Best Buy Co., Incorporated, a B2C company that is ranked tenth in the top twenty five online retailers (as ranked by online sales[1]), was originally a bricks-and-mortar consumer retail electronics outlet. Opened in 1966 by Richard Schulze and his business partner as the Sound of Music Audio, Video, and Car Stereo store in St. Paul, Minnesota, growth advancements have been steady and, as claimed by their advertising, “enhanced through inspired innovations”[2]. They state themselves to be a technology firm more so than an electronics business. What follows are the seven unique features of e-commerce technology as applied to www.bestbuy.com.
The site is very ubiquitous, being accessible to anyone with a computing device and an Internet connection, anywhere in the world. The site is W3C compliant, as addressed in the W3C WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)[3], allowing for use by those afflicted with visual, mobility, auditory, and cognitive disabilities. Transaction costs are lowered by having a large available stock inventory, secondary to the sizeable number of traditional retail outlets. By automatically defaulting to the least expensive shipping methods, expenditure outlays are reduced. Customers can also choose the In Store Pickup option, thereby eliminating shipping costs altogether. Because of the comprehensive layout of the website, cognitive energy output is minimized.
When it comes to global reach, Best Buy.com is somewhat lacking. Although the page is available for display in both English and Spanish, product shipping is only available in the United States, the Virgin Islands, and Guam. Members of the U.S. military can have products shipped to APO/FPO outlets, however. The potential merchandising audience size is augmented by the location of traditional stores in Europe, but online ordering is unavailable there. As a result, national boundaries are not crossed, and access is reduced in the global market.
As far as universal standards are concerned, the site conforms to universal Internet qualifications. This enhances both market-entry and consumer-search costs. The end result of adopting this symmetry is that network externality is achieved, and end-users can easily research comparative pricing and shipping costs.
Video feeds with audio content and plenty of text serve as visual and aural cues and ensure richness. FAQ’s, community forums, telephone assistance, and e-mail add to Best Buy.com’s complexity and content, increasing the commercial environment experience.
Interactivity is achieved via blog and twitter inputs as well as interactive forums that include customer discussions. Consumers are virtually engaged in a manner similar to the real world shopping experience. Questions can be answered in a timely manner and conversations conducted by simply accessing the appropriate venue.
Help services and user product searches serve to aggrandize information density. Erudition on warranties, installation and repairs, and an included site map disseminate information effectively. Updated information increases immediacy, definitude and opportune timeliness. Potential buyers are accorded price transparency as a result.
By logging into assigned customer accounts, personalization /customization is activated. Prospective buyers are greeted by name, and product information can be organized by entering desired parameters. Marketing efforts are propagated through acquired consumer input and client purchase histories. No doubt such knowledge is used to create information asymmetries and merchandise branding, but the overall shopping experience is elevated.
I found Best Buy.com to be an excellent example of e-commerce. To be completely honest, I am myself a loyal customer. I find the site navigation and the ease of use of the various menus to be reliable and convenient, and make for an enjoyable online shopping experience.
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