ECnow.com 2000 trends: Customer Centric Corporate Restructuring
| ECMgt.com:
Apr2000: Volume 2, Issue 4 - Customer Centric Corporate Restructuring
ECnow.com 2000 trends: Customer Centric Corporate Restructuring | |
 |  |  |
Theme: Customer Centric Corporate Restructuring: http://ecnow.com/top10trends2000.htm
MAY'00 SURVEY QUESTION:
Thank you for your comments, suggestions and response to our survey question. Please keep them coming. Let us know what you think by sending mailto:ecmgt.comments@ecnow.com. We currently have over 3,500 subscribers, if you like what you read, please let your friends know.
Our May issue deals with the concept of giving away products and services for free. This has been a successful technique for many companies in the B2C space. We're curious if this technique will carry over into the B2B space. Specifically, we'd like your opinion on the following questions:
Thanks for taking the time to respond.
MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE
Trend Predictions: Customer-Centric Corporate Restructuring
by Mitchell Levy
Executive Producer, ECMgt.com
We estimate that only 10% of the Global 2000 will walk the walk of the talk they talk in the year 2000 (see March 2000 ECMgt.com http://ecmgt.com/Mar2000/management.perspective.htm).However, for those that adapt and integrate the Internet into their businesses, a customer-centric view will start reshaping their culture and infrastructure. This is a necessary component of business survival in the transition from the industrial age to the information age.
First, let's define customer-centric corporate restructuring. According to Information Week (May 17, 1999) "Customer-centric organizations are defined as being very committed to raising -customer satisfaction levels, using customer data to increase sales, improving customer data quality, gaining a deeper knowledge of customers, and implementing customer-management systems." ECnow.com has a small twist on this definition by defining customer-centric organizations as those companies that "Manage all customer relationship touch-points and ensure that all of the organization's systems, processes and people in the value chain deliver a consistent, valuable experience".
Managing all customer relationship touch-points does not mean that an organization cannot outsource components of its value chain. With the increased services that the new breed of ASP's/BSP's are delivering, outsourcing components of the value chain will continue to increase (ECMgt.com will write about this trend in the Jul2000 issue). The key point to note is that organizations that outsource components of the value chain should not lose control of the overall customer experience.
Dell does a great job of managing the customer experience. As Bob Riazzi, Dell's Services Marketing Director, writes in the Oct'99 ECMgt.com issue, the cost of enterprise customer downtime is now estimated at $13,000 a minute. Understand the implications of a catastrophic event can certainly help a company work their best to ensure that their customers don't have one. According to Bob, "Dell's move to the complete customer experience includes a 30-day money back hardware guarantee, toll-free telephone support for the life of a computer, and extended warranties plus installation services, next business day resolution, a 4-hour response option, plus a host of other interesting services." Dell's desire is to own the customer experience. They reinforce this behavior by tying bonuses and profit-sharing to customer experience goals and metrics.
Other
companies that give and act like the customer is their first priority include:
Let me leave you with a few of my favorite quotes this month:
***
I think as long as a company remembers this statement, they can't go wrong: "It's not the complaint, it's how the complaint is handled!"
(P.J., Kanata, Ontario,
CANADA)
***
VALUES are the key to long-term success. IF a company does not reflect anything about the customer or employee they don't last. Companies that last do not react to the current fad of the time; they stick to VALUES and work them.
(C.S., Silicon Valley, California, USA)
***
Companies that have made moves to adapt
and integrate the Internet are paying lip service and creating a Web Page, or
maybe starting to buy via the Web, however, they are not transitioning to the
new paradigm. They do not get it!
(David Hemmings, Global Stallion Ltd,
Taipei, TAIWAN)
I hope you enjoy this eZine.
