Virtual organization concept
Virtual organization concept was presented by Vincent Giuliano in 1982 that workers are no longer required to be in one place to work as computer facilitate the communication in virtual office. While in 1994, Abbe Mowshowitz said that virtual organization can be a metaphor of virtual memory and it may be required to change on the basis of switching while the management will switch to the concrete means in order to satisfy changing abstract requirement (Gazendam, Henk W. M. 2002). Walmart is one of the largest retailers of the world which decided to support its physical stores by starting online sales.
There for it is a click-and- mortar retailer, which combines the physical and online features. Wal-Mart in 2001 when got alliance with AOL, it was designed for providing co-branding in just for $9. 94 per month Internet access to both urban and rural residents, to those who had no Wal-Mart stores nearby. It was done to attract the whole new market segment and also for eliminate the outcome of cannibalization. Eventually, a hybrid e-tailoring when offered a combination of massive range with the click-and-mortar advantages of nearby stores (e. g. , merchandise pickup or returns) may prove to be 800?
heavy sales from online consumers. “The next e-commerce powerhouse might just be leading retailer Wal-Mart” (Wang, A & Hollander, J. 1999) Walmart is using profile’s personalization which is making the service more and more convenient for the buyers so that they can have ultimate virtual shopping experience. Walmart is a business which is available to its member online as well as offline. As Walmart is already very popular so it has to manage the same brand equity in the world of e-commerce as well by maintaining the same impression in the buyer’s mind (as they had while shopping in malls).
Walmart from time to time kept on introducing new features to the website. So in 2002, walmart. com expanded its horizon of e-commerce. It got matured, started the tracking and checking the order status, a help desk, a clear system which has no hidden charges and a return policy and mechanisms which very few provide. It also has a feature of a store locator, and informing customers about seasonal sales or liquidations. The website is very detailed and can answer everything from tracking order to any sort of problem in signing in.Last but not the least the feature of community services such as photo sharing was provided later.
References:
Gazendam, Henk W. M. (2002). Information System Metaphors. Open Semiotics Resource Center: The Semiotic Frontline, Retrieved 13th June 2009 from http://www. semioticon. com/frontline/pdf/Information%20System%20Metaphors%203. pdf. Wang, A & Hollander, J. (1999). Stock Watch: Is Wal-Mart Next E-Commerce Giant? E-Commerce Times. Retrieved 13th June 2009 from http://www. ecommercetimes. com/story/562. html
