Linking the customer purchase process to website development and e-commerce performance

Electronic commerce is fundamentally changing the way consumers search and buy goods and services. E-commerce is informing, promoting, buying and/or selling of products or services over electronic media such as the Internet. E-commerce has become a critical factor for competitiveness and productivity growth. Companies in all sectors are increasingly using the Internet to do business. These new circumstances have forced managers to seek guidelines on how to act effectively in the electronic marketplace. However, not all website investments lead to increased performance and the search for ways to make the web profitable is therefore still on. In fact, to sustain the profitability of any business, keeping the customer repurchasing products or services is essential. To keep e-clientele, e-commerce has to be customer focused. In order to develop customer-oriented e-commerce strategies, it is essential for managers to understand what the customers’ needs are in the online environment. ... Zie: Summary