Internet Provide to Mangler

B.B. MANGLER

1. What opportunities does the Internet provide to Mangler, both domestically and internationally?

Internet provide a lot of opportunities that support firm strategy.

Domestic

- Save cost, transaction between buyer and seller can occur without physical store.

- Capture more customer, customer in remote area can buy the product, although B.B. Mangler have a physical store more than 300 in U.S. but customer that doesn't live near the physical store can get product that they need faster rather go to physical store.

- By having their own website, B.B. Mangler can track customer behavior on its website like what's the popular product in that region but have to beware about privacy issue on the internet (there should be permission for getting the information from customer on website or at least notice them the we collect data from them)

- Improve customer management, there will be record for customer that purchase online with B.B. Mangler so it can identify customer. It can be useful like do a promotion for customer to keep customer loyalty.

- Provide customer service on the internet, customer can consult, complain and report the problem on the internet. It can also be strength and weakness at the same time. The recent case study is Samsung mobile Thailand in pantip.com, when there are customers complain about the product on the internet, the other customer will see and feel not confidence about our company.

- If Mangler provide service before competitor, it will be the strength for the company like the first bank that provide ATM service.

Internationally

- Global Reach, expand customer base in global level

- It's cheaper to get new customer on the internet. I think it's the cheapest way to get new customer and most effective because customer going to find us because we have items that they need.

- Disintermediation: Using the internet, the firm can directly approach the customers and suppliers, cutting down on the number of levels an in the process, cutting down the costs and reduce space to stock the product. For example, online service of apple, when customer order product online, product can ship from factory in china.

2. How should Mangler respond to the threat of new Internet-based entrants?

Mangler have to prepare itself in globalization era which everything are connected on the internet.

- Trust of customer, there are many business on the internet, Trustmark is a tools that can guarantee about trust of customer. For example TRUSTe service is the way that you website can get trust mark to guarantee that you not going