 |
PA
e-Comm News
|
DECEMBER
28
|
|
 |
Ericsson, a Sweden-based company, has developed an “Event System” in which cameras are placed on players and referees to show live video to spectators in the stands via their personal digital assistants. Fans get to see the action exactly as the players do and also can chat among themselves, do their own instant replays, access team rosters and player statistics -- and even locate exits and restrooms in the arena. The developer envisions more important uses for this technology, including medical situations like monitoring breath rate, blood pressure and other vital statistics sent from a patient’s home to a hospital. Rescue workers and police could use the system to get needed maps and pictures in an emergency and could send information back to a central office.
Banks continue to invest in technological tools and applications to provide value to customers and increased operational efficiency for the bank. In the battle for customers, banks have long recognized the need for making transactions as easy as possible for the customer and technology provides interest options in this regard, including Internet banking, electronic bill payments, check imaging, account aggregation and online lending. Banking experts believe that an online banking system can increase customer retention by 25%.
So many holiday well-wishers requested e-cards, that Hallmark.com was forced to turn off the system last Thursday and Friday. But the site then directed these online requesters to call an 800 number for Hallmark Flowers or to go to other Web sites that sell gift certificates and gourmet treats. Hallmark reported that its traffic as 3x last year’s rate; some of this volume increase probably reflects the no-charge system Hallmark has employed compared to the American Greetings site which charges for electronic greetings.
How good has the holiday season been for e-commerce giants? Yahoo! reports an increase of more than 80% in sales volume over last year; Amazon also posted strong holiday sales. Even though the price of electronic items declined, the total volume increase will more than make up for the lower unit price. Purchasers from Yahoo! spent over $10 billion online in the fourth quarter. Now Yahoo! is opening a post-holiday sales center to continue the momentum by offering name-brand merchandise at discounted prices, mirroring the bricks and mortar tradition.
Many recipients of gifts purchased through the Internet are finding difficulty in returning the merchandise. So up stepped UPS, which announced a new return service, “UPS electronic return label,” which allows businesses to e-mail shipping labels directly to customers who need to return merchandise. The process begins with an authorization email from the retailer to the recipient; then the customer clicks on a link to retrieve the label, prints it and sends the package back via UPS. This new return system costs the retailer 75 cents.
We can get road maps and books, health care information and coffee, clothing and software from the Internet, so why not religion? A recent PEW study reported that 25% of adults have used the Internet for religious and spiritual purposes. While we may wonder about such “spiritual surfers,” at least it may be of some comfort to know that they outnumber the online gambling, auction sites, stock trading and online dating services. And the study was performed prior to the September 11 attacks. About 2/3 have used the Internet to gain insight into their own religion; about half seek information on alternative religions.
WISHING ALL OUR FRIENDS A HAPPY & HEALTHY NEW YEAR
NEWS & NOTES is a service of
the PA e-Commerce Association. Please forward this e-mail to anyone else
who might be interested in the content or in learning more about the Association.
Remember to visit our website @ www.paecomm.org
or call 717-238-9366.
Newsletter
Archives
|
