PROJECT REPORT ON

“ANALYSIS ON SUCCESS OF B2B AND C2C BUSINESS A

SPECIAL REFERENCE ON EBAY
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the awarded Of the Degree of

“MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION”

BANGALORE CENTRAL UNIVERSITY

Submitted by: PUNEETH AU

Reg. No: MB192860
Under the Guidance Of
Prof. ANITHA B R

VIVEKANANDA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

Dr. Raj Kumar road, Rajajinagar, Bangalore 56005
2020-2021
 Janata education society(regd.)
Vivekananda institute of management
(affiliated to Bangalore central university &approved by AICTE, new Delhi)
Dr. Rajkumar road Rajajinagar II stage, Bengaluru-55

Ref No VIM/………………………./201 /201 Date : ………………….

CERTIFICATE FROM COLLEGE AND GUIDE

This is to certify that this project report titled ““A study on impact of web technology
on b2b marketing”. Submitted in partial fulfilment for the award of master’s degree in
business administration by Bangalore central university is original work carried out by
MYTHRI R bearing Register No MB192860 under the guidance of PROF. ANITHA B
R This project has not been submitted earlier to any of the university or institution for the
award of any degree/diploma/certificate.
His character and conduct was satisfactory during the course of his study. We wish his all
success in this future endeavors

Guide
PRINCIPAL/DIRECTOR
(PROF. ANITHA B R) (DR PRAKASH NAYAK)

Phone no:080-23477334/2337 1952. Extn-304; fax: 080-23477334/2337

1952www.vimjes.edu.in,www.vivekanandajes.org,email:directorvims5@gmail
.com
 Janata education society(regd.)
Vivekananda institute of management
(affiliated to Bangalore central university &approved by AICTE, new Delhi)
Dr. Rajkumar road Rajajinagar II stage, Bengaluru-55

Ref No VIM/………………………./201 /201 Date : ………………….

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

This is to certify that this project report titled “A study on impact of web technology on
b2b marketing”. is an original work of PUNEETH AU bearing register No MB192860
and is being submitted in partial fulfilment for the award of master’s degree in business
administration by Bangalore central university. The report has not been submitted earlier to
this university/institution for the fulfilment of the requirement of a course of study.

signature of faculty guide signature of principal/director

date: date:

Phone no:080-23477334/2337 1952. Extn-304; fax: 080-23477334/2337

1952,www.vimjes.edu.in,www.vivekanandajes.org,email:directorvims5@gmai
l.com
 DECLARATION

I, PUNEETH A U (reg. No. MB192860) here by declared that this original

study report titled “A study on impact of web technology on b2b marketing””. is an
original work done by me for the degree of MBA under Bangalore central university I
further declare that this work is not party or wholly submitted for any other purpose and
that the data included in the report collected from various sources and true to the best of my
knowledge.

DATE: PUNEETH A U
PLACE:BANGALOUR (MB192860)
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It is my great pleasure to acknowledgment with thanks my respect full and
ones in helping to bring out the project successfully.
I hereby express my sincere gratitude to our Dr. PRAKASH. B. NAYAK
Principal/Director, Vivekananda Institute of Management, who gave us this
opportunity to carry out this study.

I extend my deepest gratitude to Prof. ANITHA B R, Vivekananda

Institute of Management for the encouragement, guidance and helpful
suggestions.

I am very much thankful to all retailers, who directly and indirectly helped
me by extending their full co-operation despite their tight office schedule.

I express my mate gratitude to the God almighty that has been instrument
for enlightening me on my academic venture.

I am sincerely grateful to my dear friends for their encouragement,

support and love.

Date: PUNEETH A
U
Place: Bangalore (MB192860)
 LIST OF CONTENTS

CHAPTE CONTENT PAGE

R NO
CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 7 – 23
-1
CHAPTER RESEARCH DESIGN & 24 – 30
-2 METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER SWOC ANALYSIS 31– 36

-3

CHAPTER OUTCOME OF THE STUDY 38 – 42

-4
CHAPTER LEARNING, EXPERIENCE, 43 – 46
-5 CONCLUSION
BIBLOGRAPHY 47
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

The Internet is an information technology (IT) that diffuses at exponential rates among
the business-to-business organizations. According to the Forrester Research (Business
Marketing, May 1997), $66 billion in business-to business commerce will be conducted
on the Internet by the year 2000, with the number of businesses connected in the Net
rising from 4% in 1997 to 33% by then (i.e. the year 2000). Its high approval and use
by business-to business organizations may be largely attributed to two factors.

First, to its interoperable idiosyncrasy that constitutes an overwhelming advantage over

other competitive information networks (such as value-added networks, open EDI
systems, Intranets, etc.), since it entails significantly lower setup and operational costs
and elimination of switching costs.

Second, it may be attributed to its enhanced informational and interactive

communicative capabilities, which enable it to be used as both a communication tool
and a marketing channel, thus inducing the development of more effective inter
organizational relationships and the emergence of new network cooperative
opportunities.

Current trends in the market environment, such as shrinkage of markets, increase of

competition, technology turbulence, and diffusion of the IT through the organizations,
preempt structural changes in the organizations and their marketing channels. These
trends call for increased collaboration among organizations that leads to increased
outsourcing activities, transformations in the value chains of the organizations and of
their distribution channels, and the formation of new network organizational structures.
In fact, these trends are calling for enhanced communication capabilities and increased
inter organizational exchanges. In view of these marketing phenomena, the examination
of both business-to-business marketing transactions, and the potential of the IT (i.e., the
Internet) to facilitate these transactions, become a primary concern.