See you in cyberspace,
Mitchell Levy
President, ECnow.com <http://ecnow.com>
Executive Producer, ECMgt.com <http://ECMgt.com>
Founder and Coordinator, SJSU-PD ECM Certificate Program <http://ecmtraining.com/sjsu>
Chair, Comdex Spring 2000 ECM Symposium <http://ecmtraining.com/comdexspring>
In a special E-Commerce Management (ECM) Symposium at Spring Comdex (Chicago, IL, April 17-18, 2000), top e-commerce professionals will provide their insights about what works and what doesn't. The Spring Comdex 2000 ECM Symposium is comprised of 4 keynotes, 2 case studies and 9 panels with over 30 speakers. Come learn and network with fellow practitioners, managers and executives in this exciting field. Learn more at this url: http://ecmtraining.com/comdexspring |
| Convergent Software, Inc. will
supply advanced E-Commerce Contact: 972 496-2419 or |
 Workz.com is an online business resource center loaded with thousands of articles, links, techniques, and step-by-step checklists designed with small business Web promotion in mind. Get expert advice on driving traffic, e-commerce, banner creation, search engine submission, peer-to-peer networking, and more. Normally $49 (USD) per year, Membership is free to ECMgt.com subscribers. Sign up now at: http://www.workz.com/ecnow. |
FEATURE ARTICLE
Tools to Ensure
the Customer's Complete Satisfaction
Jeff Sheahan
President, Egghead.com
What determines the success of e-tailers in today's competitive global marketplace?At Egghead.com we believe it takes great listeners to succeed in this market.It is essential to create an efficient and convenient shopping model to ensure that customers have a positive shopping experience. Product and service preferences are changing at Internet speeds, and the e-tailing business strategy has to evolve rapidly to meet the demands of today's market.
It is important to evaluate business strategies and services by viewing the online shopping experience through the customer's eyes. For example, partnering with a web-hosted interactive communication service such as Informative, Inc., can help an e-tailer formulate effective strategies for obtaining customer feedback. Using "survey builders" (questionnaires designed to provide customer feedback) provides information needed to develop a user-friendly site design and navigational system. Additionally, presenting customers with online surveys at the end of their purchase cycle enables e-tailers to gauge customer satisfaction and measure the effectiveness of their marketing practices
Another valuable tool is the use of focus groups. Meeting with individuals from targeted markets facilitates the development of long-term relationships with clients by allowing a better understanding of the customers' needs.Clearly, this strategy does not reach the same volume of customer interactions as e-based customer communications. Nevertheless, one cannot underestimate the value of the opportunity to obtain constructive feedback from personal interactions with customers.
Successful e-tailers must ensure that all
participants in the supply chain are full partners in the quest to provide high
quality customer service.It is important to form partnerships with vendors to
ensure that the products delivered meet customer expectations.Today's technology
products occasionally have technical or operational flaws. E-tailers must focus
on partnering with vendors who solve these issues with minimal customer inconvenience.
At Egghead.com, we measure the quality of our vendors' products and services by
issuing "Vendor Report Cards."Our vendors are rated by the following criteria:
READER COMMENTS
Our bulletin board allows readers to comment on trends and issues throughout the month. Please stop by to add your comments and see all the responses at http://ecmgt.com/bulletinboard.htm
Question of the Month
The topic for March focuses on Customer-Centric Corporate Restructuring
Selected Answers of the Month
***
We are working on becoming more customer-centric. And we see that most of our clients, primarily business-to-business marketers, are heading in the same direction. We believe that the Internet has so leveled the playing field that keeping a customer happy is the only way to keep a business going, let alone growing. We see how the Web is slowly but steadily reducing the number of "middle men" receiving percentages for their roles as distributors. This is a very good thing, because success now depends on really listening to what our customers need -- and really delivering it. This bodes well for future business relationships because they are bound to become more meaningful and useful as a result.
One wouldn't think that an ad agency would need to work much at being customer satisfaction oriented. We are a service business and thus utterly dependent on the goodwill and respect of customers. However, we get very caught up in promoting what we think we do best and/or what seems the most profitable activity of a given moment and/or what is clearly "hot" in terms of demand.
So, we are now in the process of articulating our values as a business. And number one is giving our clients the best possible service, content and design work we are capable of producing. This means that a client must be satisfied -- whatever it takes. We find this means spending more time educating them about what we do and how we do it, refining our methods of delivering services, and adapting them to each client's particular working style. Instead of taking for granted that we have value, we are at work every day demonstrating our usefulness. It's different and I think it makes us a better business.
(M.I., York, Pennsylvania, USA)
***
Everyone seems to be talking the talk, but those
who walk the walk will win. It is impossible to overstate the importance right
now of restructuring a business around meeting customer needs and expectations.
This change can be difficult, mind you, even with the best of intentions, because
business processes are well-entrenched and people's habits and thinking can be
difficult to change. It's possible that many managers and executivesbelieve this
is just another fad that will pass--not so. It is part of a deeper trend, not
just because of the Internet. The Internet is a catalyst for this process, which
was occurring anyway.
