Using_E-Commerce_to_Grow_a_Business

Using E-Commerce to Grow a Business Abstract In today’s society, fast and efficient are just two of the things that consumers and businesses alike are looking for. By utilizing technology applications a business can computerize and streamline a lot of their operations, making their business more efficient and thus passing this efficiency onto the consumer. Electronic Marketing Resources Business to Business (B2B) technology entails the provision of resolutions of Information Technology or IT to all sorts of businesses, whether large or small. B2B applications, as the name suggests, deals with the relations between two or more businesses. It entails the interaction of two or more businesses through activities of marketing or selling. Among the businesses that apply B2B applications are companies that offer solutions of e-commerce (or Business to consumer transactions) to others or even those that offer their activities of selling their goods or services over the internet through the website of the company (Elliot, 2000). B2B applications that are popularly known include sell-side B2B applications, buy-side B2B applications and trading associate agreement B2B applications. Buy side Business-2-Business applications enable the storage of the logic of the business on the procuring firm’s side and they prevent nonconformist from buying since only the e-catalogs that are commended are given access (Elliot, 2000). Through prevention of maverick buying, a lot of costs are saved since this kind of buying may advocate for evasion of the procedures of buying, which calls for paying of extra cash for the supply of products. By using buy-side B2B applications, the struggle of having to bargain over the stated price of a commodity is avoided. This is because these applications allow for the pre-negotiation over the price of a commodity. Some buy-side B2B applications are characterized by a workflow for the process of approving procurement and this helps managers through enabling them to have easier and total control regarding the procurements of the business (Haig, 2001). E-commerce portals, for instance, companies that trade some goods and services over the internet, are the ones that mostly employ the use of sell side B2B applications. Rose India is an example of a company that deals with sell side B2B applications and can therefore offer several services, for instance, coming up with a system of order entry that can work in with or in the absence of a catalog (Gurstein, 2000). Lastly, we have the trading associate agreement B2B applications that help computerize operations and thus overcoming the challenges of dealing with paper work, such as being cumbersome while carrying out operations like the managing of logistics or even the managing of stock. Some companies like the Rose India trading partner B2B application computerize operations, for example, the process of purchasing, and incorporates them in the trading accord. This helps improve efficiency within the firm. In a pastry business, B2C applications may be used to advertise the sale of certain products such as cakes and other products to the public. The effect of this will be to attract more people to become customers for the company’s products. For effectiveness and efficiency in carrying out these applications, the pastry firm can create a website which will give all information about the company, for instance, what it offers. The firm can also automate its operations for processes such as inventory management, placing orders, as well as scheduling order pick up or delivery (Haig, 2001). Companies like Best Buy, Amazon and Office Depot are good examples of firms that are incorporating the strategies of e-commerce into their operations. This has helped them attract more customers who turn out to be loyal. These e-commerce strategies have several advantages for a company after employing them including: lessening the time needed for the operation of marketing, increasing intelligence concerning the market business and thus the firm gets to learn and understand the market in a much better way, as well as it fastens and improves the communication process, lastly and most importantly the firm is able to retain its’ clients (Gurstein, 2000). These technologies can be used by most any company to effectively market, report, and or sell their product whether it be Business to Business or Business to Consumer. Technology has forever changed the way we do business for the better. References Elliot, S. (2002). Electronic commerce: B2C strategies and models. John Wiley & Sons. Gurstein, M. (2000). E-commerce and community economic development: Enemy or ally' The Technical University of British Columbia. Haig, M. (2001). The B2B e-commerce handbook: how to transform your business-to-business global marketing strategy. Kogan Page Publishers.