THE STUDY ON WEB TECHNOLOGY ON B2B MARKETING

Current marketing and sales practice and theory are undergoing unprecedented
transformations that may be highly attributed to the adoption of new technology tools
and marketing concepts, such as sales force automation tools, database marketing,
relationship marketing, network marketing, electronic trading systems, and, finally, the
Internet.

Transferring the thought of the Harvard Business School marketing theorists, the main
thrust of the transformation in marketing practice could be reduced to the shift from
broadcast marketing to interactive marketing that introduces marketing concepts and
practices that are more customized and responsive to the individual. In this context, the
Internet has been characterized as the ultimate interactive medium.

The above interactive approach in marketing is reinforced by the views of many

scholars according to which our period is a transitory period towards “the information
era”, in which the management of information has become a competitive necessity.

Other authors sustain that we already have reached the threshold of the “knowledge
era,” in which the competitive advantage lies in the embedded organizational
knowledge of how to establish and manage effective relationships, both within
organizations, and among them (both with customers and suppliers).
KEY CONSTRUCTS

Use Intensity of the Internet

Since there is a lack of any established criteria for measuring the use of the Internet, as
well as the success of its use, as Belafonte stated, referring to the WWW, researchers
need to develop concepts and to shape standards.

THE USE OF THE INTERNET TOOLS

The Internet is a bundle of communication tools and services, with distinct
characteristics and communication capabilities that allow an organization to use them
either independently or jointly, to achieve multiple communication goals. Of the
numerous Internet services, e-mail, USENET, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and the
World-Wide-Web (WWW), are the most popular ones. Thus, the use of the Internet is
examined in relation to the relative use of these four major Internet services.

THE INTERNET BUDGET

The budget that is allocated to the Internet may be viewed as an indicator of its use.
This is based on the self-evident notion that the operation of any function within an
organization entails the absorption of capital, in the form of either investments (i.e.,
new equipment and hiring of new personnel) or expenses (overheads or payroll
expenses).

Conceptual model and hypothesized relationships.

Marketing Activities
Product management together with sales management constitute the two cornerstones in
business-to-business marketing strategy. The extent to which the Internet influences
these two marketing management aspects, may well judge the Internet’s compatibility
with, or, applicability to business-to-business marketing.
 PRODUCT MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
The management of the product mix refers to the development and commercialization
of new products, as well as to decisions which determine the length of their life cycles,
namely, product
Rejuvenation and renewal, or elimination decisions.
In this study, we focus on market-oriented product management activities which may be
facilitated through the use of the Internet. More specifically, within the spectrum of
product management activities, we examine the issues of faster discovery of customer
needs, greater customization of the products to the customer needs, faster new product
testing, and shorter product life cycles.

SALES MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Industrial sales management consists of activities referring to customer classification
and market segmentation, as well as to targeting, selling, service, and retention of
existing customers. These activities seem to be very crucial for industrial marketers.

In our study, we focus on those sales management activities that may be integrated and
enhanced with the interactive attributes of the Internet. More specifically, we examine
the marketing activities of market segmentation and customer classification,
management of customer databases, electronic transmission of advertisement material
(i.e., electronic catalogues) to the customers, and performing audio visional
presentations through the Internet.

Sales Performance

Appropriate performance measurement is an issue that has been extensively debated in

marketing literature. Specific conditions that characterize industrial markets, such as
long-term buying processes and demand for quality customer service and closer
relationships with the customers, often makes accountability (i.e., performance
measurement) of certain sales management activities a quite stringent task. Argued that
performance is behavior evaluated in terms of its contributions to the goals and
objectives of the organization.

Thus, performance of selling and marketing efforts often is judged on the basis of not
only sales, but also on other criteria that are essential to business-to-business marketing,
such as implementation of sales leads and improvement of customer relationships.

Sales Efficiency

This is a performance measure that is related to the net profit margin (i.e., the bottom
line of income statement). Efficiency is another thorny issue in performance
measurement, because it is determined by a vast array of expenses that are not always
easily identifiable, or accountable. In this study, we specify sales efficiency as cost
reductions resulted through the use of the Internet in certain sales management
activities, namely, reductions in cost of sales, customer service costs, time of routine
service jobs, salespeople travel time, and number of salespeople employed.

Effects of the Use Intensity of the Internet on Marketing Activities

The impact of the use intensity of the Internet upon marketing activities is tested by two
blocks of hypothesized relationships.

EFFECTS OF THE USE INTENSITY OF THE INTERNET ON SALES

MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Drawing on the Internet literature, it is elicited that the various Internet services may be
well used to facilitate certain sales management activities.

Thus, the WWW may be proved the ideal tool for the successful customer
classification. The USENET service, which includes various business discussion
groups, through which public conversations on subjects of common interest are
developed, may reveal market segments where industrial customers are self-classified.
Another Internet service, the FTP facilitates the access and management of on-line
customer databases in which prospects and existing customers’ files are stored,
according to predefined segmentation criteria.

