Alexis Barlow

Developments in information and communication technologies for retail marketing channels

Online shopping is unattractive to many people, because they prefer a fuller social interaction engaging senses other than sight and sound prevalent in most online shopping channels. Advances in information and communications technologies (ICTs) will permit online multi‐sensory engagement between people, and between people and products, providing opportunities for new marketing channels and enhancing existing marketing channels. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview for retail marketing managers of some developments in ICTs that will enhance the online shopping experience, so that they can make informed choices when designing their marketing strategies.

Use and measurement of social media for SMEs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate why small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are using social media and how they should measure its return on investment (ROI). The measurement of economic value associated with the use of social media by business is discussed in order to construct a model designed for analysing the ROI of social media for SMEs. The importance of a planned entry into the social media arena, formulation of measurable goals and objectives and understanding the business process are presented as vital pre-cursors to measuring, and indeed attaining, ROI. Design/methodology/approach – A literature review was compiled to explore the current thinking that exists on business use and measurement of social media in mainstream academic literature and other business-oriented publications. Primary research in the form of a survey was conducted with SMEs to determine the usefulness of social media and how SMEs measure its ROI. Findings – SMEs find some social media applications more valuable than others but 65 per cent of the companies surveyed did not measure the ROI. An overarching framework, aimed at SMEs, is presented which advocates that SMEs should take a strategic focus and plan their use of social media, and draw insight from both quantitative and qualitative data when measuring ROI. Originality/value – Most existing research on social media is related to large organisations and tends to focus on technical and commercial use rather than examining the value and ROI gained from social media from an SME perspective. This paper offers a simple framework to help SMEs plan their use of social media as well as measure its true value.

Online value network linkages: integration, information sharing and flexibility

Organisations value chains are part of a wider chain of events - value networks. This paper explores the role of Internet-related technologies (IRT) in improving inter-organisational linkages and information sharing across value networks and the impact it has on the level of product or service delivered to customers. Using case study findings, the paper illustrates how IRT have strengthened and widened linkages by providing a means for greater integration, information sharing, customisation, visibility and flexibility which has lead to greater co-ordination and optimisation. It will also highlight the need for organisations to grant linkages for different value network members and the limitations of IRT.

E-supply chains: understanding current and future opportunities and barriers

This paper examines the development of e-business within the supply chain domain. Case study research highlights an increased uptake of e-business across supply chains, outlines a shift in focus to more strategic activities across the whole supply chain network and reveals emerging characteristics of e-supply chains. A number of strategic opportunities that can be supported through e-supply chains are identified. Firstly, e-business technologies are being used for integrating supply chain-related systems leading to improved information sharing and visibility. Secondly, they are being used to increase the flexibility of supply chains and thirdly, to improve the level of personalisation in supply chains. Organisations are, however, likely to face a range of organisational, security, technological, cultural and social barriers that may challenge the use of e-supply chains. The paper closes by evaluating the importance of e-supply chains, the direction they are likely to go in and identifying areas for future research.