(L.L., Silicon Valley, California, USA)
***
As products become more commodity-like, customers are choosing to buy from vendors who have excellent customer service and ease of doing business. All employees need to be informed about the customers buying habits, business processes, and industry standards. Employees need to think of customers as partners having the same goals and objectives, and not as outsiders who demand a service that is different from the standard services offered.
To reshape culture, companies have put an emphasis on the need to adapt and integrate the Internet, or they will lose clients to competitors.
I do not know the % of Global companies with e-commerce plans in place, but many of them will be picking up momentum this year now that the Y2K scare is over. What are they doing? Hiring consultants! Pushing IT to build an information system that will support a flow of data to all employees, supply reporting tools, strengthen electronic transfer of data. Transition management team is helping employees throughout the company to think like an account rep.
(M.K., Silicon Valley, California, USA)
***
Many companies are touting their way of doing e-business as the best way they know of serving their customers best. As far as I have seen, however, many businesses stick something together without any input from their clients on how they wish to be served. The results are negligible to negative.
The best way to serve your clients better, e-wise or otherwise, is to simply talk to them. Get input via webforms or mailer and then develop a client strategy. Guessing wastes time for you and frustrates clients.
The biggest restructuring I see in Global 2000 companies is all sales oriented. Sure, some are using webforms now for "complaints" or questions, but the vast majority only see the net as a way to handle sales transactions, not as a way to use client service to increase sales.
It seems that everyone is doing something on the net, not just the Global 2000 players. We as a company are going to put more of an informational swing on net activities. Sales are always important, but when you give your client the extra information they need to make that important decision, they will come back.
(Cliff Skene, CEO Marketing, Pharos Business Integration Inc.)
***
VALUES are the key to long-term success. If a company does not reflect anything about the customer or employee, they don't last. Companies that last do not react to the current fad of the time; they stick to VALUES and work them.
I think companies do a poor job reshaping their culture and infrastructure because they are in a hurry, again missing the boat on VALUES. They do not pay attention to the critical detail. It seems we are all willing to accept less than an acceptable level of quality. Companies are just focusing on getting something out there on the Internet.
The customer
is number one...they are the ones interested in helping you better your model.
It is like reinvesting in what they purchase. So it is critical we are customer
focused, obsessed. To reshape culture, companies (99.9%) are pushing their employees
to be "web enabled".Still need better change management...why change?
(C.S.,
Silicon Valley, California, USA)
***
The need for immediate change is critical, but it is principally the new young companies that are accepting the reality. Here in Taiwan and Hong Kong, the old established companies are not responding and will only change when they are in trouble. There are great opportunities for others to capture existing company business by stepping in over their heads.
Companies that have made moves to adapt and integrate the Internet are paying lip service and creating a Web Page, or maybe starting to buy via the Web, however, they are not transitioning to the new paradigm. They do not get it! The percentage of companies are adapting and integrating the Internet into their businesses appears to be very small here in Asia!
(David Hemmings, Global Stallion Ltd, Taipei, TAIWAN)
***
I feel that a company should have a strong foundation/policy of customer satisfaction. I also think that a company should be careful not to go overboard on customer services (free ones) because I'm not sure how loyal customers are to anyone anymore. I think as long as a company remembers this statement, they can't go wrong: "It's not the complaint, it's how the complaint is handled!"
(P.J., Kanata, Ontario, CANADA)
***
Companies will be forced by economics to use the Internet to keep competitive. So they will need to hire or retrain staff that they already have to do the job. The move to the Internet will come from the marketing and IT departments; company top executives will take ownership themselves because they are the ones that will make the decisions to pay for the changes. The types of initiatives companies are taking now involve contracting out new e-commerce web development for their companies.
(P.E., Burnaby British Columbia, CANADA)
***
Whether businesses, governments and agencies are pursuing B2B solutions, or B2C solutions through the Internet, the fundamental reality today is that your business is only as good as your ability to communicate.
If you have not established a standard for, and practice of, excellent two-way symmetrical communication throughout the organization, it will be mirrored in your messages on the Internet, and in your relationships with your customers (audiences). Customers are very savvy - they know when they are being talked at and quickly pick up on any discord or hype. Conversely, businesses that believe in actively communicating, listening and responding to all their internal and external audiences are faring much better because the transparency is real.
Unfortunately we get caught up in the process, the sale, the tools, the systems, the products, the technology and overlook a basic tenet - things don't deliver services - people do; things don't develop meaningful relationships - people do. This applies in all media.
