1. In about 100 words, outline the reasons a retailer might want to use more than one
marketing channel.
2. In a paragraph or two, explain why an online retailer might mail printed catalogs to
customers or potential customers.
3. Write a paragraph in which you explain how an online retailer might use its return policy to
gain a competitive advantage.
4. In about 100 words, explain how online distribution might benefit the publisher of an academic journal.
5. In about 100 words, summarize the arguments for and against buying a novel as an
electronic book instead of a printed paperback book.
6. In about 200 words, outline the changes that online distribution has prompted in the businesses of television program production and distribution.
7. Briefly explain what targeted advertising is and write a paragraph or two in which you describe what types of Web sites are likely able to sell it.
8. In about 100 words, outline the factors a local newspaper might need to consider when
deciding whether to offer an online version.
9. In one or two paragraphs, define and distinguish between disintermediation and
reintermediation.
10. In one or two paragraphs, outline the concerns a person might have when considering
whether to do business with an online bank (that is, a bank with no physical offices).
11. In about 100 words, outline strategies that might allow a small, specialized travel agency to
be successful doing business online.
12. In about 100 words, describe the issues that arise when a professional, such as a lawyer or
physician, offer their services online.
13. Many businesses offer free samples of their products or services to potential customers to
induce them to become customers. Write two or three paragraphs in which you describe
how this strategy can be implemented online. Be sure to note how the amount of sampling
that is likely to be beneficial differs in the online environment and the physical world.
14. In about 100 words, define “channel conflict” and describe how a consumer electronics
company that sells its products both in retail stores and online might deal with this issue.
15. In general, custom-made luxury products sell better in physical stores than online because
the unique nature of each individual product is easier to evaluate in person. In about 100
words, explain why expensive jewelry, especially diamond jewelry, sells well online in an
apparent contradiction of this general tendency.
16. Visit the Web sites of two art museums that sell memberships online, then examine each
site to find information about the memberships offered. Write a report of 200 words in which
you describe the process on each site that a visitor would follow to shop for a membership.
Evaluate how well each site describes its membership options and encourages a visitor
to purchase one. Consider ease of shopping, how clearly the site describes membership
options, and whether the site makes a convincing case for buying a membership. Provide at
least one recommendation for improving each of the two sites you selected.
17. In about 100 words, describe the elements in a customer-centric approach to Web design
