The advantages of utilizing the World Wide WebOfficially, electronic commerce is "Electronic Commerce is the paperless exchange of goods or services through the use of electronic data". Today, the more typical definition of e-commerce is "To sell goods or services on the web" (Web Transitions, Inc, 2004). Some of the benefits of using the World Wide Web are:* No time or distance barrier- customers can log onto the internet at anytime, day or night. They are able to purchase the product with a click of the mouse.* Cheapest means of doing business- there is no need for travel, face-to-face sales and the amount of money to invest is minimal.* Virtually eliminates processing errors- the customer is able to double check their orders, plus there is less documentation to be filled out, therefore less errors will be made.* Faster and more convenient for the visitor- the direct cost-for-sale over the internet is lower and there is no retail store or paper-based transaction. This makes it more convenient for the customer to do their business via the internet.* Helps reduce the delivery time- through the internet transactions are instantaneous. Errors can be quickly found and eliminated. It eliminates the document preparation phase and the product can be shipped faster.* Reducing strain on other resources- by using e-commerce we will be able to utilize our resources in other departments. It saves time that was used to complete the business process which will allow our sales staff to begin an outreach program with other countries (EcommerceEducation.com, 2004).From the buyer's perspective also ecommerce offers a lot of tangible advantages, some of these are:- Reduction in buyer's sorting out time- the visitor is able to search the website in order to find the exact product they wish to purchase.- Better buyer decisions- by being able to compare products, the customer can make smarter decisions about their product of choice.- Less time is spent in resolving invoice and order discrepancies- the less paperwork that is involved the better, this eliminates errors. The customer is able to inspect their order online before finalizing the purchase, therefore they are able to correct any discrepancies, such as address and telephone number, before submitting the order.- Increased opportunities for buying alternative products- because they are able to see other products they can compare them and compare the prices (EcommerceEducation.com, 2004).Some other advantages for buyers include:The ability to build an order over several daysthe ability to configure products and see actual pricesthe ability to easily build complicated custom ordersthe ability to search large catalogs easilyHow this will meet company goalsT&F's goals are to increase the revenue growth rate and get into the international market.Lower transaction costsLarger purchases per transactionImprove customer relations24/7 operationIntegration into the business cycle - A Web site that is well-integra...
