Perception of buying on the net – Everyday low prices?

Increasingly consumers feel that the Internet offers the cheapest price for any good. This perception may be based on the belief that selling via internet is cheaper as there are no overheads or brick and mortar costs. In Business banking, banks have started offering value added services on the net to corporate and to small and medium enterprises, but to their dismay have realized that consumers do not want to pay for these services. Customers feel anything available on the net should be free.
The fact that internet usage has been increasing rapidly is a great. However how does one manage this perception, can prices keep going down? Is it possible to charge a premium using Net as a medium. What I mean is the price on the net is higher than in a retail outlet. I am not talking about deals but a sustained pricing strategy. Anyone aware of such a situation ?

Internet makes one P of marketing extinct?

Internet has been instrumental in modifying the 4 P’s of marketing. One P place or distribution is perceived to be in threat. Internet combined with a delivery mechanism (read DHL, post or courier) are putting pressure on traditional distribution mediums like retail outlets for consumer durables . This was led some to believe that the showrooms are a thing of the past. I think it is a long way before traditional distribution outlets disappear. Today customers go to an outlet, explore the items available and maybe then may decide to buy the item online, either because it’s cheaper or it is convenient. As social individuals we all love the shopping experience, going to a showroom, exploring the options. I was wondering what are your views on this ?

Think of a world where there are no shops on Oxford street … would you still enjoy just shopping on the net?

Retail Banking and the Internet

Retail Banking is under pressure. Revenues are down due to higher losses, lower lending and decrease in fee income. Bankers are increasingly looking at cost reductions to improve profitability. Internet banking provides some comfort. ATM’s were primarily used to drive customers out of branches as it is more expensive to service them from a branch. Now it’s the turn of Internet. In some countries banks charge differential fees for a particular request. E.g. Stop payment charges are zero over the net, a small amount from an ATM and a nice fee if done from the branch, a form of price discrimination. I haven’t seen this much in UK, does any one of you have such experience ?

Customers have started using most of their transactions on line. It is impossible to remove all the bank branches but it makes we wonder in the near future do we need so many branches. It was a requirement before online banking? does it make sense now ?

10 Great ways to improve your online presence

I picked this article from the net, this is intresting.... Can we get 10 more ideas in addition to these listed below ?

1) Search engine marketing
Having a brilliant website does not always lead to traffic and conversion success. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a collection of techniques that help sites achieve strong search engine rankings through Google, Yahoo, and other search engines. The difference in traffic count from one site to another is multiplied tremendously by attaining first page position in common Google searches, and preferably a top 5 position. New research suggests nearly half of online consumers use search engine to search for products.
2) Article marketing
Article marketing is a fast-growing online marketing tool that offers some SEO benefits as well as increased media communication with potential audiences. Companies are writing, or hiring SEO writers to write, articles that offer quality information and search engine benefits based on effective use of keywords that consumers search for. Articles can be placed on your site, shared through a blog, or submitted to one of the many free online article submission sites.
3) Pay-per-click or sponsored link advertising
There are certainly many opportunities for free promotion online. However, as is the common rule of advertising, you have more control over what you pay for. Google, Microsoft, and many other small and medium-sized companies offer pay-per-click or sponsored listing opportunities. This is where businesses pay to achieve high position in a sponsored link section of consumer searches. Costs for placement vary as you can usually bid on a per click cost to achieve higher positions. Essentially, you pay to generate visitors to your site as they search. The key to success with PPC is to have effective .landing pages., which are the pages on your site where clickers land. PPC is usually a short-term traffic generation technique as successful sites increase SEO.
4) Use social media
Social media networks are taking over internet marketing. These are popular sites, including Digg.com, Twitter, MySpace, and more that provide a natural online network. Essentially, it offers companies a built in opportunity for viral marketing. Your company can network with others, submit articles and news for users, and essentially help direct the movement of word of mouth through the web.
5) Enter the blogosphere
Any serious website must consider the advantages of a site-based blog or a companion blog from an external location. A blog is an online diary or ongoing written communication with visitors. Some companies have a blog on their site that serves as a constant update on news, features, and other information for visitors. Others use some popular online blogs including WordPress and BlogSpot. You can operate your blog, build networks and groups, and provide link backs to help drive traffic to your site. Many sites use their blog for SEO as it increases content and adds link backs (an important search engine factor). Many companies publish regular blog articles.
6) Exchange links
A common technique for online growth is link exchange networking. This involves finding partner sites that are willing to provide a link to your site, in exchange for you doing the same for them. This adds another location for consumers to find you. More importantly, links from sites that are popular and high in traffic can be very beneficial to your Google popularity, and ultimately, your search engine positioning.
7) Use RSS feeds
RSS feeds are ways for your visitors to stay in touch with what is going on with your website. Google Reader or Google alerts is a popular feed. By adding a button on your home page, readers can subscribe to an ongoing feed that updates then as new items are added to your site. It is a great way to drive repeat traffic.
8) Share the news
One of the best ways to grow your online presence is to track and retain visitors. Having a way to easily capture contact information from visitors to add them to your contact list is vital. Writing a regularly newsletter (2-4 times per month) to communicate directly with your clients/customers about recent news, events, and to stay in front of your audience helps with growth. Newsletter distribution with links back to your site can also lead directly to increased traffic from recipients.
9) Add pages
A general rule of thumb of increasing SEO performance is to add traffic. Having more cached pages that are indexed by Google and other search engines helps gives your site more impact in search engines. Additionally, you can set up additional pages as independent landing pages to help increase sales conversion for specific products as they become easier to find for visitors who do not have to navigate through your site to get to sales pages.
10) Learn how to 'mobilize'
As the iPhone and other multi-purpose cell phone products increase their internet technology and features, companies have greater ability to contact consumers. Understanding all of these opportunities can be a tremendous advantage to your online presence. Text messaging, mobile updating, and interactivity between your site and the mobile environment can all help grow and retain traffic