The New Online World

¶ … online how does that change corporate decision making and strategy? According to the predictions of Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, the entire world will be online by the year 2020 (Gross 2013). This is a bold statement, given that the International Telecommunication Union estimated that only 38% of the world was online in 2013 (Gross 2013). However, despite the infrastructure problems of the developing world, mobile technology has increased the capacities of more and more people, regardless of location, to have online access.

"In South Africa, for instance, Google says, 25% of its searches during the week are via mobile devices, rising to 65% on the weekends" (Gross 2013). This will increase the importance of mobile platforms for online organizations more than ever before. Of course, the ubiquity of online technology will not only change how companies market but to whom they market. Global online connectivity means that organizations both small and large can embrace an international consumer base, either from their own website or portals such as Amazon.

This can vastly expand the potential markets which organizations can target but it also means there will be greater competition. Small organizations which specialize in particular goods and services may be able to meet the needs of underserved demographics that have previously had to content themselves with second-tier offerings from big box retailers.

There is also likely to be a greater market for individuals in the developing world for lower-cost items such as cellphones and other technology which are increasingly ubiquitous but which more major retailers like Apple only offer at a very high price. Greater competition means that corporations may need to segment their offerings by price much more carefully and have one product line focused on higher-end consumers while another is focused on the lower end of the market.

There are also cultural differences when marketing to different countries that international marketers must also be aware of. Having a website translated into the target nation's language of origin is important but so is ensuring that the products meet the needs of a particular nation's consumers in less obvious ways. For example, some nations may not have as large a living quarters as the United States so a furniture company might need to downsize the size of its products to market them abroad.

On one hand, potentially more revenue can be accrued through this expanded market base. On the other hand, segmenting the market of potential consumers is an additional expense that must be incurred by the organization. Social media is also another venue which organizations must exploit, given that more and more consumers across the world are using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. While social media is relatively low cost compared with other types of marketing on one hand, on the other hand social media sites still require monitoring with a culturally sensitive.