The role of the Internet in Marketing
1. Introduction.
From the very its beginning in 1991, the Internet has revolutionized the way firms do business, as well as the way customers buy and use products and services.
Thus, marketing being the contact between firms, their customers, has experienced important changes as well. The Internet gives extra opportunities for marketing. What possibilities can the Internet give? In what way can it be used in marketing and for what objectives?
This paper will be concentrated on the Internet phenomenon and on the spreading of the Internet. Then the consequent possibilities and implications for marketing as well as how the Internet Marketing can be examined as a danger to traditional marketing will be covered. The paper will conclude that Internet Marketing is an important supplement to traditional marketing.


2. The “Internet Revolution”.
The Internet has quickly become a standard for navigating, advertising and selling information and executing various affairs on the Internet and Intranets. This "Internet revolution" can be valued by different factors, such as online sales, amount of Internet users, amount of host computers, and amount of domains. All these figures are unchangeable; the common feature of them is fast-paced growth. There was the growth in the amount of host computers from 1969 to 1996 (from 4 host computers in 1969 to about 10 million in 1996). The real, extraordinary growth took place in the 1990s (Kalakota, 1997, p.45).
While examining online sales, research companies predict unprecedented growth. For instance, Jupiter Communications declared that in 1998 Internet commerce was worth $7.8 billion in the USA, and that this figure would enlarge to $108 billion in 2003.
The general value of the Internet commerce is valued unprecedentedly, for instance, hundreds of billions of dollars in 2002. Nevertheless it remains vague if figures show real online trade or just sales, which contain sending an email message or two. For example, the USA Department of Commerce`s $825 million for the value of airline tickets bought in the USA in the Internet in 1998. It is a 300% growth from the 1996 figure (Clemente, 1998, p.32).
While studying the amount of Internet users, the Internet had 30 million users on 10 million computers linked to over 240,000 networks in about 100 states. The last figures indicate the fact that International Data Corp values that 40 million people are home web users in the USA in 1999, which consists of 15% of the population. “Le Monde” in 1998 published that 100 million people use the Internet all over the world. Jupiter Communications estimates that active Internet users - 4 to 5 million USA customers - shop regularly on the Internet by 2000, which represents 3% of grown-ups.
That is why, the Internet phenomenon is very significant and has already modified the way firms, and governments and individuals communicate, buy and do business. It should be stressed that this Internet revolution has changed and will continue to change the way firms sell their products. The Internet is also a marketing revolution.


3. The Internet as an opportunity for marketing.
The Internet as a new uninvestigated field opens new possibilities to market products and invents the way firms are selling their products. The Internet gives opportunities in several of the four well-known marketing P’s (Price, Promotion, Product, Place). The Internet is a new "unpredictable" way of distribution. It is also an impressive marketing communication and promotional tool. It is finally a useful marketing research tool as it helps to find customers.
Another item concerning the Internet distribution is the kind of products that are sold well in this way. Really, according to this distribution channel it makes particular products more significant than others to be sold via the Internet.
The Internet is a good means for giving information concerning products and services, and products that the customer will probably buy due to a good advertisement on this channel. Thus, products like wines are sold well with a good advice from experts and the great choice from Amazon.com boost book sales. However, computers are the most usual item that is sold on the Web. Besides, in this case of sales, the Internet can fill in the information gap that takes place in present retail.
Consumers and providers appreciate the Internet as a tool to buy items via self-service lessening prices for providers in the case of some services. The airline industry can serve as the best example. In 1995, 20% of the USA airline seats were booked by customers online and by phone. This reduces the price for carriers, and enlarges the convenience for online buyers.
Moreover, products that are very likely to be sold on the Internet are not obligatory new products. The Internet distribution channel also symbolizes a new growth for full-grown industries. The best examples are evidently Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble that are doing better than contestants on an inactive market due to online sales. The products that make money on the Internet are: computer hardware and software; books and music; gifts