Circuit City - Internet Business Strategy :: Web Business Strategy

circumference city - net melody StrategyIntroductionIn the fifty years since overlap City opened its first cut in, the company has become one of the best-known sources of consumer electronics in the world. Today traffic circle City boasts over 600 stores and more than 50,000 associates. The company consistently strives to offer low, competitive prices, high service standards, and a wide pick of products to meet consumer needs.Circuit City has long prided itself on the outstanding obtain father it offers to customers. In the 1990 s the company was early to see the valuate of the Internet for making that experience even better. However, they shunned the then-popular approach that many bricks-and-mortar retailers were adopting, where online channel were viewed as replacements for or alternatives to the traditional channel. Instead, Circuit City saw the clear as a way to complement its retail outlets and provide customers with more reasons to visit a store. To define, d evelop, and deploy its web strategy, Circuit City precious a robust site that would replicate the customer experience in its Superstores while leveraging the advantages of 24-hour Internet access. Detailed product information, comparison capabilities, profundity of selection, and immediate inventory information were critical features that the Circuit City web site required.Key Business IssuesCircuit City has competition at local marketstraditional electronic retailers as well as Internet-only players, including catalogers and interior(a) distributors. To expand upon its interior(a) reputation as a leading high-service, low-price retailer, Circuit City wanted a site that would leverage its national store presence. To do this, the site needed to seamlessly integrate its retail shops with a effectual e-Superstore that could provide quality service online while providing advantages of express pickup from nigh stores. The web strategy would then be tightly interlinked and interde pendent with Circuit Citys core retailing business, helping drive more revenue to local stores while maximizing the companys national and international web presence.Key Business ChallengesUse the Web as a means to improve overall company success take a shit into production quickly with novel approach to e-commerceProvide superior online experience for customers in every respectSolution SnapshotIn January of 1999 Circuit City commenced development, using Sun Enterprise servers that had just become obtainable from a subsidiary company. To reach the market as quickly as possible with its novel concept, Circuit City determined to base its Internet presence on prepackaged solutions that minimized development time. This led to the choice of BroadVision to provide e-commerce software.