Similarly, it enables the deployment of targeted promotion activities, for example, the
electronic transmission of paperless and efficient transmission of electronic catalogues
and infomercials.

Effects of the Use Intensity of the Internet on Sales Performance And on Sales
Efficiency

Although the potential of the Internet, viewed as a direct sales channel, for company
profitability is unquestionable, Internet can be measured by the number of site visits,
though they note that very few companies report any significant sales. In addition, most
companies generate very little business from WWW advertising at present and that in
reality, the main advantage of the WWW, at this early stage, is the experience that they
gain about the marketing strategies to be used when the network becomes a major
commercial tool for everyone.
Nevertheless, we should always remember that apart from direct sales, the development
of successful inter organizational relationships is very critical in business-to business
marketing and is mainly based in the quality and quantity of information exchanges. In
this spirit, recent surveys have stressed the ever-growing potential of the Internet to
become a huge virtual market that connects organizations around the world, enabling
(a) expansion into new markets, (b) improvement of customer relationships, and (c)
enhancement of inter organizational cooperation.

Sales and sales force management costs have been dramatically risen during the last 15
years, stressing the necessity for marketing and sales departments to improve their
accountability and efficiency. The above need is getting even more intense, given the
squeezed profitability margins due to the ever-growing competition and market
turbulence. Thus, efficient management of sales and marketing departments has become
a major concern.
Many researchers have stressed the great competitive advantage of the Internet to be
used as an efficient marketing tool. The Internet has been characterized as a tool for
facilitating sales force efforts, thus leading to higher levels of sales productivity and
efficiency.

Organizing conceptual framework

From the B2B sales force perspective, the Internet is a revolutionary platform,
characterized as intelligent, ubiquitous, flexible, and by instant and constant
connectivity, for getting and providing information. The Internet’s fundamental benefits
include information acquisition and provision through one-way communication (e.g.,
users searching over sites and reading pages); two-way communication (e.g., e-mail
exchanges between two people); and multiway, i.e., one- to-many or many-to-many
communication (e.g., usage of social networking media such as LinkedIn).

Further, the Internet today allows users to communicate with one another via a variety of
methods: synchronous, asynchronous, text, audio, and video. Our schema includes
Internet-based communications involved in both B2B & E-commerce and offline sales.
Contemporary Internet communication technologies have radically transformed the
attributes of marketing information available to actors in B2B markets.

In particular, the Internet has greatly enhanced the quantity, quality (richness), currency,
and verifiability of information available to buyers and sellers, as well as the speed and
scope of the information collected, while lowering the costs of collection (though not
necessarily the costs of processing the information, which would limit the amount of
Internet information gathered and used.
In our conceptualization, Internet-based changes in attributes of information available to
B2B buyers and sellers affect (1) buying center complexity, (2) the nature (Internet- vs.
salesperson- dependence) of the buying process, (3) the nature (buyer-driven vs. seller-
driven) of the selling process and (4) the nature (goods-dominant vs. services-dominant)
of buyer–seller interpersonal interactions. The nature of the product, the nature of the
purchase, and the nature of the buyer– seller exchange all moderate these effects.
Subsequently, the Internet information–induced changes on the buying and selling sides
and their interaction have significant implications for sales force size and structure. Two
key moderating factors at this stage are the nature of competition and environmental
uncertainty.

Industrial buyers’ and sellers’ usage of Internet-based communication media

B2B buyers are pursuing a more ‘massively multichannel’ buying process than ever
before; however, channel weightings and their sequence vary according to the phase of
the buying process. In general, supplier websites and Web searches figure prominently in
the early stages (identifying needs, identifying suppliers) of B2B buying processes but
much less so in the later supplier selection phase. The BUYER sphere report findings
indicate that despite being hyped considerably, the role and influence of social media in
the B2B buying process are still minimal.

Specifically, 10 % or less of respondents in the BUYER sphere study indicated that

communication through social media (e.g., blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn)
played a role in the buying process stages of identifying needs, identifying potential
suppliers, and selecting a supplier. Indeed, more traditional communications such as
industry press reports, word-of mouth, and events/seminars, continue to be used more
than social media in B2B markets.

However, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook do have high influence when they are used.
Further, Ramos and Young (2009) report that 91% of technology decision-makers were
‘Spectators’ i.e., those who are reading blogs, watching user-generated videos, and
participating (if not contributing much to conversations) in other social media, and 69%
of them said they were using this technology for business purposes. Moreover, these
trends may accelerate with the arrival of the next generation of industrial buyers who
grew up using social media in their formative years.

Use of Internet information technologies in the B2B selling process lists the variety of
Internet tactics/technologies reportedly used by Marketing/Sales management at various
stages of the B2B selling process (an earlier review of the many opportunities for
integration of Internet tools in the selling process is provided). Recent surveys indicate
that marketers are relying more on company websites and e-mail, followed by public
relations, trade shows (in person), and search marketing.

However, they used virtual trade shows (the least-frequently-used tactic) and traditional
tactics, including outdoor media, radio and television advertising on a relatively
infrequent basis. Again, the actual selling process in the Internet age is far from being a
smooth linear process from one stage to the next, whose timing and flow is controlled by
the seller. Rather, it involves many touch points, two-way interactions and backtracking
that are a consequence of increasingly well informed and networked prospects and
buyers.

