Explain how the Internet has transformed the way in which we do business today

What will be an ideal response?

The Internet links individuals and businesses of all types to each other. The Internet allows firms access to exciting new market spaces. The consumer love affair with digital and mobile technology makes it fertile ground for marketers trying to engage customers. Digital and social media marketing involves using digital marketing tools such as Web sites, social media, mobile ads and apps, online video, e-mail, blogs, and other digital platforms that engage consumers anywhere, anytime via their computers, smartphones, tablets, Internet-ready TVs, and other digital devices. At the most basic level, marketers set up company and brand Web sites that provide information and promote the company's products. Many of these sites also serve as online brand communities, where customers can congregate and exchange brand-related interests and information. The social media provide exciting opportunities to extend customer engagement and get people talking about a brand. Nearly 90 percent of all U.S. companies now use social media as part of their marketing mixes. Mobile marketing is perhaps the fastest-growing digital marketing platform. Smartphones are ever-present, always on, finely targeted, and highly personal. This makes them ideal for engaging customers anytime, anywhere as they move through the buying process. For example, Starbucks customers can use their mobile devices for everything from finding the nearest Starbucks and learning about new products to placing and paying for orders.