Internet Marketing
Internet Marketing: An Overview 1. Introduction
During the past decade, the popularity of the Internet has been growing explosively.
This trend is manifested in several ways. First, according to Cyberatlas.com (2002), the
Internet in the United States is growing at a rate of 2 million new Internet users each month; 143 million Americans (54 percent of the population) used the Internet in
September 2001, a 26 percent increase over August 2000. Second, the number of companies that create web presence to communicate with customers as well as other firms has been dramatically increasing. Third, the Internet has been accepted by broad
Consumer segments for various purposes, such as information search and online purchasing. Also, as reported in Cyberatlas.com (2002), 36 percent of Americans use the Internet to search for products and service information, a 10 percent increase over
2000. Among Internet users, 39 percent are making online purchases and 35 percent are searching for health information.
Along with the increasing popularity of the Internet, marketing researchers have given qualitative and empirical attention to this phenomenon. Some academic journals have released special issues related to the Internet marketing (e.g., Marketing Science,
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and Journal of Retailing). Years of research have yielded many important findings. Among those studies, the Internet has been viewed as a marketing channel, a new advertising medium, and a communication platform. 2. Products on the Internet
Research on the topic of Internet products attempts to answer the following questions:
• What kind of products may be suitable for online selling?
• What kind of marketing strategies can be used to facilitate online selling?
Any product is perceived by a buyer to be a combination of utilities (e.g., qualities, values, and/or capabilities) that is expected to
During the past decade, the popularity of the Internet has been growing explosively.
This trend is manifested in several ways. First, according to Cyberatlas.com (2002), the
Internet in the United States is growing at a rate of 2 million new Internet users each month; 143 million Americans (54 percent of the population) used the Internet in
September 2001, a 26 percent increase over August 2000. Second, the number of companies that create web presence to communicate with customers as well as other firms has been dramatically increasing. Third, the Internet has been accepted by broad
Consumer segments for various purposes, such as information search and online purchasing. Also, as reported in Cyberatlas.com (2002), 36 percent of Americans use the Internet to search for products and service information, a 10 percent increase over
2000. Among Internet users, 39 percent are making online purchases and 35 percent are searching for health information.
Along with the increasing popularity of the Internet, marketing researchers have given qualitative and empirical attention to this phenomenon. Some academic journals have released special issues related to the Internet marketing (e.g., Marketing Science,
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, and Journal of Retailing). Years of research have yielded many important findings. Among those studies, the Internet has been viewed as a marketing channel, a new advertising medium, and a communication platform. 2. Products on the Internet
Research on the topic of Internet products attempts to answer the following questions:
• What kind of products may be suitable for online selling?
• What kind of marketing strategies can be used to facilitate online selling?
Any product is perceived by a buyer to be a combination of utilities (e.g., qualities, values, and/or capabilities) that is expected to