E-commerce as an alternative marketing channel
- Authors: Mounsear-Wilson, Clifford
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Internet marketing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Electronic commerce -- Technological innovations -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Organizational effectiveness -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8605 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1615 , Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Internet marketing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Electronic commerce -- Technological innovations -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Organizational effectiveness -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Information technology (IT) has become an integral part of the success and globalisation of business over the last two decades. It is hard to imagine how the efficiencies expected in today’s fast paced business world could possibly be achieved without the advancements in IT. The most significant of these advancements is arguably the advent of the Internet which has empowered businesses of all sizes by giving them the means to promote their products and services at a relatively low cost in markets that would previously have been inaccessible. The aim of this study was to assess whether e-commerce represents an alternative channel for a brick and mortar company wishing to follow a market penetration strategy. The study was based around a company, Canoa Eastern Cape, which trades in the office automation industry in the Eastern and Southern Cape of South Africa. The study investigated the history of Canoa Eastern Cape, focusing predominantly on the growth strategies followed by the business in the past. With a view to the future, growth strategies which could potentially be followed by Canoa Eastern Cape were also investigated. The result of these investigations was a recommendation that Canoa Eastern Cape should follow a market penetration strategy, which will see the business marketing its existing products within its current market by making use of a new distribution channel, more specifically e-commerce. In order to assess the suitability of e-commerce as a tool within a market penetration strategy a literature study was conducted to get a better understanding of ecommerce and its viability as business tool. The literature study focused on eight core concepts felt to be critical in the evaluation of e-commerce, namely: • the development of e-commerce over the past years; • the future of e-commerce; • whether e-commerce is a financial success or not; • requirements for e-commerce to be successful; iv • products that customers are prepared to buy online; • industries most affected by e-commerce; and • demographics of e-commerce users; and • e-commerce in the office automation industry. Using the information gained in the literature study as a basis from which to start, an empirical study was conducted. The objective of the empirical study was to obtain data which would be used to assess the level to which e-commerce has been adopted by consumers in the specific geographic area and whether these consumers are willing and able to make use of e-commerce as an alternative to conventional purchasing for the procurement of office automation consumables and office automation equipment. A quantitative research paradigm was adopted, making use of a structured questionnaire to gather information from the sample of Canoa Eastern Cape’s customers. The data collected from the empirical study were analysed using univariate and bivariate analysis. The findings of the empirical study suggested that: • demographics are a poor indicator of adoption of e-commerce; • there is a significant adoption rate within the sample: o 79.85 percent of the respondents reported to have used e-commerce before for personal use; and o 59.13 percentreported to have used e-commerce before for business use; • there is a high rate of willingness to use e-commerce again: o 91.09 percent of the respondents indicating that they would use e-commerce again for personal use; and o 80.18 percent indicating that they would use e-commerce again for business use; • there is a high likelihood that consumers will buy office automation consumables through an e-commerce channel, with 65.82 percentof the respondents indicating that they would be likely or very likely to buy consumables through an e-commerce channel; • there is no significant difference in the adoption rates between the three main areas within the targeted sample, that is, East London, Port Elizabeth and George and Knysna. Given the findings of the empirical study it is felt that an e-commerce solution does present a viable alternative channel for a brick and mortar company trading in the Office Automation Industry in the Eastern and Southern Cape wishing to follow a market penetration strategy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Mounsear-Wilson, Clifford
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Internet marketing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Electronic commerce -- Technological innovations -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Organizational effectiveness -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8605 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1615 , Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Internet marketing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Electronic commerce -- Technological innovations -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Organizational effectiveness -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Information technology (IT) has become an integral part of the success and globalisation of business over the last two decades. It is hard to imagine how the efficiencies expected in today’s fast paced business world could possibly be achieved without the advancements in IT. The most significant of these advancements is arguably the advent of the Internet which has empowered businesses of all sizes by giving them the means to promote their products and services at a relatively low cost in markets that would previously have been inaccessible. The aim of this study was to assess whether e-commerce represents an alternative channel for a brick and mortar company wishing to follow a market penetration strategy. The study was based around a company, Canoa Eastern Cape, which trades in the office automation industry in the Eastern and Southern Cape of South Africa. The study investigated the history of Canoa Eastern Cape, focusing predominantly on the growth strategies followed by the business in the past. With a view to the future, growth strategies which could potentially be followed by Canoa Eastern Cape were also investigated. The result of these investigations was a recommendation that Canoa Eastern Cape should follow a market penetration strategy, which will see the business marketing its existing products within its current market by making use of a new distribution channel, more specifically e-commerce. In order to assess the suitability of e-commerce as a tool within a market penetration strategy a literature study was conducted to get a better understanding of ecommerce and its viability as business tool. The literature study focused on eight core concepts felt to be critical in the evaluation of e-commerce, namely: • the development of e-commerce over the past years; • the future of e-commerce; • whether e-commerce is a financial success or not; • requirements