Bringing a business on-line. Bringing a business on-line. Increasingly, companies are finding it necessary to be on-line to conduct business.
Many companies already are on-line, but more have yet to make the transition.
This paper is intended to serve as a guideline for those who are at the brink, but have not yet passed over the threshold to doing business on-line. While the internet has a reputation for being a powerful tool for business growth, streamlining, and adaptation, it is important to go on-line because it is right for your business, not simply because the hype says it's the place to be. To decide if the time is right, business managers must evaluate how going on-line would impact customer satisfaction, capital investment, business practices, and the bottom line. On the good side, there will be opportunities to improve response to customer needs, reduce overhead, expand markets, and increase productivity. If a business is at a point where it needs to update its IT infrastructure, where it can take advantage of economies of scale, and where distribution channels aren't tied up in exclusive agreements, it is probably a good candidate for testing the e-commerce waters.