The Virtual Death of the Avon Lady
Daniel Wain, Research International, shows how virtual shopping could spell disaster for the retail brand
It is estimated that business lost worldwide as a result of poor web communication amounted to US$1.44 billion in 1999, and that this could rise to $60 billion by 2004 unless service delivery improves (Datamonitor). Seducing consumers down cyberspace channels is both confusing and costly to the brand image as well as to the bottom line. Brands need to be present on all competing platforms, and the brand image and, more importantly, the service delivery that hugely...