7. Changes Brought by E-Commerce and Its Reflections on Entrepreneurship E-commerce generally leads to radical changes in business life. T...
7. Changes Brought by E-Commerce and Its Reflections on
Entrepreneurship
E-commerce generally leads to radical changes in business life.
These changes will also have great repercussions on entrepreneurship. These are
briefly as follows:
E-Commerce transforms the marketplace, moving it from an objective plane
to a virtual plane. The change of the marketplace may not be considered
important in itself, but shopping methods take a completely new form. The
various methods of the buyer-seller relationship take on a completely new form.
As the buyer-seller relationship moves to a different level, traditional
intermediation will first disappear, and this will be followed by the
reorganization of shopping, the continuation of trade-related services in a new
way, and the training of skilled manpower to perform these functions. These are
the fundamentals of marketplace transformation.
E-Commerce has an accelerating and expanding effect on
buying-selling and related transactions. Especially with the development of
electronic data exchange systems between businesses, or more precisely,
depending on technological infrastructure developments, the speed and
prevalence of economic transactions are also developing.
E-Commerce increases the intensity of functioning of the economy.
Economic relations between both large and small businesses and between businesses
and consumers are strengthened by e-commerce. Not only very large companies,
but also small goods and service producers and, more importantly, consumers are
enabled to operate on a global scale, and although geographical and economic
borders have not yet completely disappeared, they are significantly narrowing
in many areas, especially financial businesses. Openness is the main feature of
e-commerce, both technologically and intellectually. The basis of e-commerce is
that transactions and data that are not subject to proprietary confidentiality
are open to two segments, especially the companies with which the business does
business as buyers and sellers, and consumers. Opening time The producer must
adhere to certain principles, rules and standards. In this context, the most
positive aspect of opening up is the expectation that it will strengthen competition;
The most negative aspect is possible attacks and preventing them or protecting
the private area.
E-Commerce turns the concept
of time upside down. It changes the relative importance of time. As it is
known, almost all data and variables related to the economy are defined as time
dependent. Production, productivity, profit, wages, etc. In order for concepts
to make sense, they must be stated with a certain period of time such as day,
month, year, and they must be understandable. The basis of this understanding
lies in effectiveness and efficiency. Obtaining results in a shorter time and
with the least amount of expense or cost is the basis of economic activities
and is naturally defined by the concept of time. E-Commerce minimizes, and in
some cases eliminates, business and transaction times.
These developments regarding e-commerce transactions all over the
world show the share of the digital economy in the economic market and its
rising trend. When evaluating all these growth rates, it is impossible
not to predict that a large economic network is being formed, considering
that only 1/4 of the world is integrated with the internet.
8. Entrepreneurs should be careful when transitioning to e-commerce
Required Subjects
E-commerce offers great opportunities in selling all kinds of
products and services directly to the customer. But before getting into this
business, it is necessary to know the pros and cons well. Opening an electronic
store is both less costly and simpler than opening a physical store. However,
sustainability is not as easy as it seems. Establishing an e-commerce site for
sales and marketing of products provides advantages in every sense. In a way,
you have a store that operates 24 hours a day, with no rent, no electricity or
water bills, no morning opening and no evening closing. Of course, just like
every organization, an e-commerce site also needs attention and investment.
Yes, maybe they are not opened in the morning and the floors are not mopped,
and the products may not be kept properly on the shelves. But it should not be
forgotten that the e-commerce platform has its own 'relevance' procedures and
if it does not comply with these rules, the site becomes a site that remains
open idle, outdated and unreliable. This is, first of all, the brand entrepreneurship
Part I will damage its credibility. Below you may be wondering "How do
I open an e-commerce site?" The answer to the question will not be
found, but many points necessary for the healthy functioning of the site will
be explained18.
1. Preparations
When opening a website, you should be as careful as if you were
opening a store. The virtual version of a physical store should be considered
for issues such as location, showcase, square meter, placement of shelves, how
many products there will be, how they will be placed on the shelves, and the
number of people working in the store.
Scale must be determined: How many products will be available in
the virtual store must be determined. If 50 products are to be sold, a design
accordingly can be requested from the company from which the service will be
provided. Otherwise, 50 products will be lost in the designs prepared for
hundreds of products. The best way to do this is to take similar sites as an example.
For a small number of products, a page model in which a large number of products
appear on the home page and where buy buttons are located right next to the products
may be ideal. If there are many products, the campaign product can be placed at
the top of the landing page and categories can be placed at the bottom. Just as
it is important for customers to browse comfortably in the store, it is equally
important for visitors to the site to be able to easily find what they are
looking for.
The elements on the pages must be determined: When you look
at e-commerce sites, you will see that there are many items as well as sales
areas. Surveys, comparison tables, most viewed products, recently added
products, and advertising areas can be given as examples. For example, if the
products are updated at long intervals, it would be more logical to not include
the recently added products section on the page or to place it at the bottom.
Otherwise, since the same products will appear for a long time, it may appear
that the site is static or sloppy. Advertising areas should also be chosen
carefully. If advertising is not to be received, this area should not be
reserved at all. When clicking on the ad, care should be taken to open the page
on another screen. No element on the page should close the site and open
another site when clicked on. There must be a good site manager: Site
management is very important. If you are a "graphic designer/front
accountant/secretary, when you have time from your own work."
who opened the site necessary for it is noble. Finiki there will be
a rune these are virtual determine the network n get into this ready for m shma,
similar many products the page it took offer line tour what they are looking
for If it is thought that "it also takes care of the Receiving orders
properly, tracking payments and cargo is a job in itself, and a person must
spend regular hours on it.
