OMMERCE E-Commerce

E- Commerce

E- Commerce

E-commerce revolution has immensely affected all the industries, including the real estate industry. By using websites the real estate agents can transmit the information about the properties to a wide range of people. In addition to that, it can also enable the real estate agents to set up information communication channels directly between the real estate agencies, investors and developers. By mass media advertisements, the retailers can target a huge audience, including a number of potential buyers. In this technique the agencies usually use a simplex, one way communication channel, to communicate with the audience. A single advertisement is generated for the entire market, therefore, it is cost efficient. (Jianliang et al., 2013)

E-commerce enables the real estate agents to have personal contact with their clients. By having an interaction with the clients, the agents can better understand their requirements and can provide them with properties that best match their requirements. This, in return, leads toward high customer satisfaction and enhanced customer loyalty. (Jianliang et al., 2013)

2. E-Commerce Marketing

Marketing roots back to the inception of human history. From the times of barter and initial trade, people used to convince each other by using different marketing techniques. In the earlier times, people used stories as tools for convincing people. Even though, the trends and techniques in the field of marketing have changed and evolved but this field is as old as we are. (Webtransitions.com, n.d.)

With the evolution of modern technology, organizations are increasingly using E-marketing techniques. In simple words, E-marketing can be defined as the application of various marketing techniques over an electronic medium, where the term electronic medium encompasses all the electronic and electromagnetic devices that are capable of computation and automation. This kind of marketing is also known as internet marketing or online marketing. (Webtransitions.com, n.d.)

This technique is generally used to promote a product or brand over the internet. E-marketing benefits the marketers in a number of ways and it has various advantages. The benefits associated with E-marketing are listed below; (Quirk.biz, 2010)

a) It provides the marketers with global reach and enables them to interact with customers who are dispersed widely over the globe. Despite this global reach, the costs associated with the E-marketing is very low as compared to the traditional marketing techniques, therefore, the process of E-marketing can be really beneficial for the small businesses and vendors, who cannot undergo huge costs to market their product effectively and globally. (Quirk.biz, 2010)

b) Another benefit of E-marketing is that, it is a two way communication channel. It enables the marketer to interact with the consumers on a personal level and hence they get a better knowledge about the tastes, preferences and requirements of the consumer. This enables the organizations to create marketing strategies and products that best fit the consumer demand. (Quirk.biz, 2010)

c) Apart from that, online advertisements are closely integrated with the business process; therefore, they can result in immediate purchase actions. For example, if a person goes through an online advertisement and he is convinced that he wants to buy the product then he is directed to the seller's storefront immediately as he clicks the pop up or the banner. This type of marketing can lead towards immediate sales. (Quirk.biz, 2010)

E marketing can be done through various methods ranging from banners to social media marketing. The companies chose the method that is best for their strategy. Some of the major methods that are being used for online advertisements are listed below; (Marketingfind.com, 2006)

a) Banners: these are the graphical representations that are posted on various websites by the organizations. They can be further divided into keyword banners (which appear in response to a keyword that is being inserted into the search engine) and random banners (which appear randomly when one is surfing the internet). (Marketingfind.com, 2006)

b) Pop ups and pop under ads: pop ups appear in a new window when you are using the internet, whereas, pop under appears beneath the active window so that you can see it even after closing the active window. (Marketingfind.com, 2006)

c) Emails: Organizations can manage their email lists and can send emails regarding their products and services to the potential buyers. The organizations can do this by maintaining user profiles, through user profiles they can better understand customer tastes and can evaluate which product will be preferred by the customer and which would not be. (Marketingfind.com, 2006)

d) Social Media: organization can also go for marketing through blogs and wikis. Some organizations also attract the customers by creating 'pages' and 'groups' on the social media...

(Marketingfind.com, 2006)
The E-marketing technique is getting efficient with the passage of time and it is necessary for almost all the businesses to use this technique in order to market their products efficiently. (Quirk.biz, 2010)

3. Business to Business

The small town websites shall use interactive tools or departments on their home page. This should be done to attract the consumers and to interact with them. These departments may include, News Gallery; which should include the E. newsletter and in addition to that it must also contain important news regarding the community or town, Image Gallery; it should contain images of important events that took place in the community and Utilities Section: it should enable the consumers to make utility payments and other registration payments such as licenses for businesses. The consumers can interact with the above mentioned departments in various ways, including subscription to newsletters, visits to image galleries and payment of utilities and attainment of licenses through utilities section. (Unknown, 2012)

Apart from the above mentioned departments a web site for a small town may consist of a calendar containing the dates for all upcoming events. In addition to that, a survey section which can be used to get the response of citizens regarding various issues and a registration section which may enable the citizens to get registered with the programs that the town is offering. (Unknown, 2012)

4. Social Networking

Social networking can be defined as the process of grouping individuals into specific groups on the basis of their preferences, communities and neighborhood. The online social network provides people with web space in which they can create their home pages. These networks also provide users with the basic communication facilities through which they can communicate with each other. Social networking, on the other hand, can be defined as the process of creation of social networks. This service also sponsors various social network activities such as blogs. (Whatissocialnetworking.com, 2010)

The online social networking is usually done through social networking sites such as, Facebook, my space and twitter. These sites usually function as an online community for the users of the internet. These sites provide you with an ability to socialize with a wide array of people. Depending on the kind of site, the people may be grouped on the basis of age, gender, ethnicity, education, income etcetera. Once you sign up with a social networking site, you can start socializing with others. You can read the profile pages of different people and can make friends with them. (Whatissocialnetworking.com, 2010)

Benefits of Social Networking

Social networking provides organizations, individuals and governments with a large number of benefits. Some of the major benefits of social networking are listed below; (Hashtags.org, 2013)

a) Increased Socialization: As people can come in contact with a large number of people, therefore, through social networking there can be a significant increase in the ratio of socialization. (Hashtags.org, 2013)

b) Marketing Benefits: organizations can benefit a lot by marketing through the social media. They can do this through viral marketing or online word of mouth. As people generally consider the advice of their associates influential, therefore, there is a probability that they will turn towards the product. (Hashtags.org, 2013)

c) Human Resource Benefits: When it comes to facilitating the human resource functions, the pioneering social platform is LinkedIn. It performs the tasks of matching deserving job seekers with potential employees. Hence enabling the organizations to cut costs related to the recruitment process. In addition to that is also saves time. (Hashtags.org, 2013)

d) Sales Benefit: The organizations can use the social media to build a reputation or goodwill. In addition to that, by conducting surveys and polls, they can get expert suggestions regarding their sales strategies. The schemes and benefits offered by organizations also get noticed on social media easily. A good example of this is Deal today's advertisements on Facebook. (Hashtags.org, 2013)

e) Enhanced Information: The companies can get enhanced and increased information regarding various commercial and business issues. The individuals, on the other hand, can also share and exchange information regarding various topics on social media. (Hashtags.org, 2013)

Dangers of Social Networking

Apart from the above discussed benefits, some dangers are also associated with social networking sites. These dangers are; through social networking sites, the computer hackers, who are good at writing and manipulating computer codes, may get an access to your computer. They may also download various unwanted software to your computer. Apart from that, the hackers who are good at exploiting social relations and personal contacts may trick you.…