(Jackie Mignault, Business Analyst, City of Victoria, British Columbia, CANADA)
***
I believe it is vital to make sure that my company's website is customer friendly
and "globalized". We are an international telecom company owned by France Telecom,
and our website is only in English! The home page should pop up in the language
of the country that is originating the session. Being that we are not a consumer-oriented
company - but a B2B company, selling telecommunications networking services over
the Internet may not be a real option for us, but it would be great if customers
could be immediately connected to sales professionals in their local areas. Information
regarding specific product availability in the customer’s country would be a very
important addition to our website.
The primary emphasis of companies using the Internet to reshape their culture is having available information that is pertinent to employees who need to serve customers professionally and quickly. The ability to find information quickly - and information that is updated on a regular basis – is essential. Also, I see other telecom companies emphasizing telecommuting because it saves them from having to lease expensive office space. Telecommuting technologies and services is what we sell anyway, so we need to put our money where our mouth is.
Most of the global 2000 are integrating the Internet into their business - they have to in order to stay competitive. Many are selling retail online, others do B2B, others are updating their websites to make them more user-friendly for their employees. I know I am "put off" when a retail company has no products to buy online,or if a company has a poorly designed website.
(B.Z., Silicon Valley, California, USA)
CONTENT – ECMGT.COM E-COMMERCE NEWS
E-STRATEGIES
& TRENDS NEWS
This section sponsored by - ECnow.com, please visit
them at http://www.ecnow.com
ToC
----
The Smart Way to Start an Internet Company
So you have a BrilliantIdea.com.
Now what? Business 2.0 consults some of the leading minds of Internet business
to glean the insights they gained taking their businesses from scribbled-on cocktail
napkins to thriving Net companies. Now they divulge the advice they wish they'd
had.
Now
We're All B-to-Bs
Missing out on the great dot-com run-up? No problem:
Just declare yourself a business-to-business play and watch investors line up
Consumer
Sites Sing a New Song: B2B
Internet companies from eBay to Buy.com that
made their names as consumer-oriented Web sites are changing their tune -- now
they are all about business.
Honeymoon
Over for E-Commerce Pure-Plays
A growing number of investors have come
to believe that pure-play e-commerce companies are burning their cash at an incredibly
rapid rate and that these firms will be forced to dilute their outstanding shares
with expensive rounds of new financing -- or worse.
Consolidation,
Changes Seen in E-Tailing
Floating in red ink, cyberspace retailers may
find that marketing dollars used to lure customers to their websites are drying
up, leaving a merger with competitors as one survival option.
On-line
Toy Market Continues Rise
On-line toy sales catapulted from $45 million
in 1998 to $425 million in 1999, according to a report by The NPD Group, Inc.
and Media Metrix, which predicts $1.6 billion in on-line toy sales by 2002.
Much
at Stake for Internet Retailers
While Internet users are rapidly becoming
on-line shoppers, purchase failures, security fears, and service frustrations
are rampant, according to a study by The Boston Consulting Group.
Can
E-Commerce Police Itself?
Based on the e-commerce industry's youth, disunity
and big egos, I doubt that effective self-regulation will happen any time soon.
Sad to say, the government will probably be forced to step in and do the job.
Web
Merchants Go Multimedia
Many Web merchants are devoting an increasing
amount of time and money to implementing audio and video features on their sites.
But they are wary of overloading shoppers.
The
Bots that Bind: Digital Age Contract Law
In the near future, your shopping
bot will be able to enter into legally binding contracts and buy digital products
on your behalf.
Study:
Sports a $3B On-line Biz
Within three years wired sports fans will create
a billion dollar business for sports-related goods and services, Jupiter predicts.
One-in-four
Suffer E-Shopping Failures
Some consumers who suffer e-commerce snafus
boycott e-tailers' offline ventures as well, report finds.
On-line
Toy Sales Up Nearly 1,000 Percent
On-line toy sales shot up faster than
an 11-year-old kid last year, rising nearly tenfold to $425 million in 1999, from
$45 million the year before, while overall toy sales grew by just 8.6 percent,
a survey shows.
E-tailers
Must Offer More Than Low Prices
If a new survey is to be believed, low
prices can attract new on-line retail customers, but price is no guarantee that
customers will keep on coming back.
Software
Firms Gear up to run the E-Commerce Race
Companies such as J.D. Edwards,
Oracle, SAP and PeopleSoft have found themselves behind in a race to win in the
business-to-business e-commerce market -- a market that is expected to surpass
the trillion-dollar mark by 2003.
