THE PRACTITIONER'S BOTTOM LINE
D a v i d S h e p a r d f
There's really no overriding theme to this month's issue, which is fine, so I've used some of the space allotted to me to "suggest areas for future research." We'd like to hear back from you.
THINKING THROUGH YOUR INTERNET STRATEGY
If you're responsible for influencing or setting your company's Internet strategy, set aside some free time to read Fareena Sultan and Andrew J. Rohm's article, "The Evolving Role of the Internet in Marketing Strategy: An Exploratory Study." The authors spent a fair amount of time with executives from three companies (Reebok, AB Dick, and Saturn) talking about the ways in which each firm has evolved its Internet strategy from 2000 to the end of 2002. I'd be surprised if you didn't find at least one or two ideas that would apply to your own situation.
The bottom line: The Internet opportunity is more than a chance to sell direct and increase sales and margins by going around the existing dealer network to the ultimate consumer. In fact, improving channel relationships, as well as improving customer relationships, turns out to be one of the three major potential benefits of an evolved Internet strategy, the other being reduced costs.
Reading a little between the lines, I got the sense, rightly or