Capitalizing on the internet opportunity
Abstract
Purpose
To investigate how business‐to‐business (B2B) firms view the opportunities and threats of the internet and determine which firms are most likely to gain from the internet.
Design/methodology/approach
A nation‐wide survey of marketing, sales and MIS managers in B2B firms provides the data necessary to explore the impact of the internet.
Findings
Managers view the internet positively as it will reduce customer service costs and allow firms to tighten relationships with customers. The positive potential outweighs the negative potential of increased competition and new pricing models. However, not all will benefit.
Practical implications
While there is much optimism about the internet, those most likely to benefit are those firms already proficient at forging close customer relationships.
Originality/value
This paper provides lessons about who will benefit from the internet.
Keywords
Citation
Day, G.S. and Bens, K.J. (2005), "Capitalizing on the internet opportunity", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 20 No. 4/5, pp. 160-168. https://doi.org/10.1108/08858620510603837
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2005, Emerald Group Publishing Limited