Internet Marketing
DELL ONLINE ?CASE STUDY
The Computer Purchase Process Online and in a Store
Although a part of almost every business in the world today tends to be virtual, many businesses continue to have a strong physical presence.Consequently; it is imperative to distinguish between the occurrence of a purchase in the physical and the virtual spaces. The internet allows consumers to shop at their own convenience since they need not worry about the traffic, parking, poorly trained sales representatives and long queues. In fact certain transactions exclude the interaction of a sales person. In fact the purchase of a computer can be extremely simple with the availability of information that the internet provides. Since the information is all available and consolidated at one source it is much cheaper and easier to acquire it in this manner in contrast to the brick and mortar shopping experience which involves the travel to multiple locations. The information is also easily understood, well organized and made available in categories.However,on examining how consumers make purchase decisions one major shortcoming of the internet is the ability to touch and experience the product prior to purchase. Thus, online purchasing increases the degree of risk.
Alternatively, the traditional outdoor shopping experience is quite inanimate. Consumers are often pampered with little treats however, they may not be attended to immediately.Additionaly, the sales people may be inadequately trained in that particular field and thus may be unable to provide the customer with the desired information. The purchase process with regards to a computer involves the consumer visiting a store such as Harvey Norman where an entire range of branded PC's is visible and ...