What are some of the issues that need to be addressed when setting up for global e-commerce?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

To fully exploit the Internet's potential, company executives must be willing to integrate interactive media into their marketing mixes. Web sites can be developed in-house, or an outside firm can be contracted. During the past few years, several interactive advertising sources have become available in different parts of the world. No matter which agency or source is selected, there are several issues that must be addressed and taken into consideration when setting up for global e-commerce. This involves choosing the domain names, arranging payment, localizing sites, addressing privacy issues, and setting up a distribution system. A critical first step is registering a country-specific domain name. The Web site of choice will be the one which uses the language of the country and lists prices in the currency of the country. While registering a domain name is a relatively straightforward procedure in the United States, requirements vary in different countries. Also cybersquatting, the practice of registering a particular domain name for the express purpose of reselling it to the company that should rightfully use it is a problem. Payment can be another problem; in many countries credit card use is low or not very much prevalent. In such situations, e-commerce operators must arrange payment by bank check or other means. Another issue is credit card fraud which will also become a problem for e-commerce. Also, it is preferable to double check the translations used for the Web site. Direct translation from the home-country Web site may not work in many countries. Words also have different meanings, and that should be taken into account. Another critical global e-commerce issue is privacy. There are some countries where the rules are strict, and in some countries they are very much relaxed.