E-Commerce
Firms Step Back from Early Strategies
Last week, eToys sharply scaled
back its affiliates program, eliminating commissions on sales and paying business
partners only one time for a customer referral.
Consumers
Showing Interest in On-line Health and Beauty Sector
On-line beauty product
sales accounted for approximately 1 percent of the $25 billion-plus total US beauty
market in 1999, but could gain significant market share in the near term, according
to a report by The NPD Group and Media Metrix.
Credit
Card Fraud Crippling On-line Merchants
While credit card companies have
consistently maintained that credit card fraud is no more prevalent on-line than
in traditional forms of commerce, a number of experts are disputing the notion.
Official
E-Commerce Count Released
The Commerce Department reported Thursday that
on-line retail sales totaled $5.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 1999, in the
government's first official measure of Internet commerce.
----
E-PRODUCTS
ToC
----
Diamonds in the Rough
Blue Nile CEO, Mark Vadon, is making shopping
for engagement rings a task as easy as ordering a computer from Dell.
One-Stop
Shopping By WAP
Wireless Application Protocol technology enabler WAPHead
has collaborated with Edge, a wireless and Internet professional services company
in Singapore, to provide one-stop shopping on a WAP's application,
Real-Time
E-Commerce Revenue Tracking App Launched
WebTrends Corp. recently released
WebTrends Live, an ASP platform for real-time Web site visitor analysis, e-commerce
tracking and on-line marketing campaign management at high-volume sites.
Amazon
Patents are Bad News
Amazon.com now has two patents that cover Web-based
business processes. Both are good for Amazon, potentially bad for the Web.
Accompany
Patents Group Buying
Accompany Inc. said Tuesday it will get a patent
on its technology that lets consumers team up and save money by ordering in bulk
via the Internet.
----
E-SERVICES
ToC
----
FedEx Rolls Out Ground Shipping Option
Touting itself as a United
Parcel Service alternative for ground residential delivery, on March 14, FedEx
Corp. will roll out its FedEx Home Delivery ground service shipping packages for
more than 100 catalogers. FedEx claims that the new service can reach 50% of the
U.S. population this year; it intends to reach 98% by 2004.
TRUSTe
Cracks the Whip
The Net privacy program scolds former licensee MotherNature.com
for 'inappropriate display of the TRUSTe seal.'
A
Call for Universal Registration
A consistent I.D. would make on-line shopping
much easier for consumers.
A
Growing Business
Farmbid.com tries to give farmers everything they need.
Seven
Deadly E-Business Sins
The Bible has its Ten Commandments, and e-commerce
has its Seven Deadly Sins, according to a list released today by privately held
Polaris Consulting, a provider of e-business services.
Credit
Card Fraud Detection Portal Launches
CitX Corp. has announced plans to
launch a Web portal for businesses concerned about card processing fraud.
E-Tailers
Deploy Customer Service Tools
Drug Emporium is joining a growing band
of commerce sites adding search, answer and advice tools to help users navigate
sites - and ultimately to encourage them to stick around longer and make more
purchases.
ASPs
Open New E-Commerce Opportunities
Many software companies are looking
to develop new e-commerce-based sales channels by putting their programs on a
Web site and only charging customers to use them rather than selling them outright.
Why
Outsourcing E-Commerce Makes Sense
Bottlenecks and bandwidth mean a long
wait to become operational.
E-MARKETING
ToC
----
E-mail Marketing
A $4.8bil Industry By 2004
A growing realization that e-mail is an effective
way for e-commerce outfits to hold on to customer and find new ones will balloon
the e-mail marketing industry to $4.8 billion by 2004, according to a new study
by Forrester Research Inc.
E-Commerce
Marketing Needs Specificity
Businesses hoping to snare big bucks in e-commerce
must realize that consumer shopping habits for basic products have evolved to
a level that requires more specific, fine-tuned marketing strategies to get and
keep customers, an ActivMediaResearch study has found.
Spam
Strikes Back
Do marketers have the right to send you spam? One Washington
state judge has effectively said yes -- and has sparked an instant debate about
the constitutionality of laws that limit the use of spam.
Marketers
Try Infecting the Internet
Last December, a customer browsing the virtual
racks of the on-line beauty retailer Eve.com unearthed an unpublicized makeup
brush sale. The customer posted a link to the site in an on-line discussion group.
