¶ … internet strategies of Samsung. Best known for their flagship company Samsung Electronics, a global leader in high-tech electronics manufacturing and digital media, Samsung has been in business for more than 70 years. The company began as a small export business in Taegu, Korea and has since expanded into a number of diverse businesses: advanced technology, semiconductors, skyscraper and plant construction, petrochemicals, fashion, medicine, financial services, and hotels (Samsung, 2011). According to the Wall Street Journal, Samsung was expected to report second quarter operating profit this year of approximately $3.5 billion USD, which represents a decline from last year (Ramstad, 2011).
One of Samsung's internet strategies is apparent even before landing on the company's main website. When one googles the name Samsung, the search returns 1.61 million results. At the very top of those results is the Samsung webpage, www.samsung.com. Along with listing the company's website, there is also content directed at consumers: "Imagine what Samsung can do for you! You'll find product and support information for our TVs, mobile phones, videos and audios (sic), computers and related products." Moreover, the links that display Samsung's subsequent web pages include the following options: TVs, cell phones, tablets, laptops, Support and Get downloads, all of which market consumer electronics. These results show clearly that Samsung's search engine optimization strategy is targeting consumer electronics (Samsung, 2011).
From this point, one can continue on to visit Samsung's website by clicking on the first Google search result, which does indeed link to Samsung consumer electronics and technology. What is noteworthy about the marketing focus on consumer electronics is that if one did not already know about Samsung's other business units, it would be easy to assume that consumer electronics was their only business. The apparent explanation is that Samsung uses the web so extensively for selling to their market.
The first webpage that loads displays graphics that prominently feature a Smartphone, flat screen TV and camera. If you scroll past the graphics, you can navigate to a section that displays several social media options. Samsung uses social media featuring links to Twitter and Facebook. There is also an online gallery that allows customers to share photos and videos, along with links to product reviews. This section that features connections to social media takes up approximately half of Samsung's landing page, which shows the prominent role that social media occupies in Samsung's marketing strategies.
Samsung's business models also use a variety of internet strategies in addition to social media. As a wholesaler and retailer, Samsung's website is constructed around the merchant model, selling sell goods and services online. Their e-commerce enabled website supports the sales of both business to business and business to consumer products and services. Depending on the specific consumer choice of product or service, Samsung offers either shopping cart software for checkout, or links to retailers that sell the selected product. The links also display contact and location information, as well as whether the selected item is in or out of stock.
Samsung also offers various ways for customers to access technical support. Customers can choose between email, phone, Twitter and web chat. Samsung's live chat product support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is broken down by categories: televisions, mobile phones, computers, washers and dryers, printers and general chat. Customer service options include round-the-clock live chat support, along with email and phone support.
Samsung's website provides several online help options as well, showing their focus on customer service. One option that Samsung offers allows customers to create an online service request to schedule repair service. Once a service ticket has been created, Samsung lets customers track the status of service tickets online. For TV and video app customers, Samsung offers a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Another option for support is Samsung Support TV, a product demo and tech support video feature offering live streaming video. More online help is available to find service locations by letting the customer enter model information and zip code. In addition to offering online product support, Samsung provides an option to email questions or provide feedback that is specific to its website.
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