe Online
According to IDC research, there's going to be a cool half-billion people online throughout the world by 2003. And buried within that huge figure, the CyberSister's dug out what we think is a very significant prediction:
"...the online population of Europe will overtake that of the US for the first time that year."
For those of you who like numbers, that's 170 million cyber-Europeans! (compared to 44 million of them today). And according to Andersen Consulting, they will be spending almost a half-trillion dollars through Ecommerce. At the same time, 83% of European businesses will be engaged in some form of business to business Ecommerce.
The implications for our discerning readers are obvious: if you don't address the cultural and language differences of a global customer base -- you won't HAVE a global customer base, since the competition is only a click away! The Europeans are coming! I guess I better go and pop-in my Austin Powers video for a quick course in Euro culture baby!
Any Europeans on our mailing list? Feel free to comment!
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That's it for now! Have a great
week!
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E-Mail: dcurrie@digitalripple.com
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Telephone: (416)430-5726
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E-Mail: alcurrie@digitalripple.com
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"Exploring the Ripple Effect of Digital Technology"
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