Impact of the Internet on B2B buying and selling: Some propositions

Effects of Internet information on buying center complexity

Originally, the concept of a ‘buying center’ in industrial selling referred to the people
within an
Organization who become involved in the buying process for a product or service.

However, some influential people or parties with stakes in the purchase can also be
located in external organizations. Taking an ‘open-systems’ perspective, these parties
should be treated as an external buying center group. We adopt this perspective in the
following discussion.

We treat buying center complexity as a formative construct whose facets include the
buying center’s size (number of actively involved decision participants), diversity
(number of functional areas of the firm represented in the buying center or lateral
involvement.

Effects of Internet information on buying process (Internet-dependence vs. seller

dependence)

We view the buying process as a formative construct whose facets include the buying
center’s degree of digitization (e.g., investments in electronic data interchange with
vendors, recourse to reverse auctions, breadth of search (e.g., the geographic scope of
search) over suppliers/products, depth of search (the bits of information gathered per
alternative before meeting any vendor) over selected suppliers’/products’ attributes, size
of the consideration set of suppliers (who may be personally contacted) , product- versus
supplier focused direct evaluation, and postponement (late timing) of first direct (face to
face)personal contact.

Communications on B2B markets

Current corporate communications have shifted to the concept of integrated marketing
communications. The basics of marketing communications are still relevant, but it is
necessary to apply them in new ways. Marketing communications optimization leads to
increased communication efficiency, which brings benefits in the form of increased
brand values and financial returns. In other words, integrated marketing communications
has become a competitive advantage and maximizes the impact of communications.

Any communication stimulus represents the brand. This means to communicate relevant
content instantly through all communication channels at once and to be able to pass
information on and offline. Information itself has become the dominant component of
marketing, and it has become much more personal.
Setting the optimal marketing communication program requires the knowledge of the
market environment and the current trends. Marketing communications is a crucial
component of modern marketing, which has become more complicated with the recent
advent of the Internet and other digital tools. The Internet facilitates interactivity, and
allows global coverage and accessibility 24/7. The internet combines the benefits of all
media, since it works with text, audio and visual means. This makes the Internet efficient
in comparison with other forms of marketing communications.

A B2B advertising message must be more than mere information; “it needs to be liked”.
Creative advertisements encourage a stronger relationship than non-creative
advertisements, moreover, they catch managers´ attention and are more interesting,
which has an impact on shaping the relationship to the advertisement. A popular
advertisement leads to a better brand awareness, a better relationship with the brand, and
to stronger business intentions. A customer devotes his time only to certain brands in a
certain time. It is inevitable to make differences among various customers and carefully
select a way to communicate with them.

Industrial market companies use several communication channels at the same time.
Contends that the most effective channels for the acquisition of leads and potential
customers are trade fairs, internet searches and emails. As the purchase goes through
various stages, the channels through which buyers are gaining information are changing.
While searching for the first information the B2B buyers use social media, and as they
proceed to the purchase, they use internal information.

Modern Customer
Modern B2B buyers require the personal approach. Account-Based Marketing, or Key
Account Marketing has been developing recently. In order to identify the customer
properly stresses the need for interaction with the team of sellers, the attendance of trade
fairs and contacting the former (and potential) customers.
In general, existing customers possess much larger value than customers which are new
to the company and the extension of cooperation with them is essential for maximizing
the value of the company. An existing customer care allows understanding the customer
better, finding a valuable insight and discussing with him objectives and vision, so that
both sides can understand each other and so the customer may accept the seller’s ideas
and solutions.
Current customer obtains information before he ever comes into contact with the seller.
Obtaining information used to make approximately 10% of the purchase process earlier,
now it is 50-70%. In the future, this number will continue to grow. The internet provides
a huge amount of information in the forums, user groups, social networks, or in queries
in Google to the potential clients. The personal contact comes in the later stages of the
shopping process, which also saves costs to the seller.

The reason why the company loses its clients, or why leads do not turn into customers is
the bad customer understanding of the value offered. It is caused by poorly performed
positioning. For a proper understanding the customer it is important that marketing and
sales (business) departments cooperate. There is a need to periodically transmit
information and better understand what the customer´s expected value is. The
competitive intelligence is of great importance, however, tends to be underestimated. It
provides the overview of the industry, but also helps one´s own differentiation.
Furthermore, it is highly beneficial to learn from mistakes and ask those customers who
ended up with no purchase, what did make them to do such decision.

Selected Trends in B2B Communications

Events
The most part of B2B marketers participate on the events, especially conferences, trade
fairs, exhibitions, webinars etc. Participation in trade fairs is essential for the company’s´
communications. At trade fairs it is very advisable to have agreed the meetings in
advance, as all the businessmen are very busy and they have almost no time left. The
sellers must therefore be able to impress very quickly. It is also important to participate
at professional forums (national and local), where buyers are present. It is a great
challenge to become speaker at such events.
The most popular in the United States are conferences and a lot of marketers participate
or organize them. Similarly do the fairs, exhibitions, but also the webinars. These events
aim mainly to find people interested in the product, build brand and engage the customer.

