Technology and Marketing

This chapter forms the main of the research paper. It forms the main method and only means through which information is collected. This chapter is quite comprehensive and contains views from various authors and experts. The general agreement that technology has had a great impact on the way marketing is carried out by corporate is brought out clearly in this chapter. The chapter in a clear way reviews literature answer the research question. In showing how marketing has been altered by the use of technology, this chapter reviews what can be regarded as the positive and the negative impact that technology has had on marketing strategies. In achieving this various means of marketing which make use of technology are examined.

There is a strong link between the world of technology and marketing. It has been reported that in the recent past there have been identified a strong link between trading activities and the use of technology. This has been attributed to the expanding channels of communication which come about due to expanding of the technology. The communication channels which are created by technology have been the main motivator for the technologies to be used as the means of reaching many people and hence carrying out marketing of business goods and services. It has been reported that the most significant trend which has been observed in the world of consumer technology is the emergence of multi-channel marketing of services and goods:

Organizations are using direct channels such as the Internet and catalogue channels and other channels such as brick-and-mortar environments, either to seamlessly integrate their offerings across all channels or to use these different channels to segment consumers and implement differential marketing strategies.

Technology has made it possible for competition among the business people pushing them to extreme ends where they have to get involved in serious marketing if they have to survive the competition:

Technology - e-mail, e-commerce, the Internet and websites, the cell phone and laptop - are opening up a new world of marketing communication. A fundamental change has occurred and marketers need to rethink their promotional strategies. Today the customer has the opportunity to come to you or your competitor, by accessing your website or sending an e-mail. All relevant information must be accessible and user friendly. It should also be a two way flow.

It is reported that just ten years, the internet was not as popular as it is today and that it was far from being integrated to the business activities but has rapidly grown to be one of the most powerful tools used in marketing. The use of internet has made the marketers to think of ways of utilizing technologies to reach out to the consumers. It has been argued that the internet has become such a powerful tool for marketing as noted below:

The Internet is now settling down to its reality after all the hyperbole of the late 90s. There is no doubt that in many areas, the Internet provides unique characteristics that other media cannot match. But, we should be conscious that the Internet is simply a content delivery system as is television, radio, and even word of mouth. As technology develops into more and more digital interactive platforms, the relevance of the net may well shift. In basic terms, the net is probably the first truly global content provider and as such, its characteristics, benefits and uses are also global.

Despite being a powerful tool for marketing, it has been argued that for the internet to be effective in reaching out to all the consumers it has to be integrated well into a company’s marketing strategies. There are various ways in which the internet is used to carry out marketing of goods. The internet has made it possible for the immediate feedback which is useful for the business purposes. Many corporate bodies have been reported to use internet in the collection of information, “Several market research companies are already using wireless devices to obtain instantaneous feedback from fans at live concerts and performances” the information collected is quite useful as it is used in modifying the goods to the tastes of the customers. These go a long way to make the goods quite competitive in the market. The following section reviews some of the range of the most current technologies which are used in marketing.

There are a wide of technology which can be used in carrying out marketing. These technologies can take the form of hardware, software and communication. This section will clearly show that technology has a strong link to changing the way marketing is carried out by corporate bodies. This, it will be shown, takes place in the form of, “collecting, handling, interchanging, communicating, analyzing, personalizing and customizing information, leading to cost reductions, more effective marketing procedures and improved customer satisfaction” Current technologies which are used in carrying out marketing use the internet and are listed as: E-commerce, E-mail, CD ROM, Broadband, mobile phone, SMS (short messaging services) among other technologies used. This section reviews the technologies which have been predominantly used in carrying out marketing.