People who followed the link from the discussion site Deja.com bought more than
3,000 brush sets over a five-day period, the company said.
BlueLight.com
Signs on 1 million Customers
In just six weeks, Kmart has signed up 1
million customers to its free Internet service, making it the fastest-growing
Internet service provider on the market.
CompUSA
Closes Cozone.com
Site folds due to slow sales; retailer hopes to bank
on name recognition with CompUSA.com.
Hooked
on Net Shopping
A new study predicts a growing appetite for on-line purchases,
and urges companies to do more than satisfy customers.
Shopping
for Big Brother
Ever hanker to buy Puck's bike or Ruthie's tank top? A
German version of The Real World will let viewers go to the Web site tie-in --
and order the clothes, furniture, and products they see on the TV show.
Best
E-Tailers? It's a Mystery
Because customer satisfaction is becoming one
of the key ingredients to the success of an on-line business, more and more companies
are relying on an old trick: mystery shoppers.
SUPPLY CHAIN
ToC
On-line
Automobile Market Continues Maturation
The automobile industry and the
Internet don't seem like a logical match to many. After all, you can't test drive
a car on-line. But more car dealers are on-line than ever before, and consumers
seem to be warming up to the idea.
King’s
‘Bullet’ Creates a Horror for E-Tailers
Web booksellers were jammed Tuesday
as eager readers sought out the just-released Stephen King novella, "Riding the
Bullet," published exclusively on-line in a variety of digital formats. "King
Sized Jam" read the apologetic headline at Softlock.com, which provided technology
to allow any site to offer the download.
On-line
Car-Shopping - It's a No Go
On-line car buying got a definite downgrade
from Consumer Reports, which gave the category an "unsatisfactory" rating in its
April issue, which will be released next week.
CONTENT, PORTALS & COMMUNITY
ToC
----
Retail B2B Marketplace Boom Continues
Business-to-business e-commerce marketplaces are popping up throughout the
retail industry.
Seller
Beware
On-line markets are springing up all over the place. Some are built
around buyers, others around independent exchanges. Which work best?
FastParts
Aims To Be Industry E-commerce Hub
FastParts.com, the website that acts
as an on-line broker of excess components, plans to substantially expand its offerings
in the next year.
Bizarre
Web Bazaars
You’ve heard almost all the permutations of buying and selling
on the Web. Amazon.com launched the most obvious, b-to-c. By now, of course, you’re
sick of hearing about all the new b-to-b ventures, the current hot spot. What
other permutations can we come up with?
Deep
Impact
The deepest impact of exchanges may be on the Web software business.
While many view exchanges as another very cool, Web-based application that further
justifies the notion that the Internet changes everything, there is more to it
than that.
NetTrends:
Battle of the E-Marketplace
Everybody wants to be a marketplace. In sectors
from cars to chemicals to food ingredients, companies are trying to join all of
the participants into Internet-based markets for their industries in hopes of
making businesses more efficient.
E-Business
Site Targets Schools, Teachers
Epylon.com, a Web marketplace aimed at
the lucrative education market, is going on-line next week and will offer school
districts one-stop shopping for everything from pens and paper to computers and
landscaping supplies.
School
Fundraising -- Say Goodbye to Bake Sales
Schoolpop, a 9-month-old on-line
shopping mall that funnels a portion of shoppers' purchases to schools, said it
has raised $41 million in funding.
----
GOVERNANCE & GOING GLOBAL
ToC
Congress
Asked Not to Ban Net Taxes
Governors worried about damage that tax-free
Internet commerce could do to their state budgets today demanded that Congress
refrain from permanently outlawing state sales taxes on electronic purchases.
EU
Sticks to On-Line Sales Tax Plan
If
Taxed, Most Web Shoppers Won't Buy
Nearly two-thirds of people who shop
on the Internet say that they would make fewer purchases from on-line merchants
if they had to pay a sales tax, according to a survey conducted as part of a partnership
between BizRate.com and the Association for Interactive Media.
Net
Tax Commission Dissension May be Growing
A federal panel charged to advise
Congress on Internet taxation may pass the buck back to Washington.
Senate
Stalls Over E-Signatures
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., turned
up the heat on Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and other Senate Democrats
Tuesday, making an abortive effort to appoint senators to the conference committee
that will try to resolve key differences between House and Senate electronic signatures
legislation.
Conflicted
Opinions on Internet Tax
Less than two weeks before a congressionally-
appointed commission is set to announce its recommendations for taxation on the
Internet, Deputy Treasury Secretary Stuart Eizenstat said that, regardless of
the outcome, states must find a way to simplify their tax codes.
