According to Statistics Canada, in the year 2000:
- 75% of Canadians who used the Internet used it to search for information
on goods or services
- 6% of all private sector companies used the Internet to
sell goods or services
- 26% of all private sector enterprises in Canada had a
website
As the new century dawned in Canada, the electronic commerce landscape,
feeling the affects of the dot com bomb, was changing. A change
that was characterized by increased volume and fewer sellers.
While online orders were up 73% to $7.2 Billion dollars, only
6% of private enterprises sold online, dropping 4% from the
previous year. For every two businesses that started selling
online in 1999, five stopped, resulting in the consolidation
of Internet sales into fewer, larger firms.
Years later what lessons have we learned? Well, we've learned
that just being online is not good enough. The mentality of
the mid-90's and early 2000 may have been that having any
website was better than having no website (which is debatable).
It is not true that having any website will increase revenue.
In fact, most small- to mid-sized enterprises will find that
their websites have cost them more than they've made them.
So why did larger companies do so much better than smaller
ones? One answer is that people were nervous about buying
online. Not nervous enough to stop buying, but nervous enough
to only give their credit card numbers to companies that they
recognized and trusted. But what about the smaller companies
who had well-established customer bases, why weren't they
buying online? Well, because the smaller companies weren't
selling online. Of those who were selling online, many of
them were using off the shelf website packages that didn't
make buying online any easier than placing orders the traditional
way. In fact more often than not, it was much more difficult
for customers to order online, because they weren't used to
buying that way and companies weren't making it easier for
them, so why change?
At Nautalex, our professionals have been developing scalable e-Business
applications since before the dot com boom and bomb. Each
and every web application that we have built is still in full
operation today. Some have even been nominated for customer
service awards. So what makes us so successful? We're successful
because we truly do understand that every customer is unique.
Selling books online is a lot different than selling industrial
machinery, auto parts, or clothing. Let's face it, while you
may be willing to buy a $30 book online, your most likely
not going to buy a $1,200 suit without being able to try it
on first. So does that mean we shouldn't sell suits online?
- No, not at all. It means that we have to sell them differently
than books. Generic off the shelf website applications and
catalogs just won't work anymore, statistics have shown us
that.
We understand that your website is not just a few pages in
cyberspace. It's a vital part of your company's success. We
don't build web applications for everyone. Nautalex specializes
in building state of the art Internet applications for small-to-mid
sized businesses like yours. Our web applications utilize
the most advanced technologies of today, like XML, Flash,
Java and much more. We work closely with graphic designers
and marketing professionals to design user-friendly interfaces
specifically for your company and your audience. Meanwhile,
mathematicians design and build optimized, scalable database
solutions to power your applications. Most importantly, and
perhaps the single largest reason why w'ere so successful,
is that we work closely with you every step of the way. At
Nautalex, our service is second to none. We strive to provide
the best support in the business. Our clients often say that
we exceed their expectations and this is the ultimate compliment
to our organization. We aim to be one step ahead of your needs,
helping your business move forward into the future, ahead
of the competition.
Sources:
1. Changing
our ways: Why and how Canadians use the Internet, Statistics
Canada - Catalog no. 56F0006XIE
2. Connectedness
Series, Science, Innovation and Electronic Information Division,
Statistics Canada - Catalog no. 56F0004MIE
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