Solved: How has the Internet changed the way consumers think and behave? What are some

Marketing and advertising has become the important part for the growth of organization. A marketer comes up with different marketing strategies to sell their product or services appropriately, with the help of different elements in order to be on top of the competitors list.

The biggest trends that are affecting the advertising and promotion includes the use of internet, social media, telephone marketing which helps in sharing the information effectively to the target audience. Commercial internet has changed the outlook of business completely. People are getting more involved into internet marketing. Internet has become the major part of their day to day life. Shopping, trading, surfing, banking services are few activities that the consumer performs online. Internet has filled this gap from the tradition means to the new world when the business and commercial activities are more focused on customers.

Different social media attract their audience because it is a platform where people get to interact with each other easily. Social media helps in reflecting their life to others and make people get connected to each other where they can share their views and thought process. Example Facebook and Twitter helps people to share their views and thoughts and make them stay connected.

Social media also play important role for the business activities of the organization. Organizational marketing activities utilize social media effectively to advertise its products and services. This is done to create awareness among people about the product or brand. It can attract large number of audiences and helps in meeting the marketing goals. Social media is also referred by recruiters to check the personal profile of applicants which give them guidance whether the applicant is good or bad for the organization. Thus an organization cannot ignore social media.

The benefits of internet marketing and advertising are: –

•   Easily accessible to the audience
•   Most of the activities are performed online so customer will have more access to content
•   Cover larger audience as the traffic of the site increase.
•   Most effective way to deliver service by providing information
•   Generate revenue
•   Internet provide advertising opportunity through content
•   Broader content can be created and communicated through internet
•   Internet plays key role for companies with advertising model alone
•   Internet and content together helps in up-selling and cross-selling of products
•   Content on internet engage the users completely

Example Facebook and Google generate revenue through various adverts. These businesses not only provide service to the customer but also the advertising space. Web is a part of consumers’ life from last 20 years. It is from that time itself when companies are using it to run the business for profit. With increase in competition across globe in ecommerce field companies are coming up with innovative ideas and strategy to minimize the cost of business and increase in revenue generation by fulfilling customers’ needs and demands. So these strategies has given them ideas to start using its business for advertising purpose as well which will caters customer needs as well as will be profitable for the company by generating revenues.

Even though it plays important role in the field of marketing, I totally disagree with the fact that business taking data from different websites without the consent of the consumers. The changes in society and the development of computer technology threaten people with the loss of privacy and affecting personal relationships.

• People prefer to shop online where they enter their personal details.
• Use of social media to share personal activities.
• As soon as people enter their email Id or phone number online, they start getting marketing mails and messages.
• The latest technology phone that they use comes with tracking software by which companies can track the users activity.
• This is an unethical practice of taking someone’s personal information without their knowledge for the purpose of self-gain.

Instead of taking information without the consumers’ knowledge, business should introduce surveys which can be taken by users. This is an apt way to ask customers details and do proper need analysis.

Thus, internet has changed the way consumer think and behave and it is both advantageous and disadvantageous for the consumers. Promotion activity through internet helps in creating value of the brand which influence the buying decision of the customer. Customers are more likely to buy products of known brand rather than from unbranded. Though promotion activities influence the buying decision however people buy things as per their need. Promotion activities contribute towards increasing the consumption. If companies use Selling concept of marketing, people will buy things what they do not need as this concept focus on aggressive promotion and sale of its products.

Example – iPhone has introduced tracking software in their phones which can be referred as life on the grid. Living in a grid means tracking of the locations, habits and friends of the customers. They can track where the customers go and report these information to corporate database. These information can be used to sell it to the advertisers. Basically these data and information are used for advertising and marketing purposes.

Facebook is dealing with response uncertainty when the privacy issue is raised. Since, Facebook is the platform where users can share their views and thoughts at any time, there is uncertainty how people will respond. They might get positive response from government and customers. People give feedback to the companies or provide feedback about their products or service. Also, sharing things that are against government regulation may lead to negative response.