Services and the Internet Many of the most publicly visible inroads of Internet commerce are in the service area, and most of them are Dellphic in nature. Airlines provide a good example. Incentives so far have been limited to offering frequent flyer bonus miles and spot discounts on approaching flights with unbooked space. As a result, except for travelers who seek a complicated set of travel services, direct Internet purchases will undoubtedly continue to siphon market share away from traditional travel agents in the airline ticketing business. The same goes for booking cruises, hotels, tours etc.
Financial services is another area undergoing rapid change.
While depository institutions have been moving in the direction of Dellphic service delivery for years, most early efforts were devoted to building proprietary platforms. That approach is now evolving toward using the Internet as the communication platform. The biggest jump in recent years, however, has been seen in the trading of stocks, bonds and other financial instruments. Many large firms now offer on-line trading which, as in the case of the airline industry, bypasses the human contact normally involved in such transactions. In addition to marketing services, the Internet also has facilitated the introduction of a wider range of active secondary markets for various real assets.