Electronic Market Sales Opportunity (EMSO) Model for Web Marketing Decisions

Abstract

The World Wide Web continues to grow each year, with international penetration increasing. The low cost of obtaining an online presence is attractive to small and medium firms, especially when considering international markets. While entry to the global market is greatly eased by the Web, international markets are still segmented by national, cultural and social factors. Advantages of using the Web come at a cost. Creation, customization and updating are key ingredients to the successful use of the Web-all with associated costs. Without financial returns, operation of Web sites cannot be justified for many firms. The goal of this paper is to combine features of proposed models into a single predictive model to assist Managers in deciding the potential value of a target marketspace. Model components include efforts by the firm, in online site construction, expectations of online consumers, and the intervening technology infrastructure.