Content
B2B buyers are focused on gathering information to reduce risks through the comments
and opinions of others they seek the relevant information. The use of right information,
and the popularity of the content has become a competitive advantage for the firm in the
market. Therefore, the marketers are trying to implement strategies that will encourage
customer´s interaction in order to affect sales, generate leads, build relationships,
increase brand awareness, and loyalty, or speed up the buying decision. In the context of
social networks, the popularity of the content affects sales, brand, brand performance,
loyalty and social media ROI. The three-quarters of the companies have a strategy for
content creation, but only a third of all create content based on any documentation.

Websites
Corporate websites provide a lot of information. The corporate customers lack most on
sites the complete contact information, a list of clients and research reports. The
customers also miss details on products and technical support, price lists and product
evaluation. Buyers most often leave the web sites because of the missing message, no
contact information and animated advertisements.
Marketers often create web sites for its brand, where they place the contents and post it
with the expectation that the follower or fans will like this information and share it on
social media where content is created by the customers without the sellers.

Social Media
Social networks is a channel for comprehensive brand communication, where its
difference can be expressed. They create the effect of a community and the brand
impression, which must be consistent with the corporate values. The social media need a
strong content strategy. Social media are an important tool for attracting new customers
and cultivating relationships with existing customers. The use of social media has the
power to create competitive advantage and greater performance of the entire
communications.
 CHAPTER 2

Research methodology
CHAPTER 2
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Literature Review

Evans & Wurster (1997, p.71) predicted that the Internet would represent the ‘most
important wave in the information revolution’. Arguably this prediction has become
a reality: The Internet’s commercial influence is highly visible in the retail industry,
where online shopping has shifted from a minority to a mainstream activity in less
than two decades, and online retailing is predicted to continue to expand rapidly in
the future (Experian, 2012; Mulpuru, 2011).

As a result, increasing numbers of retailers have responded to these changes in

shopping behavior by building web stores and enhancing the online shopping
experience they offer, so as to attract and to retain customers in this highly
interactive channel (Doherty & Ellis-Chadwick, 2010a).

But to succeed in the internet arena, online retailers need access to appropriate
resources and capabilities: as these often cannot be sourced internally, they may seek
the expertise they need externally, often from third party web solution service
providers (WSSPs). Retailers rely on such service providers to make up for their
internal skills shortages, and so need to develop strong relationships with them if
their online ambitions are to succeed (Ellis-Chadwick, Doherty & Anastasakis
2007).

But, in utilizing such external expertise to compensate for capabilities they lack
internally, retailers are exposed to potential risks associated with their choice of third
party service partners.
Moreover, acquiring this type of external expertise is far from straightforward. As
the web industry is still in the early stages of development, there are a complex
range of web solution services available, a shortage of skilled web developers and
programmers and a general lack of structural assurances, safeguards, guarantees and
lines of legal recourse (Chien, Chen & Hsu, 2012, Del Aguila-Obra & Padilla-
Melendez, 2006). So, while employing external expertise can deliver positive
benefits for small and medium sized retailers by acting as a mechanism that can
deliver greater profitability, achieve better competitive positioning online and lower
the cost of developing an online presence within constrained budgets (Ray & Ray,
2006; Wagner & Sutter, 2012), there are also potential negative outcomes.

For example, retailers can experience a perceived loss of control of their online web
operations and/or loss of ownership of their intellectual property when dealing with
WSSPs. This can increase their perceived switching costs and potentially create a
lack of trust between the retailer and the WSSP

Such uncertainties highlight the importance of the success of the retailer-WSSP

relationship, as it is likely to have a significant impact on the former’s online
performance and longer-term success. The service provided by the WSSP can be
seen as a credence-based service, since it is difficult for the retailer to evaluate due
to their own lack of expertise and experience in the on-line arena.

Previous research on technology readiness in the manufacturer-retailer dyad

( Richey & Autry, 2009) has suggested that business interactions and exchanges
were easier to coordinate where there was a good technology ‘fit’ between the two.
Technology readiness at the firm level implies that the firm possesses the inclination
to embrace and the ability to use relevant new technological assets ( Skinner 2007) -
in the specific context of this study, web related technologies. Richey et al. (2008)
posit that, from the retailers’ perspective, information technology is almost worthless
if management is not ready for its implementation. Where retailers and service
providers are compatible in terms of technological readiness both parties are likely
to enjoy greater payoffs.

In essence, if retailers are more ‘technology ready’ they will be better able to
appreciate the potential benefits WSSPs could offer in supporting their retail efforts,
and so are likely to be more satisfied with the relationship. In turn, this implies that
WSSPs can build and develop retailers’ technology readiness by increasing their
experience of such services, which will also serve to increase industry level trust for
this relatively new credence-based service.

This study focuses on the fit between retailers and their external WSSPs by looking
at the impact of past inexperience, industry trust and switching costs on technology
readiness, and then the effect these antecedents have on small and medium-sized
retailers’ evaluations of their web developments. This industry sector was chosen as
such organizations have often been found to be relatively late adopters of new
technology, adopting a “wait and see” attitude to developing online retail channels
( Weltered & Boschman, 2008).

Previous internet retail research has largely focused on the behavior of large firms
and on consumers’ interactions with virtual shopping environments ( Ellis-
Chadwick, 2010b), rather than exploring issues associated with how businesses get
online, and how they develop the technology solutions needed to create and manage
retail web sites.
Customers may lack the expertise to identify and describe their own needs
accurately (Eisingerich & Bell, 2007), and this can be an especially problematic
issue when they need to source technology-based solution services. suggest that
clients who don’t fully understand what the dominant characteristics of a service are
will use heuristic cues or other information available to them about how to evaluate
the service encounter, such as service reliability and human contact, and the
importance of this relational component between the parties in the provision of
solution services has recently been recognized .

