Relationships bring revenues. The Internet is used to communicate customer value. Virtual selling is the application of information technology to bring all of the company's resources and capabilities to provide the customer with a complete solution to his or her unique requirements. The objective is to empower the salesperson to be an informed salesperson who virtually has the whole company's knowledge at his or her command and can provide total sales quality. The Internet has the power to re-intermediate, to provide the service the middleman used to provide.
Electronic markets allow consumers to directly access manufacturers.
Shopping is one of the most popular activities on the Internet, and the number of people who shop and buy products on the Internet is growing. This is a significant increase over the findings in the fall 1995 survey, when 55 percent of all Web users used the Web for shopping and only 35 percent prior to an actual purchase. But when it comes to shopping and buying behaviors, larger differences exist. Males are more likely to search for product information online than females and are more likely to make purchases. Not surprisingly, computer hardware and software is the leading category for attracting both shoppers and buyers on the Internet.