Advances in online retailing: towards the convergence of the Internet, wireless, and broadband

Abstract

Research has focused on the characteristics and success factors involved in online retailing enterprises. In this paper, we propose that online retailers and their contemporaries in the brick-and mortar world will have to contend with new technological developments that will revolutionize retailing. These developments include: (a) a marked convergence of the online, wireless, and broadband infrastructures and the interactive communications possibilities offered by each, and (b) the pervasiveness and sophistication of one-to-one marketing and customization tools across physical and digital space. Given these developments, retailers have to rethink their business and marketing models and concentrate on developing competencies in the areas of (a) data warehousing and mining, (b) knowledge management, and (c) real-time customization and personalization of services and content. In this paper, we propose a framework for online, hybrid and brick and mortar retailers to successfully transition to this new model of competition.