An agreement must be reached with the banks: Negotiations must be
made with the banks before the site is established. Banks need to allocate
'Virtual POS' so that people can shop with credit cards. Virtual POS can be
considered as the virtual version of credit card POS machines in stores. As
soon as the customer enters his credit card number and presses the 'buy'
button, that information reaches the virtual POS, authorization is given and
the sale is made, and the money is deposited into the account. In the meantime,
the customer's credit card number cannot be viewed, recorded or his/her
identity questioned. However, by entering the virtual POS management page, you
can confirm whether the transaction has been completed or not, and if
necessary, the refund can be made with a single click. Of course, an important
factor here is that the site also supports a secure data transmission system.
8.2. Activation of the Site
After deciding on the design of the e-commerce site together with
the site manager, and completing all the difficult processes such as product
photos and information, pricing and payment options, security, virtual POS, and
completion of the site content, the site is now operational. Now it is time to
ensure the continuity of this system. This phase, which seems simpler than the
previous difficult process, is often underestimated, so many sites are either
closed or do not do business at all, causing harm to the brand they are
affiliated with. Important points regarding the continuity of the site are
briefly explained below.
Customers should be listened to: Customers give the best feedback about
the site. E-mails sent by customers should be read and answered carefully.
Because e-store customers, especially those who give feedback, are not like
customers visiting street stores. Their profile is higher and their feedback means
they care about you. Expressing satisfaction to a customer who takes the time
to send an e-mail when an incorrect price appears on the site, product
information is entered inconsistently, or something else goes wrong.
An answer must be given. Sometimes they say, "Your products
are this expensive on another site, but your products are this expensive, don't
rip people off!" You may receive very harsh e-mails such as these, but a
polite response always increases trust and breaks the ice. Attention should be
paid to updates: Products are constantly renewed, sometimes If it goes into a
campaign and prices drop, work needs to be spent on updating it. The site
administrator should devote one hour to this task every day. The site manager
may have tasks such as preparing the orders received in the evening and having
them shipped. He/she must set aside an hour regularly and devote that time only
to site updates.
Distributor should be followed: If a company has a
dealership or distributorship If this is done, the company should be
closely monitored. You can gain an advantage over your competitors by
being instantly informed about campaigns and discounts. If you do not
work with stock, reaching the distributor's stock status should be as
easy as accessing messages on your mobile phone. Banks should be closely
monitored: Banks increase the commission rate for credit card
installments as the number of installments increases. In various periods,
they run campaigns for certain installment numbers. For example, while the commission
rate for 7 installments is 8 percent, the commission rate for 8 installments
may be 3 percent. These can be closely monitored and customers can be offered
more installments under better conditions. Banks may not be very keen on keeping
this information up to date, so you should follow up. Close cooperation should
be started with the cargo company: If the goods cannot be delivered
safely, it will have no value, regardless of whether Amazon.com is yours. The
cargo company should clearly explain that e-commerce is being carried out, the
shipment volume will increase and that this is a serious business, and the
best prices and prices should remain constant. A system should be
established that clearly indicates the shipping fee to the customer.
Accurate information is valuable and gives confidence to customers who
make purchases electronically. It is important to know how much shipping costs
are incurred for each purchase. Products should never be sent on payment
and collection must be made in advance.
9. Benefits of E-Commerce for Entrepreneurs
In addition to carrying out e-commerce information, product or
service purchasing and selling activities through computer networks; Creating
demand for the information, product or service offered (marketing), providing
customer support before and after sales, and providing commercial and logistic communication
between commercial institutions and customers through global computer networks.
E-Commerce provides instant access to information, products and services
offered on the internet from anywhere in the world. E-Commerce's
infrastructure, which can operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, eliminates
time problems that restrict shopping. Multimedia tools are used not only in
commercial applications; Considering that it can also be used to activate and
expand public services such as education and health, it will be seen that
e-commerce is a phenomenon that concerns not only the business world but also
the whole society. For this reason, e-commerce appears as a new business and
lifestyle that enables the transition to the information society. In addition,
electronic commerce also leads to positive changes in economic life. We can briefly
explain the contribution of e-commerce to economic life and entrepreneurs as follows.
ü As the marketplace opens up to the whole world, competition
naturally increases. As a result, purchasing costs decrease.
ü Competition brings market prices down as much as possible, creating
the opportunity for cheaper, higher quality and a continuous supply of goods
for the consumer.
ü With the computer system to be installed behind the electronic
commerce system, stock tracking is done more effectively, and stock costs are
reduced.
ü The consumer is an active buyer because it encounters many
different products and prices in the market.
ü Since the accuracy of sales and stock information will facilitate
production planning and determination of needs, production efficiency increases
and time decreases.
ü The fact that the service sector is directly involved in commerce
provides more efficient and effective customer service for the consumer.
ü unnecessary expenses are stopped. Sales, marketing and distribution
costs are reduced.
ü Since information and communication technologies are used, it
enables safer and faster information exchange, effective product promotion, and
rapid adaptation to changes in market demands.
ü By completing transactions in a very short time, repetition of information
is prevented, and trade is facilitated and enabled.
ü By monitoring national and international trade much faster, more
reliably and in detail, it enables domestic and foreign trade policies to be determined
more accurately, commercial activities to be spread to the base, trade to be
developed and globalized, and a greater share to be obtained from international
trade.
