ITU estimates about 57% of the world population uses internet.
STATISTA says: “Almost 4.57 billion people were active internet users as of July 2020, encompassing 59 percent of the global population. Mobile has now the most important channel for internet access worldwide as mobile internet account for 91 percent of total internet users.” – (https://www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide/)
Chaffey and Ellis (2012) define E-Marketing as “The application of the internet and related digital technologies in conjunction with traditional communications to achieve marketing objectives.”
E-Commerce is one big part of the business and they use the 6 I's theory. They put into practice to their benefit.
The 6 I’s theory was created by McDonald and Wilson in 1999. It’s the Internet Marketing Concept to evidence the differentiating factors of each digital company to counter traditional and conventional methods. There are 6 important elements.
The 6 I’s are:
1. Interactivity
2. Intelligence
3. Individualization
4. Integration
5. Industry restructuring
6. Independence of Location
I’ll try to explain each one of them and how you can adapt to your company:
1. Interactivity
Basically, it is the way to become as interactive as possible, including QR codes and the possibility to scan a code with a mobile phone or any other portable technological device. Then all your connection networks like Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Pinterest, Goggle +, Linkedin, Twitter, Snapchat, WhatsApp, among others; online videos with options to answer questions, Chatbots, Online TV, Blog, etc. There are many and good options, each with its own specificity. The goal is how you can communicate, how customers or clients can interact with your online business and be loyal. These links allows you to tracking, have product information, follow you on social media and sign up to receive regular emails and Newsletters, have access to new products and sales…
Here’s an example (Notice the right side of this photo - all the network available):
2. Intelligence
Through Internet Marketing, it is allowed to do low-cost intensive market research, in which the Internet offers information to companies about customers and consumers and they are thus able to collect this data and use it to their advantage. This is an Intelligent way of having a better understanding on consumer purchasing habits, personal details, and perceptions of the business’ products, displaying a membership account “which allows consumers to keep up to date with orders, saved products and vouchers. In doing so it can store necessary information about the consumer in a data base.”
Here’s the example (Notice the bottom of this photo - "Sign up and stay updated"):
3. Individualization
Following Marketing Intelligence, we can customize the communication strategy. An example of this is when we allow the customer, follower or consumer to have access to a discount bonus or a discount on a training ticket or the purchase of a product when he/she enters in the website. Through surveys carried out by the client or follower, products within that preference will be offered. A type of personal profile will be defined that will be used on the Data Base to target geographically and demographically and intelligently personalize the client's marketing in order to further compromise, engagement and make it relevant. It is thus a process from the general to the particular, towards individualization.
Here’s the example:
or
4. Integration
Integration is the conglomerate and fusion of different media channels to connect physical and virtual advertising; allows Interactivity and Intelligence to occur. For example, a company could produce an advert in a magazine or flyer with a QR code that when scanned will take the user to an online platform. This is a classic.
Because of Big Data, marketeers collect customers profile and then emerge Integration. It’s with Marketing automation that you can integrate.
Here’s another example:
Other type is when a company is an intermediary for multiple brands and products and therefore provides independently links to the brands it supports.
You have platforms that provides several integrated links for buying food, like Eat.ch, Ubereats.ch, Smood.ch, Domino’s Pizza and many others.
See this website:
5. Industry restructuring
Here, there’s no middleman, because companies deal with customers and clients directly, they make direct booking and ordering, or more efficient intermediaries that we can call disintermediation – concept of the removal or reduction of intermediaries between sellers and buyers – “cutting out the middleman”.
In other words is:
“Retailers want to get their products to their customers as quickly as possible, while impatient consumers are focused on speed and convenience.” –
“(Versaw, 2011) - Within industry restructuring there are important concepts such as disintermediation which is the exclusion of intermediaries for example, suppliers, who previously associated customers to the company. However, reintermediation is the formation of new intermediaries between the customer and the suppliers. (Chaffey and Ellis, 2012) - The development of the web and online media has allowed the possibility for businesses to have independence of location and still be able to connect globally. The internet allows for companies to trade products internationally, where it might not have been realistic previously.” – (E_Marketing_Essay docx. - academia.edu - Georgia Hunkin)
Amazon is an example of Industry Restructuring – it evolves even with Logistics, because they also want to use drones to do local delivery. It's happening.
Further information about Drone delivery:
6. Independence of Location
Regardless of being in any part of the planet, we can upload (upload is higher than download) and advertise everything you want, from a portable device, a cell phone, an Ipad or a computer. The advantages over traditional marketing is accountability, testing, flexibility, micro-targeting and cost-control.
Trip Advisor is the proof. They still send emails when you are on holidays.
Thanks and Happy Weekend to All!
Sources:
1. Chaffey, D., And Ellis-Chadwick, F (2012). Digital marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice. Harlow: Pearson.
2. Versaw, K. (2011). The 6 I's of Internet Marketing. [Blog] Hub Shout. Available at: http://hubshout.com/?The-6-I%E2%80%99s-of-Internet-Marketing&AID=324 [Accessed 7 Nov. 2014].