for e-commerce to be successful; iv • products that customers are prepared to buy online; • industries most affected by e-commerce; and • demographics of e-commerce users; and • e-commerce in the office automation industry. Using the information gained in the literature study as a basis from which to start, an empirical study was conducted. The objective of the empirical study was to obtain data which would be used to assess the level to which e-commerce has been adopted by consumers in the specific geographic area and whether these consumers are willing and able to make use of e-commerce as an alternative to conventional purchasing for the procurement of office automation consumables and office automation equipment. A quantitative research paradigm was adopted, making use of a structured questionnaire to gather information from the sample of Canoa Eastern Cape’s customers. The data collected from the empirical study were analysed using univariate and bivariate analysis. The findings of the empirical study suggested that: • demographics are a poor indicator of adoption of e-commerce; • there is a significant adoption rate within the sample: o 79.85 percent of the respondents reported to have used e-commerce before for personal use; and o 59.13 percentreported to have used e-commerce before for business use; • there is a high rate of willingness to use e-commerce again: o 91.09 percent of the respondents indicating that they would use e-commerce again for personal use; and o 80.18 percent indicating that they would use e-commerce again for business use; • there is a high likelihood that consumers will buy office automation consumables through an e-commerce channel, with 65.82 percentof the respondents indicating that they would be likely or very likely to buy consumables through an e-commerce channel; • there is no significant difference in the adoption rates between the three main areas within the targeted sample, that is, East London, Port Elizabeth and George and Knysna. Given the findings of the empirical study it is felt that an e-commerce solution does present a viable alternative channel for a brick and mortar company trading in the Office Automation Industry in the Eastern and Southern Cape wishing to follow a market penetration strategy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
A model to enhance the perceived trustworthiness of Eastern Cape essential oil producers selling through electronic marketplaces
- Authors: Gcora, Nozibele
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Electronic commerce -- Security measures -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Essences and essential oils -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Essences and essential oils -- Marketing , Internet marketing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/2194 , vital:27672
- Description: Eastern Cape Province farmers in the natural essential oils industry are yet to fully realise the use of electronic commerce (e-commerce) platforms, such as electronic marketplaces (e-marketplaces) for business purposes. This is due to the issues that include lack of awareness, poor product quality, untrusted payment gateways and unsuccessful delivery that are associated with e-marketplaces. As a result, farmers do not trust e-marketplaces and therefore hesitate to engage in e-marketplaces for business purposes. This is further complicated by natural essential oils buyers‟ tendency of preferring face-to-face interaction with a supplier rather than online interaction as they need quality assurance. As such, this research proposes a model to enhance the perceived trustworthiness of natural essential oil producers in the Eastern Cape Province selling through e-marketplaces. The model constitutes the factors that could be considered in assisting essential oil producers to create a perception of trustworthiness to buyers in e-marketplaces. These factors were evaluated amongst five organisations involved in the production, retail or processing of essential oils using a multiple-case study methodology. The study‟s use of multiple-case study was applied within the interpretivist paradigm and five cases were considered. Interviews, document analysis and observations were used for data collection. Data analysis was done using within-case analysis followed by cross-case analysis to establish factors of trust. The essential oil producers based in the Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces were cases that had been successfully using e-marketplaces for a notable period of time. Accordingly, factors that contributed to the successful use of e-marketplaces informed the proposed model of this research. The model proposes that perceived trustworthiness of enterprises in e-marketplaces can be achieved through following the uncertainty reduction stages (Entry, Personal and Exit) and applying uncertainty reduction strategies (passive, active and interactive).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Gcora, Nozibele
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Electronic commerce -- Security measures -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Essences and essential oils -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Essences and essential oils -- Marketing , Internet marketing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/2194 , vital:27672
- Description: Eastern Cape Province farmers in the natural essential oils industry are yet to fully realise the use of electronic commerce (e-commerce) platforms, such as electronic marketplaces (e-marketplaces) for business purposes. This is due to the issues that include lack of awareness, poor product quality, untrusted payment gateways and unsuccessful delivery that are associated with e-marketplaces. As a result, farmers do not trust e-marketplaces and therefore hesitate to engage in e-marketplaces for business purposes. This is further complicated by natural essential oils buyers‟ tendency of preferring face-to-face interaction with a supplier rather than online interaction as they need quality assurance. As such, this research proposes a model to enhance the perceived trustworthiness of natural essential oil producers in the Eastern Cape Province selling through e-marketplaces. The model constitutes the factors that could be considered in assisting essential oil producers to create a perception of trustworthiness to buyers in e-marketplaces. These factors were evaluated amongst five organisations involved in the production, retail or processing of essential oils using a multiple-case study methodology. The study‟s use of multiple-case study was applied within the interpretivist paradigm and five cases were considered. Interviews, document analysis and observations were used for data collection. Data analysis was done using within-case analysis followed by cross-case analysis to establish factors of trust. The essential oil producers based in the Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces were cases that had been successfully using e-marketplaces for a notable period of time. Accordingly, factors that contributed to the successful use of e-marketplaces informed the proposed model of this research. The model proposes that perceived trustworthiness of enterprises in e-marketplaces can be achieved through following the uncertainty reduction stages (Entry, Personal and Exit) and applying uncertainty reduction strategies (passive, active and interactive).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
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