HIGH INVOLVEMENT IN E-COMMERCE (16%)
"E-traders with High Involvement in the Internet have the highest levels of Internet sales – all are in excess of $100,001 per annum. All e-traders with Internet sales of $1million plus per annum are accounted for in this segment. They also have the highest incidence of total company sales of $10 million plus per annum (33%).
These e-traders tend to offer computer goods and services, financial services or Internet business services, and they are less likely to offer retail/wholesale goods. These e-traders are more likely than others to have made a profit from the Internet in the last 12 months (64%). They expect Internet sales to increase significantly in importance (50%) and expect to generate profit from the Internet in the next 12 months (80%). This segment is characterised by its high level of e-commerce integration, from attracting sales, to taking orders, dispatch and invoicing.
Characteristics of this segment from an internal perspective are:
• s multiple websites (47%);• s the presence of IT staff (82%) in larger numbers than for the other segments;• s fully integrated (28%) or semi integrated (18%) business order systems; and• s product delivered by electronic or digital means (28%).
This group also has the most sophisticated external Internet presence with their own website (39%), they are represented on an Internet shopping mall (21%) and have an offshore computer server (16%).
They are more likely than the other two segments to sell to other businesses (78%) and/or Government agencies (34%) but are also significant sellers to consumers (68%)." 22