Technology Readiness (TR) has attracted considerable attention in the academic

literature. The Technology Readiness Index (TRI) (Parasuraman, 2000) emanates
from a stream of research which posits an individual’s personality as being central to
their acceptance of technology , and measures their readiness to use new technology
in general using four personality traits; optimism, innovativeness, discomfort and
insecurity.

To date, TR studies have been largely confined to the business to consumer (B2C)
domain; few have considered technology readiness in an organizational context
This is interesting, given that many consider readiness to adopt web related
technologies as a crucial indicator in developing an online presence (Lai & Ong,
2010).
Research on the readiness of small organizations to adopt technology is even more
limited , which is again interesting as firm size has been identified as influencing the
likelihood of firms adopting web related technologies. That said, it is perhaps the
context of past studies - rather than theory per se - which has limited their scope, as
small firms are especially reliant on the behavior of key individual employees.
Services purchased from organizations are provided by qualified professionals
whose expertise and skills are key to the quality and success of those services - a
factor which is even more significant when such services are customized or
specialized, such as web solution services. A potential solution to overcoming
deficiencies in purchasing firms’ technology readiness is for service providers and
their clients to form collaborative business relationships to manage the provision of
appropriate solutions in competitive high technology business environments more
proficiently .
This chapter focuses on research methodology that was used in the study. It provides
a detailed description of the research approach adopted in this study. Research
design, target population, research instruments, data collection and analysis methods
used were presented in the subsequent sections.

1001 : . It provides a detailed description of the research approach adopted in this

study.
1002: This study focuses on the fit between retailers and their external WSSPs by
looking at the impact of past inexperience,
1003: industry trust and switching costs on technology readiness, and then the effect
these antecedents have on small and medium-sized retailers’ evaluations of their web
developments
1004: Customers may lack the expertise to identify and describe their own needs
accurately
1005: increasing numbers of retailers have responded to these changes in shopping
behavior by building web stores and enhancing the online shopping
1006: Retailers rely on such service providers to make up for their internal skills
shortages, and so need to develop strong relationships
1007: Services purchased from organizations are provided by qualified professionals
whose expertise and skills are key to the quality and success of those services
1008: . The service provided by the WSSP can be seen as a credence-based service,
since it is difficult for the retailer to evaluate due to their own lack of expertise and
experience in the on-line arena.
1009: The Internet’s commercial influence is highly visible in the retail industry,
where online shopping has shifted from a minority to a mainstream activity in less
1010: : The Internet’s commercial influence is highly visible in the retail industry,
where online shopping has shifted from a minority to a mainstream activity
1011: This study focuses on the fit between retailers and their external WSSPs by
looking at the impact of past inexperience, industry trust and switching costs on
 technology
1012: Current corporate communications have shifted to the concept of integrated
marketing communications.
1013:the where online shopping has shifted from a minority to a mainstream
activity

This study used descriptive research. Descriptive research involves gathering data
that describe events and then organizes, tabulates, depicts, and describes the data
collection. It often uses visual aids such as graphs and charts to aid the reader in
understanding the data distribution and therefore offered a better clarification on
online advertising, and ultimately give a clear picture on the effectiveness and
reliability of online advertising and its relationship to purchase decision.

Objectives
To know the impact of web (Internet) technologies on B 2 B marketing.

To find the current scenario of web tech on overall marketing.

To analyze the importance of web over B 2 B

To know the problems and benefits of web tech on it.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

many b2b company sell products that seems inherently boring at the outset however
its important to note what is boring to outsiders as usually extremely exiting to those
involved in the industry on a daily basis. Think about what base the people who use
your products daily exited and from their you can create company that re not only
unique but highly targeted.
 Content Analysis

Code content
1001 : . It provides a detailed description of the research approach adopted in this
study.
1002: This study focuses on the fit between retailers and their external WSSPs by
looking at the impact of past inexperience,
1003: industry trust and switching costs on technology readiness, and then the effect
these antecedents have on small and medium-sized retailers’ evaluations of their web
developments
1004: Customers may lack the expertise to identify and describe their own needs
accurately
1005: increasing numbers of retailers have responded to these changes in shopping
behavior by building web stores and enhancing the online shopping
1006: Retailers rely on such service providers to make up for their internal skills
shortages, and so need to develop strong relationships
1007: Services purchased from organizations are provided by qualified professionals
whose expertise and skills are key to the quality and success of those services
1008: . The service provided by the WSSP can be seen as a credence-based service,
since it is difficult for the retailer to evaluate due to their own lack of expertise and
experience in the on-line arena.
1009: The Internet’s commercial influence is highly visible in the retail industry,
where online shopping has shifted from a minority to a mainstream activity in less
1010: : The Internet’s commercial influence is highly visible in the retail industry,
where online shopping has shifted from a minority to a mainstream activity
1011: This study focuses on the fit between retailers and their external WSSPs by
looking at the impact of past inexperience, industry trust and switching costs on
technology
1012: Current corporate communications have shifted to the concept of integrated
marketing communications.
1013:the where online shopping has shifted from a minority to a mainstream
activity
CODE TOTAL
1001 3
1002 5
1003 5
1004 1
1005 2
1006 3
1007 4
1008 4
1009 4
1010 6
1011 4
1012 3
1013 2
 TOTAL
7

