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Chapter 5 E-business strategy 311

Marketing integration. We have stressed the importance of integrated customer and
partner communications through right-channelling. Staff members responsible for tech-
nology and marketing need to work together more closely to achieve this;
Online marketing focus. Strategic initiatives will focus on the three core activities of
customer acquisition (attracting site visitors), conversion (generating leads and sales) and
retention (encouraging continued use of digital channels).

Table 5.11 Capability maturity model of e-commerce adoption based on Econsultancy (2008a) research

Level Strategy process Structure: Senior Marketing Online marketing
and performance Location of management integration focus
improvement e-commerce buy-in

1 Unplanned Limited Experimentation Limited Poor integration Content focus
Online channels not No clear centralized No direct Some interested Creation of online
part of business e-commerce involvement in marketers may brochures and
planning process. resources in planning and little experiment with catalogues. Adoption
Web analytics data business. Main necessity seen for e-communications of first style
collected, but responsibility involvement tools guidelines
unlikely to be typically within IT
reviewed or actioned
2 Diffuse Low-level Diffuse Aware Separate Traffic focus
management Online referenced Small central Management Increased adoption Increased emphasis
in planning, but e-commerce group becomes aware of of e-communications on driving visitors to
with limited or single manager, expenditure and tools and growth of site through
channel-specific possibly with potential of online separate sites and pay-per-click search
objectives. Some steering group channels microsites marketing and
campaign analysis controlled by continues. Media affiliate marketing
by interested staff marketing. Many spend still
separate web sites, dominantly offline
separate online
initiatives, e.g. tools
adopted and
agencies for search
marketing, e-mail
marketing.
E-communications
funding from brands
or businesses may
be limited
3 Centralized Specific Centralized Involved Arm’s-length Conversion and
management customer
experience focus
Specific channel Common platform Directly involved in Marketing and Initiatives for
objectives set. for content annual review and e-commerce mainly usability, accessibility
Web analytics management and ensures review work together during and revision of
capability not web analytics. structure involving planning process. content management
integrated to give Preferred-supplier senior managers Limited review system (including
unified reporting of list of digital from Marketing, IT, within campaigns. search engine
campaign agencies. operations and Senior e-commerce optimization) are
effectiveness Centralized, finance team-members common at this stage
independent responsible for
e-commerce encouraging
function, but with adoption of digital
some marketing
digital-specific throughout
responsibilities by organization
country, product
or brand