Summary: Customers Rule! E-Book

BusinessNews Publishing

• Herausgeber: Business Book Summaries
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 34

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

The must-read summary of Roger Blackwell and Kristina Stephan's book: "Customers Rule!: Why the e-Commerce Honeymoon is Over and Where Winning Businesses Go From Here.

This complete summary of the ideas from Roger Blackwell and Kristina Stephan's book "Customers Rule!" shows how the initial assumption that e-commerce would completely replace traditional business has come to an end - it is now clear that business success will henceforth depend on a "blended" strategy. In their book, the authors explain how future successful companies will be those that combine the best features of conventional commerce with the new ways of reaching customers made possible by the internet. By reading this summary, you will learn how to strike the right balance between the two and how to make changes to your long term strategy in order to find the best technology channels to use for your business.

Added-value of this summary:
• Save time
• Understand key concepts
• Expand your business knowledge

To learn more, read "Customers Rule!" and discover the key to ensuring business success in the e-commerce era.

Leseprobe

Book Presentation: Customers Rule! by Roger Blackwell and Kristina Stephan

Summary of Customers Rule! (Roger Blackwell and Kristina Stephan)

Book Presentation: Customers Rule! by Roger Blackwell and Kristina Stephan

Book Abstract

The early hype was that e-commerce would quickly supersede and replace the traditional ways of doing business. Reality has now set in, and it is becoming increasingly clear business success will depend on a “blended” strategy – which combines the best features of conventional commerce with the new ways to reach customers made possible by Internet technologies.

In particular, it has become clear there is no magic formula to making money using the Internet. Those companies which prosper will be those who do the business fundamentals better than anyone else:

Capturing and retaining customers.Building and growing quality brands.Amassing highly efficient logistics and distribution systems.Continuing to grow and generate increasing profits by constantly finding new and better ways to serve customers.

The heart of any long-term winning business strategy is the realization that ultimately customers decide which business models, retail formats, sales techniques and strategies they like and feel comfortable with. Therefore, the decisions on how best to incorporate the Internet into those areas will be made on an industry-by-industry basis. For some, the Internet will be vitally important while for others it will be much less important. And for individual firms, business success will depend less on e-commerce capabilities and more on their ability to develop customer-driven solutions, master the key commerce functions profitably and wow customers.

In short, those firms which take note of and cater to the way their customers want to do business will do well, while companies that focus on just one side or the other of e-commerce will struggle to survive.

About the Author

ROGER BLACKWELL is professor of marketing at Ohio State University’s College of Business and president of Blackwell Associates, Inc., a marketing consulting firm. In addition to serving on the boards of directors of a number of NYSE and Nasdaq corporations, Dr. Blackwell is also the author of From Mind to Market and coauthor of Consumer Behavior. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and Northwestern University.

KRISTINA STEPHAN is vice president and partner of Blackwell Associates, Inc. She is the coauthor of Contemporary Cases in Consumer Behavior and many published articles on consumer behavior, retailing and supply chain management. Ms. Stephan is a graduate of Ohio State University.

Dr. Blackwell’s Web site is located at http://www.rogerblackwell.com.

Important Note About This Ebook

This is a summary and not a critique or a review of the book. It does not offer judgment or opinion on the content of the book. This summary may not be organized chapter-wise but is an overview of the main ideas, viewpoints and arguments from the book as a whole. This means that the organization of this summary is not a representation of the book.

Summary of Customers Rule! (Roger Blackwell and Kristina Stephan)

Section 1. 8 Key e-Commerce Concepts

Main Idea

Supporting Ideas

Concept 1: The Internet is one phase of an evolution.

Rather than being a revolutionary new way to do business, it is now becoming clear the Internet is instead a step in the ongoing evolution of commercial markets. Like the introduction of the telephone, electricity and computer technology have changed the commerce landscape in the past, the Internet is a business enabler opening up new channels of distribution.

In an evolving marketplace, survival comes down to the matter of adaptability. Those businesses which learn from the experiences of the dot-coms and take on board the best practices in using the Internet to reach customers and enhance their experience will do well. By contrast, both dot-coms or brick-and-mortar firms who resist change will have significant competitive disadvantages. They simply won’t be able to compete with businesses harnessing both sides of the e-commerce dynamic.

In the final analysis, the Internet does not present business with a magic formula for making money out of thin air. The foundation principles of success are still the same:

Develop customer-driven solutions.Master the commerce functions needed to generate profits.Wow customers through new and existing sales channels.