E-commerce for all!

There have been a number of significant developments in the industry that have really pushed e-commerce into the mainstream. It is no longer about enabling online Web sites for the PC Internet connected elite, rather it is the application of e-commerce for every citizen in every thing they do, anytime and anywhere.

Finally technology might just be moving in the direction of a solution even my mother could use!

In SA we have the added problem of using e-commerce in a first and third world. However, maybe this is an opportunity for us to use technology to benefit everyone. This might sound like marketing fluff, but there are literally over half a million Americans who never had access to technology or a PC using the Web and e-commerce every day through the Microsoft WebTV service for less than R100 per month, with no capital outlay and no training.

Seeming odd when first looked at, research results show that of the 800 000 or so WebTV users in the US, over 75% don`t own a PC, and most are over 45 years old. Finally technology might just be moving in the direction of a solution even my mother could use!

I think some of the announcements of acquisitions and investments by Microsoft and other companies in the broader connectivity area show the focus of bringing the Web lifestyle to everyone, from any device at any time.

However, for everyone to get connected we first have to make connectivity part of everyday life. It can`t be complicated or expensive; it needs to be as intuitive as possible. Take booking a movie ticket for example. Right now you can do it via a physical agent, by phone or the Internet. The agent is easy enough but time-consuming, booking by phone makes it rather difficult to work out where your seats are, and the Internet is excellent but too complicated and out of the reach of everyone but the connected. The future is maybe in an Internet TV or Internet phone-based interface, making it simple to click through and see what you need, but still using the power of the Internet without a dedicated connection or PC.

There have been some major steps in building this technology and a number of vendors have released Internet TV set-top-boxes. These are a good first step; we now need to see the back-end applications for them. It is not about replacing the PC with a box on top of the TV, it is about getting someone watching a TV for entertainment to use the Internet seamlessly for the same purpose.

Secondly, to be able to connect from anywhere we need devices that are truly mobile with great wireless communication. With the introduction of Windows CE palm-type devices, as well as the growth of the overall market for the handheld-size device, we now have the mechanism to work anywhere. The sports reporter at the cricket now only needs a palm device and a GSM modem to write his match report and send it, along with digital pictures, to his newsroom without leaving his seat at the match.

Even more possibilities open up with the introduction of the Auto PC. This small computer based in the car dashboard is capable of anything from normal car functions, like the radio and cellphone, as well as traffic maps and directions, right to Web browsing and e-mail!

Lastly, to connect at anytime we need to realise that the Internet and e-commerce are not working-hours operations, but rather 24-hour, 365-days-a-year, worldwide services. To state on a Web page that requests get serviced in one hour means that you need to have staff available even at 1am, and it means the integration to the business systems needs to be online all the time.

Basically we have to always remember that when we extend the Internet to millions more South Africans, it has to integrate into their general life, and move them seamlessly into the Web lifestyle. You can`t rip out and replace the TV overnight with an Internet box and expect it to succeed; you need to look at why we use TV in the first place (for entertainment) and enhance that experience with being connected.

If we do it right then most citizens won`t even know they are living a more connected lifestyle, from the person who buys eggs and milk from a store which is using e-commerce supply chain management, to the kiosk-user at the local store or post office, to the Internet TV user and finally the typical PC user.

We are on the edge of really extending the Web lifestyle, not only to one million South Africans, but to multiple millions more. E-commerce could be one of the enabling technologies if used right and not only positioned as something for the rich.