Regular retail E-commerce businesses reported such successes in the holiday season that everyone may jump online to share the web-dollars. Legitimate Internet strategies must be in place to distinguish each product or site from its competition or it runs the risk of becoming irrelevant according to one Internet analyst.
As e-commerce enters the mainstream of Corporate America, and more familiar names set up ambitious e-shops, look for things to get a lot more serious. Consumers will expect sites to function without a glitch while investors will get more anxious for a return on their money with every success that's reported.
But even the most optimistic forecaster expects a slowdown in the growth rate next year from the torrid pace of 1998. So for the hundreds of companies just now putting ".com" after their names, it will be that much harder to break in, especially with consumers losing patience over faulty sites. Many of the established sites earned early success due to the novelty of doing
transactions over the Internet. As this method of entertainment or business becomes more typical, the traditional "Customer Satisfaction" rules must be an integral part of any Internet business to win the loyalty of their business.
Total online transactions are expected to soar to $12 billion next year, from $7 billion last year, according to Jupiter Communications, which tracks Internet activity and other technology issues. A year earlier, it was less than $3 billion.
The year ahead will be a critical time for those who want to win a piece of that huge, emerging market. The mainstream companies are taking this more seriously than ever before. It's happening so quickly that its catching some people unprepared including those already established and a lot of them are getting worried. The fear of not being on the Internet to take advantage of the opportunities there is spurring more people into the ring. However, those companies moving too quickly to get online could make crucial mistakes that could eliminate them before they even get started. As more competitors come online, the margin for any errors narrows.
Flying "by the seat of your pants" doesn't work as it may have in the beginning. A corporate strategy mindset needs to become a planning factor. Even the specialized interactive gaming industry cannot keep blinders on considering the competition for web-dollars...they're not only up against traditional gaming but every other e-commerce business on the Internet. For those
that don't get it right, there will be others ready to step into the void.
For consumers, it's all good news. Companies must be willing to "give" more to the consumer in order to keep loyalty. In addition to simply distinguishing its particular gaming site with a name, companies will be leaping over each other to offer the best service and interactive "comps" to attract players because the stakes are so high.