The company was acquired by Internet travel giant Expedia, which wanted a foothold in the lodging arena, and now books more than 1,500 hotels in 240 cities around the globe. We customized sites for our hotels, made the booking process easier for the customer and guaranteed the lowest rate. With the right combination of convenience and price, we seized the opportunity to become a leader in a crowded field. He's designing software that will work with existing palmtop computers and mobile phones to constantly update business travelers on the status of their flights and provide re-routing or alternate purchase options if airline flights are delayed or canceled. When the system is up and running, Chan will expand the fee-based services to include rental car and hotel options, and travelers who used to spend hours in customer service lines in the airport will make their own arrangements in minutes.
People are willing to pay to reduce the hassle of traveling.
By piggybacking on existing hardware, the business doesn't require a huge capital investment. Experts predict that will change as the distinction between business and e-business slowly disappears, and the Web, instead of being viewed as an exotic extension of standard business, becomes as integral to commerce as the telephone. In the meantime, a savvy team is key to implementing a successful e-business. Phillips says the common trait of top e commerce firms is a solid management team that includes the right combination of business and technology pros. If a company's strategy is good but it doesn't have the people to carry it out effectively, somebody else will grab the idea and run with it.