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Technology Stocks : IDT *(idtc) following this new issue?* -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Secret_Agent_Man who wrote (1444)	1/15/1999 11:55:00 PM
From: Secret_Agent_Man	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 30916

INDEX: Business, retail, technology,telecommunications Canadian Press/Associated Press Service, support keys to growth of Internet commerce 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