I STRUCK GOLD ON THE
WEBSITE....EZSURF.COM!!!!!!
by: drillseeker (33/M/Morristown, NJ)
15523 of 15530
Got this article off of CNN.COM's Industry watch...
Then go to EZSurf.Com...an E-commerce site. Spinning Sun
gives the message IDT Cool Site of the Day. Go to Help. It
gives IDT's phone number (I think...it's 201 area code) for
reference.
IS THIS IT GUYS?????
VANCOUVER (CP) -- The novelty of buying stuff on the
Internet is attracting consumers and better data encryption
makes it harder for hackers to steal their credit-card numbers.
But the key to growth in electronic commerce will be
keeping those customers by providing service and after-sales
support, say experts at the Comdex '99 computer conference.
It takes five times more effort to attract new customers than
retain existing ones, said Mitchell Levy, president of
California-based ECNow.com, a consulting firm specializing
in electronic commerce and Internet marketing.
"The best customers you have are your current customers,"
he said.
Spurred by the success of Internet merchants such as
Amazon.com, companies are flooding onto the Web.
Initially the Internet was a contact point for products that
then would be sold conventionally. Only pornographers
seemed to have attracted a large direct-ordering clientele.
"The guys that were making money at the beginning were the
sex sites," said Levy.
But Levy said security concerns seem to be decreasing
among consumers as programs that protect financial data
become more sophisticated.
One American survey predicts U.S. on-line shopping
revenues will reach $1.3 trillion by 2003, said Jennifer
Robinson, sales and marketing director for [ IDT ] , a New
Jersey Internet service provider.
The next two years will begin to see financial payoffs for
companies in electronic commerce, said Levy.
More small- and medium-sized companies will flock to the
Web and bigger firms will appoint top-level executives to
focus on electronic commerce, Levy predicted.
Improvements in technology and software will make it even
easier for shoppers to buy with the click of a mouse.
But Levy said companies must recognize the value-added
part of the transaction comes after the customer hits "submit
order" on the Web page.
Levy said he advises start-up clients to focus first on
customer support.
"If you can figure how to get an ongoing revenue stream
from a customer, it's better than a one-time hit," he said.
IDT is trying to capitalize on consumers' desire for after-sales
support and instant direct contact with companies.
Next month, it is launching EZsurf.com, a web site that will
allow shoppers to speak with individual merchants using
IDT's Click2Talk Internet telephone software. Users with
multimedia-capable computers can download it from the site.
Clicking a spot on a merchant's web page dials the cyber
store's telephone number to place orders or ask questions.
Internet merchants who thought they could handle customer
queries via e-mail are realizing consumers want the quicker
response of direct contact, said Robinson.
Land's End, a major outdoor-clothing catalogue company,
and florist 800 Flowers have embraced the technology while
major established firms have brushed it off, she said.
"It's not the Fortune 500; it's companies like Land's End and
800 Flowers who are doing some exciting things," said
Robinson.
Publication Date: January 14, 1999
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