New technologies are arriving all the time. You need to consider how and when these could affect the way you do business. Here we highlight just some of the changes coming along. Entrelevel Limited can give you an time-to-impact appraisal of these and assist you to determine their likely consequences to your business.
Interactive digital TV
This will provide access to e-commerce for the many consumers without
a PC at home.
With digital TV come a number of new interactive possibilities. The "set-top-box" (which may even be integrated in the TV set) will be designed for Cable, Satellite or Terrestrial digital systems. Often it will have a telephone line connection, opening many new possibilities, of which the most obvious is access to the Internet. However, web site designs need to take account of the different display dimensions available on a TV.
Increasingly programmes will be created that allow the viewer to trigger shopping options - for example to book a holiday to a destination featured in a drama.
This will certainly be an exciting area!
Mobile Internet
The use of “mobile Internet” devices, despite the early consumer
disappointment
with WAP, will undoubtedly take off during 2001-2002, probably first
for
business-to-business purposes. Location-based services are just
one
area of innovation being explored at present.
The “3rd Generation” mobiles due in 2003-04 will even offer the possibility of moving colour images, so a whole range of new applications are being dreamed up.
Unmetered Internet"
The arrival of “unmetered Internet” via broadband telecommunications
links (eg ADSL) will trigger a large increase in Internet usage, and
bring
new buying patterns. Whilst primarily a consumer access
technology,
ADSL will also be of great use to the smaller business.
The removal of time-based connection charges will enable a move of software functionality into the network during 2002-2003. This is called “Applications Service Provision” (ASP) and is being strongly promoted by Microsoft (as “.NET”) and other suppliers, particularly of accounting software. The advantage to users is that updates are automatic and they only pay for functions actually needed.
Next: An e-commerce checklist for management