Internet, Online-Marketing und Electronic Commerce. Die Leistungspotenziale neuer elektronischer Medien bei der Vermarktung ökologieorientierter Produkte und Dienstleistungen

The thesis provides a general view over new electronic media and electronic trade models concerning the business-to-consumer-sector. The paper focus on the analysis of the role and potential of the internet for ecological marketing strategies and operations. Due to the large number of users and the enormous growth potential of the internet, electronic commerce is booming. In line with the growing importance of e-commerce as new trading platform, the aim of this paper is to explain, how the new media can contribute to better selling ecological products and services. After a short overview of the history and development of the internet and a description of specific ecological terms, traditional trade models will be compared to electronic ones. Further contents are online-marketing, electronic competition, the changing competitive environment and its effects on ecological firms. The potential of ?Eco-E-Commerce? to close the gap between environmental consciousness and actual buying behaviour of consumers will also be discussed as well as targeting and positioning of firms in cyberspace and the description of theoretical opportunities and threats of new media for sellers of green products. Furthermore, the paper includes an analysis of existing ecological e-commerce and online-marketing-models as well as a description of the chances and risks of ecological e-commerce in practice which have been obtained from an empirical survey. A critical statement concerning the new virtual marketplace and a comparison between opportunities and threats of Eco-E-Commerce in theory and practice complete the thesis. The appendix contains a glossary with an internet-ABC as well as the questionnaire, which has been prepared for the empirical survey.