0
1001 1002 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009 1010 1011 1012 1013

TOTAL
 Chapter 3
SWOC ANALYSIS
CHAPTER-3
SWOC ANALYSIS

 SWOC can be expended as Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and

Challenges.
 Here Strengths (S) and Weaknesses (W) are considered as the internal factors
on which you have some measure of control Opportunities (O) and Challenges
(C) are considered to be external factors over which you have essentially no
control SWOC Analysis is an eminent method for reviewing and investigating
the situation of the business and its conditions.
 It is intending is to identify the methodology which will make a firm
competitive game plan that will best modify an affiliation's advantages and
capacities to the essentials of the earth wherein the firm works.
 29 L48 At the end, it is the route for understanding the inside potentials &
confinement he 10 possible/likely chances & dangers from the outside
condition.
 It sees all positive negative factors inside & outside the firm that influence the
achievement. A look of all four factors (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities
and Challenges) is given below

STRENGTHS
 Personal touch: Customers esteem individual consideration than they esteem
modest and moderate items.
 Customers like to belittle a business where they have direct access to its
proprietors and directors than a bigger company where they can just meet with
salespeople.
  Greater motivation: The day by day activities and center administration of a
private venture adventure rotate around the proprietor than with representatives
of bigger organizations.

 The proprietors of title associations work more earnestly and more and are
more worried about benefits and misfortunes than representatives of bigger
associations who work less and are progressively worried about pay rates and
rewards

 Greater flexibility: Private ventures can make moment move when they
distinguish an issue than a greater worldwide can do in a similar case. A micro
organization can expand cost without advertise results yet a greater partnership
can't do that unafraid of opposition from Maned out work or undue
government mediations.

 Less bureaucracy: The chain in directions in bigger partnerships drags out the
basic leadership parts of running an association, however there is no such
organization with medium-scaled organizations.

 So, chiefs’ complete things quicker in private ventures than they can ever do
in bigger partnerships. Less conspicuousness: It is constantly workable for
liger organizations to being new items into the market without undue
commotion de consideration, however this isn't the situation with bigger
partnerships.

 Global organizations are always intermediary fights, against trust activities and
government guidelines.

WEAKNESS
  Financial limitations: Aside from the way that bigger multinationals have
immense money related stores, it is likewise simple for them to get to
enormous bank advances to support business exercises, however this is never
the situation with littler endeavours. Little organizations parc hampered by
deficiency of assets.

 Staffing and employee problems: Enormous organizations have the assets to

pay fat pay rates and tremendous rewards to staffs and workers, however little
organizations are progressively worried about keeping their organizations
above water and meeting set destinations than with paying rewards or pay rates

 Lack of credibility: Enormous organizations have no issues acquainting new

items with the market since they as of now appreciate huge generosity to sell
any items. In any case, little organizations need to persuade the open each
season of the worth and Datura of new items before they could be bought

 Origination of employment: The elemental issue that is blocking the Indian

OPPORTUNITIES
 economic status is increasing population on land and needs to genera
employment opportunities. These issues can be answered to a large se of Micro
enterprises as small Micro enterprises are labour intensive in shown an
outstanding growth in the last decade

 Assembling of resources and entrepreneurial skill: Small scale industries put

together an adequate amount of saved monetary fund and entrepreneurial skill
from semi-urban and rural area remain unblemished from the clench of larger
scale industrial sector .
 Its also helps to improve the social welfare in the country by identifying hidden
talents from the weaker section of the society and investing the intellectual skill
for producing or manufacturing commodities.

 Growth large industries can be supported with the help of Micro Enterprises:
The little scale ventures assume an essential job in serving enormous
enterprises high giving adornments, segments, little parts and semi completed
merchandise required by large businesses

 Better relation between employer and employees: The little sale enterprises
assume a crucial job in serving huge ventures by giving adornments, segments,
little parts and semi completed products required by large businesses.

CHALLENGES
 Scanty credit help Scanty and opportune stock of credit is one of the serious
issues looked by Salles in India. Shortage of fund and feeble financial
soundness is the principle obstruction for the advancement of SSIs in India.
 The unwavering quality of these little borrowers is usually weak and as such
they face hesitant advance supervisors who may be persuading to advance
exactly at high pace of interest

 Uneven und low quality of crude material SSI units face extraordinary issues in
acquisition of crude materials whether from universal market.

 The issues emerge because of nonattendance of adequate amount of crude

materials, low quality of crude material at over the top cost.

 The business visionary of SSI units has absence of information about the
acquirement from outside market. Enormous scale enterprises appreciate
 economies of huge scale activity henceforth can secure the quality crude
material at entirely sensible value. in this manner can sell the items at less
expensive cast when contrasted with SSI, 32

 Absence of Noted out promoting process SS units don't have any composed
showcasing process and even doesn't use any advertising association for
advertising of items or administrations and in this way their things differentiate
awfully and the idea of the aftereffects of tremendous scale ventures.