McCain
Proposes Another Net Tax Ban
As the war over Internet taxes waged on in
Dallas, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., today proposed legislation aimed at extending
the current ban on e-commerce taxation.
Australia’s
Second Report on Tax and the Internet
As a country that is isolated geographically,
Australia has seized on the Internet as a way of bridging the physical gap between
itself and the other developed countries of the world. In its second report on
Internet taxation, the Australian Tax Office gives us a comprehensive look at
the challenges of the future, and some of the ways the ATO plans to meet them.
Clinton:
Protect On-line Privacy or Feds Will
Speaking at a forum held by the Aspen
Institute in San Jose, California, U.S. President Bill Clinton sternly warned
high-tech industry leaders Friday that they must quickly adopt minimum privacy
standards or have the government do it for them.
States
Plan To Tax On-line Sales
A plan to use technology to harvest and distribute
sales taxes for states when goods are bought on-line is gaining momentum, and
as many as eight states are ready to back the initiative, according to various
industry and government sources.
Net
Tax Myth: Tech Is A Barrier
On-line merchants can't realistically be expected
to calculate and collect sales taxes for 7,600 different tax jurisdictions, each
with hundreds of arcane classifications for how goods are taxed, the argument
goes. But many already do, with relative ease.
Are
Net Taxes Inevitable?
With a deadline for reporting to Congress looming,
the Internet Tax Commission will meet in Dallas to mull e-commerce taxes.
Representation
Without Taxation
Lack of Net taxation hurts local communities.
Bill
Targets Internet Wine Sales
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday
approved a bill enabling states to block direct shipments of wine and beer to
consumers, a measure backed by wholesalers who are losing business because of
wine sales over the Internet.
bWhen
setting up an e-business, legal landmines abound. Here's some advice on how to
avoid them.
Leavitt
Leads Net Tax Charge
It won't be the government pushing Net taxation,
says Utah's governor, a Net tax proponent. It'll be offline retailers -- realizing
how much business they stand to lose.
Another
Amazon Patent Furor
A popular book publisher has gathered more than 1,000
signatures protesting the giant e-tailer's "unjustified" patents to seize competitive
control.
Amazon
Calls for Patent Fix
Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos says he's keeping his controversial
Web patents. But for good measure, he promises to try to reform the system that
makes software patents too easy to get. Like Amazon's, for example?
bFebruary
may be the shortest month of the year, but for CDnow it is a memorable one. The
on-line retailer displaced Amazon.com as the top destination on the Web.
Yes
Virginia There's an E-Biz Law
A newly signed bill to regulate electronic
commerce and "shrink wrap" software licenses has met with vocal opposition from
computer scientists, librarians, and consumer activists.
Panel
Negotiates Net Tax 'Nexus'
Six members of a congressional advisory panel
met privately Monday evening on the second floor of the ritzy Fairmont Hotel here,
and the outcome will influence whether American consumers have to pay more for
mail-order and Internet purchases.
Click
here ... and lose your rights
Are state legislatures about to sign away
consumer and jurisdiction rights all for the promise of an e-commerce windfall?
Gore
Blasted for Net-tax Stance
Virginia Gov. James Gilmore, a staunch foe
of e-commerce taxation, calls Clinton administration 'pro-tax,' warns of stalemate
on panel formed to hash out a resolution on the contentious issue.
Feds:
Get More Secure or Else
U.S. Federal Trade Commissioner and FBI warn tech
CEOs to address security and privacy concerns or lose the opportunity to self-regulate.
U.S.,
EU Hammer out Net Privacy Plan
A senior U.S. official said on Wednesday
that the privacy of personal data was as well-protected by the type of self-regulation
favored in the United States as by the legislative approach preferred in Europe.
Regional
Asian e-Retailers Risk Being Outrun By Multinationals
With the on-line
retail market in Asia-Pacific growing faster than in the United States, the region
is set for a transformation of consumer markets.
Regulation
of B2B Market Sparks Debate
The rapid growth of the business-to-business
market has raised concerns about the potential need for government regulation,
an issue that could lead to bitter disputes over control of the multibillion-dollar
industry.
Tax
Moratorium May Affect Some Non-Net Purchases
A possible compromise on
extending the Internet tax moratorium for five years on "digitized" goods like
CDs and books could result in those types of purchases becoming tax-free in the
"real world," which might cause significant state and local revenue losses, said
a member of the Internet Tax Fairness Coalition today.
