Mentor: Simply a business tool on internet

E-commerce: what is it and should I be spending money on it? Will there be a return to my business?

Catherine Calarco and Candace Elliott of Onezone, a leading online marketplace, explain:

There has been much hype and noise about the internet, e-commerce and getting your business online.

So, it's not surprising that many people are confused and uncertain about what e-commerce is, what it involves and, more importantly, what it can mean for their business.

There is a perception that e-commerce is too difficult for regular business people to get involved in and that it can't make a huge difference to their operations.

The reality is that e-commerce is a new field for everyone to be involved in and benefit from, both within New Zealand and exporting our products and services to the world.

Put simply, e-commerce is all about carrying out business processes over the internet, whether it's buying or selling products or services, browsing the internet or sending an email to a supplier.

It's really a business tool - a new way of doing things that we've always done before, for example, buying groceries over the internet rather than visiting the supermarket.

Take, for instance, Cubes Clothing, a small clothing manufacturer in New Plymouth with 12 full-time staff and a vision to reach the world via the internet.

Cubes was selected as a desired supplier by one of our buyers on the marketplace. Cubes has now gained new business opportunities for contracts to large buyers in Gisborne, Wellington and the Waikato just by having its products available online and being pro-active.

Fortunately, it is relatively easy to take the first steps to getting involved in e-commerce:

* There's no shame in starting small. Think evolution, not revolution - e-commerce is there to simplify things, not make them harder.

* Get involved gradually to increase expertise and knowledge.

* The difference between a novice and expert can be very little. Take the plunge and before too long you will be enjoying the real advantages presented by e-commerce.

* Send questions to Mentor: business@nzherald.co.nz Answers will be provided by Business in the Community's Business Mentor Programme.