E-commerce or s-commerce? : a managerial perspective on website design features

E-commerce has rapidly evolved in the last decade. Using Web 2.0 and online social media, many e-tailers are transforming the ways in which they are building relationships with customers. In this environment, social commerce has the potential to significantly enhance the firm competitive advantage by having a positive impact especially on customer relationships and on revenue growth. With the emerging popularity and rapid growth of social commerce, our research aims to exploring, from a managerial perspective, the emerging strategies of stailers compared to e-tailers in Italy, pointing out their key design features and their different approaches in this changing environment. The study was carried out through in-depth interviews with digital and e-commerce managers. The results show that in Italy s-commerce is not so widespread. Furthermore, the few s-tailers are trying to interact and assist consumers in their buying behavior through social activities and the so called Web 2.0 applications. [Publisher's Text]

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