Government
Examines E-Commerce
Still against Net taxes, Commerce Department marvels
at on-line sales.
Euro
Web Car Sales Drive Mini-Revolution
As the world's top automakers roll
out ambitious Internet procurement plans to save billions of dollars, a smaller
Web-based popular revolution is gathering speed in Europe's car industry.
----
PARTNERS & DEALS
ToC
----
Net Car Shoppers Have New Ally
Edmunds.com, which offers pricing
but doesn't sell cars, will announce Monday partnerships with major Internet buying
services, automakers and dealers. Besides links to the buying services, Edmunds
will provide a review of what each site offers.
Business-To-Barnyard
Venture - Rooster.com
A trio of agricultural giants are teaming up for
a business-to-barnyard venture they say will link retailers, farmers' cooperatives
and manufacturers through an electronic marketplace.
Five
Big U.S. Homebuilders to Start Web Firm
The five largest homebuilders
in the United States on Thursday said they would start a company to launch an
Internet site to help sell homes.
Old
Ally Slams Amazon on Patent Filings
On-line retailer Amazon.com Inc. came
under increasing pressure Tuesday to back off from patent claims on "obvious"
business ideas.
eBay
Drives Deal with On-Line Used Car Seller
eBay, the largest on-line auctioneer,
teamed with AutoTrader.com today to create the Internet's largest auction-style
Web site for buying and selling used cars.
Consumer
Products Firms Plan Web Exchange
Fifty food, beverage and consumer product
makers are planning an open, electronic marketplace to link all participants in
the industry supply chain.
Bricks
and Clicks Learn Together
Even as they vie for customers on the Web, smart
executives at traditional retailers and pure Internet start-ups can learn from
each other's strengths and weaknesses, and from how they tackle common problems
from different viewpoints.
Putting
B2B Under the Microscope
The market barely exists, but early players are
worth billions. Will investors late to the party get stuck with worthless paper?
E-Tailers
Make Alterations
Some VCs now say they will fund anything but an Internet
store -- seeing as many of those high-flying IPOs seemed to have hit major airpockets.
That has some e-tail pioneers retooling their businesses.
Cash
Drought Ahead for Net firms?
At least 51 Internet firms will run out of
cash within the next year, according to a Pegasus Research International study
commissioned by Barron's and reported in its March 20 edition.
Hello!
and Welcome to Movie Passes
Six big theater chains are joining forces
to create an Internet company that will let customers print tickets at home.
An
$80 Million Buffet for Food.com
Hungry to expand on the Net, firms such
as McDonald's, Kraft Foods and TV Guide are investing in the on-line dining service.
Food.com
Acquires Delivery Service
The on-line dining firm goes full throttle and
makes a deal for Takeout Taxi.
----
MOVERS & SHAKERS
ToC
----
eToys Names Senior Vice President and Chief Logistics Officer
Former
Gateway exec Ted Augustine to fill dual posts
Grassroots.com
Recruits McSlarrow for DC Office
Former Senate aide to take vice president,
political and governmental affairs post
MainControl
Names Former SEC Commissioner to Board
Riggs Capital Partners president
joins second local board
Cidera
Appoints CEO, Forms Advisory Board
Teligent veteran takes helm, Internet,
IT and communications experts to advise company's expansion efforts
iGate
Capital President Joins VCampus Board
iGATE also will promote VCampus
as a platform for hosting corporate virtual campuses
B2Emarkets
Adds Two to Management Team
Holtz takes CFO slot, McCasker tapped for
vice president of engineering
Strategic
Solutions Group Names New President
Multimedia head to focus efforts on
technology-based training
Network
Solutions Appoints Five VPs
Executives to provide leadership for registrar,
registry and corporate services
GuideComm
Adds to Advisory Board
Sterling Commerce VP moves over to Herndon firm
ZonaFinanciera.com
Appoints Marketing VP
Former Disney exec to lead company's sales initiatives
AutoMall
On-line Brings in Marketing Team
Eric Jowett to lead drive to bring in
Web traffic
McShera
Joins myWebOS.com
LookSmart veteran to build out site's channel
Buyline.net,
Inc. Names New President/CEO
Deale will serve in interim capacity as U.S.
Technologies Inc. acquires additional interests in B2B company
VarsityBooks.com
Names McNamer Vice President
Former White House Fellow takes over business
development post
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