Online Retailers Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Online Retailers - Article Example Social media is contributing to this change, with its tremendous reach and consumer-centric features. Although the scenario of the interactive marketplace can be analyzed from a marketing communications standpoint, it is important to zoom out our view and regard its impact on the business as a whole. Thus, it is the goal of this paper to shed light on how the convergence of media in the Internet phenomenon impacts on: firstly, the consumers’ purchase behavior; and secondly, the business operations in its entirety; As pointed out earlier, the Internet has empowered the consumers in making wise purchase decisions. Firstly, with the emergence of third party sites that conduct comparisons on the attributes of products under the same category, the consumers are able to gain pertinent product information from an objective standpoint. Indeed, the availability of massive information in the Internet has created a more active and discerning set of consumers. This observation is also pointed out by Chinta (2006) as he highlighted the continual growth of technology-savvy, convenience-seeking, and quality driven consumers. Secondly, with the advent of free product information, consumers are able to create their own content sites specifically catered to the buying audience. Powered by the various websites like Facebook and Twitter, consumers can now create their own product review based on their usage experience. With this, it can be claimed that both phenomena continue to contribute in the shift of the co nsumers’ role—from merely passive audiences of company-fed product information to active shapers of product perception and image. The Internet has also created effects on the business model of companies. With the presence of various brand contact points, companies now recognize the need to synergize all its business operations to create a unique and more favorable customer experience. Firstly, from