E-Communication Strategies
Alpaca Direct is a small e-business based in Hayden, North Idaho, which was started in 2005. Over the years, the business has recorded a lot of profits, and most of its sales are made online. The company has served over 100,000 clients from 30 different countries worldwide since its formation. Some of the factors that can be attributed to its economic success include:
Privacy And Confidentiality
Alpaca Direct, as an e-business, has been able to maintain personal information that is available to other businesses and individuals operating under the strategy. It has been able to dominate the market for quite some time as the business is still not known in many countries. Confidentiality is key to any business operating online as its information must remain safe and only accessible to authorized users. The company is also able to protect its electronic records and files from unauthorized access.
Availability
The company has made its products and services available to its customers throughout the world. The use of the web and the internet to connect with them has made it even easier and more accessible at all times. Steps have been taken to prevent any disruption of services by events such as power outages and damage to physical infrastructure. The company has invested in ensuring a smooth flow of products on its sites, even though most sales are made during the cold-weather seasons. It has also identified the gap in the market that most countries do not have their own yarn shop, and therefore, Alpaca Direct has stepped in to fill that gap in most countries by aiming to bring yarn shops to their doorsteps.
Cost
The use of business internet has supported the company in maintaining constant costs throughout its regions of operation. This has helped Alpaca Direct to standardize the general look and feel of the internet presence of the business to be more uniform in nature to help reduce its total cost of maintenance. The business is therefore enjoying reduced costs of operations and, in return, increased rates of profit over the years. The cost of running the business through the web and online platforms has also been cut down by the increased customer knowledge of its products over the period it has been operational. The company has only 11 employees, hence no extra expenses on salaries.
Access And Data-Integrity
The company, though small and still establishing itself, has had to put across several measures to prevent access to its data, which is kept online. One way is through the installation and use of anti-virus software, which has helped maintain the security of its products and services and prevented hacking of its systems. The use of firewalls and network protection has also played a great role in maintaining a stable brand in the market, which has helped maintain and attract new customers to the business. Alpaca Direct has benefited from the image created and maintained by its worldwide clients, thus contributing to the economic success of the business.
Non-Repudiation
This basically deals with the existence of proof in a transaction. For any web- or online-based business, this is very important for record-keeping and can be used for reference in case of any future misunderstandings between the business and its clients, who rarely meet face-to-face but are mainly online-based. A digital signature or an electronically signed document would also create responsibility in the case of damage, thus helping increase and maintain client trust in the business. The business has also started the use of gift certificates for its customers, which has increased its sales and attracted more new customers who are willing to try out the new experiences (Badger, 2013; Meyer, 2007).
Alpaca Direct made the best decision to become an online e-commerce business. This has helped increase its sales and the business at large. According to Mr. Hobart, the company has really benefitted from the use of social sites such as Pinterest, Facebook and Google+ to boost its sales. Other advertisement platforms like Google AdWords and Facebook have enlarged the market accessibility, and these efforts have increased its sales.
Some Of The Benefits It Has Enjoyed Are:
Attracting New Customers Through Engine Searching
Online retailing is a driving force for branding and the creation of stronger relationships between the business and its customers. Customers can easily follow the links that are available online and place their orders while recommending the same to their followers, thus increasing the company’s sales.
Decreasing The Cost Of Inventory Management
The business’s becoming an e-commerce business and running most of its sales online have helped decrease the general cost of managing its inventory of goods. It can also automate its management using web-based systems, which are less costly, and this has reduced its operational costs by a great deal.
Making Its Products Accessible Across The World
With the increased use of the internet and social media throughout the world over the last few decades, there are increased sales online as most people prefer online sales over other methods. The ratings from satisfied customers have also increased its sales as new customers find its products are good and effective. The testimonies from these customers have attracted other customers who did not know the products existed before.
The Company Is Able To Operate 24/7
Online-based businesses have one major advantage over other businesses, and that is that they are able to operate around the clock at all times. Alpaca Direct has really benefited from this since most of its clients are from different countries and, therefore, different time zones; hence, they can access its products at any time.
Boost Brand Awareness
The business has benefited from the online platforms as it has been able to create and boost its brand awareness in the market. The development of pages that have been indexed by search engine crawlers has been one of the ways it has enhanced its website’s search engine optimization and, in the process, enhanced the target audience on its selling sites (Paul, 2000).
Alpaca Direct has been able to identify and rely on niche markets that are interested in its products. The company has been able to identify exactly what its customers want and has been able to provide a solution to their problem, which has not been presented by other firms. The company has been able to identify this gap in the market by:
Word Of Mouth
It has focused on conversations with its own customers regarding its products and services. These recommendations from customers carry a lot of weight with its customers.
Targeted Collateral Campaigns
This strategy relies on consistent brand exposure to its targeted group of people in the market. The feedback from the internet has also helped it identify where it needs adjustments and upgrading. This has helped to maintain fair competition in the growing market. Once Alpaca Direct has been able to develop the niche, it can therefore begin to implement a plan of answering the questions that will guide its ongoing efforts to solve the problems in the market. This will enable it to meet the needs and wants of all customers regardless of their location (Baker, 1984).
Many countries do not have any local yarn shops, and therefore, Alpaca Direct has used that to its advantage by bringing its yarn shop closer to them through the use of the internet and social media at large. This has reduced the competition in the market. Hence, according to Mr. Hobart, the company has been enjoying a monopoly in the industry.
Peer Comments And Feedback
A post by Kelley Hobart on 15th Feb says, “A Super Soft Alpaca Bear is the Perfect Valentine Gift.”
I totally agree with her. I mean, what else could compare to a super cuddly and super warm Alpaca bear from the man in your life? This is totally a Valentine’s gift to keep me going for the next year.
A Review By Alpaca Direct On 27th June Says, “Summer Knitting Classes – Sign Up Now!”
That’s a very good idea. Alpaca Direct is offering knitting lessons during summer break. What more exciting news could anyone ever expect? I must say Alpaca Direct is full of surprises, and if you think you’ve seen it all, another bigger and better surprise is thrown in your face. This is a must-attend, and I believe I will leave that place more experienced than when I arrived.
References
Badger, E. (2013). “How the Internet Reinforces Inequality in the Real World”. The Atlantic. Retrieved 2013-02-13.
Baker, E. (1984) “The social structure of a national securities market.” American Journal of Sociology 89: 775-811.
Meyer, H. (2007). The Fast Path to Corporate Growth: Leveraging Knowledge and Technologies to New Market Applications. Oxford University Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0195180862.
Paul, T. 2000), Electronic Commerce – Strategies & Models for Business-to-Business Trading, pp.31, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, ISBN 0-471-72029-1
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