 Inadequate framework insufficient foundation is a significant issue for the SSI

units to develop and flourish. The majority of the SSI units are situated in semi-
urban, urban and country zones where the power supply is lacking to run
enormous machines, a few times control cut off, und poor street network.

 In this way nonappearance of sufficient framework antagonistically influences

the beneficial calendar of the undertaking prompting under-usage of limit.
 STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

 24 hrs. a day, 7 days in a week  There is no direct interaction between

 Do Business Globally sitting at home the customer and the seller.
 The products reach to customers Therefore, the scope of convincing
directly from the producers at a lower the customer does not exist
price than the market value  Many times, we prefer to buy the
 It is fast and effective product by reaching personally to
 By visiting different websites one can the market rather than purchasing
within a short time can compare the through Internet
price and buy on the best deal.  Sometimes, transportation cost
 Advertising the product is cost increases the product cost
effective in comparison with  No. of potential customers who can
conventional offline system. buy through Internet is still not
 Low staff cost. enough
 Financial transaction through
electronic fund transfer is very fast and
can be done from any part of the
world.
 Can be started with very low
investment
OPPORTUNITIES CHALLENGES

 Everyday number of Internet users is  Dishonest persons entering in this

increasing in a rapid way field which damage the confidence
 People of tomorrow will feel more and faith of common people on
comfortable to buy products through marketing through Internet
Internet only
 Big companies are already entering
in this field so; they are making people
habitual and confident about
marketing through Internet at the cost
of the companies
 CHAPTER 4

Outcome of the study

 CHAPTER 5
LEARNING, EXPERIENCE AND CONCLUSION

LEARNING, EXPERIENCE AND CONCLUSION

Its all about knowing the customer, according to Shane, as this is something Shark
Gate has spent much of its time perfecting: from tone of voice to product offering.
"Understanding customer needs and recognising that most small businesses don't
have the resource or knowledge to deal with this growing threat means that Shark
Gate uses a non-technical approach in its messaging," Shane says.
"Adobe has managed to create a product that is free, fast and user-friendly," she
describes. "B2B marketers can learn a lot about the importance of creating templates
that help save time, excite potential clients and, ultimately, win new business."

Slack's founder Stewart Butterfield came from a video game developer

background, and it's the almost obsessive focus on user experience - such a critical
element of video games - that elevates Slack above its competition

"You need to know how your customers want to interact and design those
experiences, build those experiences and have a clear enough understanding of the
character of your brand to craft the ways your Al engages with customers and
prospects."

Even our B2B customers are starting to behave more like consumers, searching out
information online and on social media to inform their decision-making.
They also have higher expectations of what their marketing experience should be.
The challenge for marketers is to improve the experience when the needs of
traditional B2B segments are evolving, decision-making and product set are often
complex, and they have to deliver growth from often unpredictable digital marketing
efforts.

But most importantly, it should be customer-centric. You need to look at all the
points of interaction from the customer's point of view, not from an internal point
view with the associated limitations.

According to a survey by squiz 41% of B2B marketers admit their organization is

not customer-centric but 83% of B2B marketers recognize that customer centricity
is "very important”.
So how can you move away from the organization perspective and develop a more
customer-centric mindset?0• Y2 4G 84%
So what should a B2B marketing experience look like? Firstly, it has to be data-
driven to bring together and understand customer interaction - whether online, social
or offline - to identify and anticipate needs.

It has to be personal, as B2B buyers want to be treated as individuals as per their

consumer experience. It also has to be consistent, creating positive and relevant
customer experiences across all channels and touchpoints to win the trust and
confidence that B2B buyers need for a long-term relationship with a supplier.
But most importantly, it should be customer-centric. You need to look at all the
points of interaction from the customer's point of view, not from an internal point
view with the associated
Conclusion

As we set out to discuss the B2B strategies, as:

What strategies should adopt to take advantage of these options? As discussed

earlier it was a difficult task to pick strategies, when there is no specific case to take
a starting point in. Therefore, we chose to highlight the opinions of the consumers. It
has to be said that our population in the investigation is not representative for that of
the general population in Denmark, but we were able to find a few points that need
to be addressed when discussing strategies in online marketing.

Primarily the overall phrases are, easy to navigate through, no pop-ups

(disturbances’) simple layout. Unfortunately, there is only a few that mention
Forums/Chat rooms on the homepage. Interaction is needed on the webpage.
Communication with friends over the internet is mentioned, and although
communication with the company is not yet as popular, there seems to be many
things that point to the fact that younger people who have grown up with the digital
communication age will create a larger demand for this in the future.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://ezinearticles.com/?Internet-Marketing-10-Best-Ways

http://www.ehow.com/how_4785515_using-internet-marketing-tips-
knowledge.html
http://www.davechaffey.com/Internet-Marketing
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/
http://www.toprankblog.com/20/02/top-ten-online-marketing-tactics

WORK DONE DIARY

 Signature of
Wee Dates Work Carried Out
Faculty Guide
k
Visited the websites,
1 13-10-2020
journals, and some previous
articles and where to conduct
the study.
Conducted ZOOM meeting
2 3-11-2020
for discussion of the research
methodology. (With Guide)
Discussed about SWOT
3 15-12-2020
analysis and findings and
recommended with certain
changes
Report writing and
4 10-01-2021
interpretation of all analysed
data in the form of the
findings and suggestions.
Finalization of the project
5 21-01-2021
reports