For instance online marketing is not free to set up or to start up and it can cost a lot just to get it running. The cost of all the hardware and software that is needed to get things going is very high. This also includes the cost of website designing, further maintenance of the website, and all the costs over time as well. This shows us that although internet marketing can give the business a lot of profit over time, however, at the start they will need twice as much just to get everything is position so that they can start their own online business. Also as technology is growing rapidly more and more businesses are starting up online so it is a very hard and tough competition because you will have to make your website the best without any flaws at all with it so that customers again and again come back to you without thinking of shopping from another website. You also get many new businesses trying to do something similar to businesses who are doing well in the market. This means they try and make their website look alike, or they may use the same colours, pictures and even the same design of another website so that they can attract their customers to their new website, because they will use someone else's ideas to snatch customers and persuade them to shop at their new website since they will try and make them believe that theirs is better and they are offering a lot more than other websites. This means that businesses have to make sure their website is secured and that their customers know about it too, so they can shop with them without any worries in mind. Another disadvantage of internet marketing is that many online shoppers expect something in free or for less, because if they go shopping at a shop, they will come across many offers and deals that the business is offering them which then makes them happy because they are saving some money and it persuades them to buy the product. So online businesses will have to offer something like that to their customers as well, otherwise they may lose all their customers because they prefer shopping somewhere where they get things for half the price or for free. Online businesses will also have to gain the trust of their customers as well because purchasing online means that customers have to give their personal details as well as their card details in order for the transaction to be completed. So customers will definitely have to feel safe and secure for them to give out such details without knowing how the data is been used on the other side of the screen. This shows us that businesses will have to work hard to gain the trust of the customers first and this can be done in many different ways. For example they can try and get to know their customers firsts by sending them emails every know and then keeping them informed about anything new that is happening with them. They can also provide a large choice for their customers to select from, which will show them that the organisation wants to do business with them that why they are spending so much money bringing in more that one choice to choose from. Another drawback of internet marketing is that its very hard to tell if the people on the other end are telling the truth or not. This means that there is so much information on the world wide web now that you cant judge what is right and what is wrong. This can be an disadvantage for online businesses because they have to work hard and meet their expectations of their customers because only then will they believe they are telling the truth and not lying. Also, customers will have to find out if what businesses say is what they really do and this can be bad for businesses as well because if customers don't believe the business and if they don't trust them how will they be able to do business with them and shop through them, they obviously are not going to then. Another disadvantage of internet marketing is that some people still believe its always better to go into the shop and purchase product like that because at least you can feel, touch and try the product on and then decide if you want to buy it or not. But if you are shopping online there is no way you can either touch, feel or try the product on so questions can arise in the customers mind deciding if they should or shouldn't make the purchase. So businesses will have to provide their customers with a lot of information about the product so they can read about it and make their decision, and also it will be helpful if the business can provide customers with video clips that they can watch so they can get a better idea of what the product will look like on them. Another drawback of internet marketing is the problem of trying to manage the overload of feedback that is sent back to businesses. This is hard work for businesses because they have millions of customers all around the globe and they all want the best customer service. For this to be possible they are going to send emails to the business letting them know how they feel about the services they are getting and also any complaints they have. This is going to give the business a lot of stress because they have to make sure they reply back to every single email solving all their problems. This can be a tough situation for the business as they can not even let one customers down. ASOS also send emails out to all their customers and they receive feedback as well. They will have to make sure they give a response mail back to them, as it will make the customers feel happy about the service they are getting. Even though there are many disadvantages and drawbacks about internet marketing, they can all be solved very easily and an organisation would never face these problems if they do everything right and by following a few steps. However, one should never forget that there are also many positive things, advantages and benefits of internet marketing to organisations as well, so it balances things out well.
03/21/2010