The Impact of Organizational and Environmental Factors on the Implementation of Internet-Based Marketing Channels

Abstract

This article presents a framework for understanding the implementation of Internet-based marketing channels. This process includes the activities from the time before a firm first considers using the Internet as a marketing channel until it is fully implemented. Based on data from a survey among 353 Danish manufacturers it is found that different factors are important in the implementation of different dimensions of Internet-based marketing channels. For instance top management support and knowledge of IT are the most important factors driving the implementation of the Internet for presentation of the firm, opening hours, and product information, whereas willingness to cannibalize and Internet market maturity are the most important factors driving the adoption of home pages for receiving orders. The data also indicates that the importance of the factors affecting the implementation of new channels may differ between the stages of implementation.