International Marketing Practices

The internet has revolutionized the way transactions are conducted, and e- commerce, in particular, has allowed companies to shorten their supply chains and sell directly to consumers. However, the benefits of e-commerce go beyond sales transactions to include the following: supply chain transparency , since companies and customers are able to monitor the status of activities spanning the supply chain, from ordering to delivery; improved customer relationship management , allowing companies to communicate directly with customers and receive feedback from reviews or real-time sales monitoring; supply chain cost reduction , such as removing intermediate steps in the distribution process and lowering the amount of inventory needed to maintain a desired level of service; and improved customer satisfaction , resulting from increased transparency, efficiency, and communication, as well as better overall service [118]. The e-Commerce Export Resource Center is an initiative by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration to support cross-border e-commerce sales channels [119]. There is a wealth of information and educational materials to help establish an e-commerce operation for exporting companies at https://www.trade.gov/ecommerce. The internet has been an important enabler of “mass customization,” allowing customers to “design” their products and place orders online. Dell was the first company to offer online PC configuration. Today, a multitude of brands offer product customization at prices close to those of stock items (Figure 7).

Figure 7. The internet and modern manufacturing technology allow companies to offer customized products on an industrial scale with competitive prices and lead times [120].

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