Abstract:

This conference paper illustrates the importance of a business’s corporate online identity for a survival in the digital era. In 2019, people uses the internet on a daily basis and day by day the number of active online users are increasing. Businesses that doesn’t have an online presence are often considered to be absent from the market. The conference paper found that there are a lot of facilities readily available online that a business can make use of to reach more customers and connect with old ones by adapting themselves towards digitalisation.  It has also been found that in order for a business to be perceive themselves as positive, its corporate identity online must be well presented with sufficient of information on their website or on their social network pages they must have sufficient number of posts with a high level of engagement. Statistics shows that the number of active users are increasing and people are going towards online shops, store and also for services. The digital era pushes every person towards the use of the internet whether to search for the closest restaurant or look out for emergency numbers it became a facility for people.

The internet has revolutionised the way businesses run. They now depend on the internet to stay connected with their customers.  With more than 4.4 billion of users that are present on social network site such as Facebook it became an open market for companies to reach customers (Statista, 2019). This conference paper highlights the importance of corporate online identity in the digital era for businesses to survive. Furthermore, concepts such as web 2.0, digitalisation, globalisation, social network platform and online e-commerce shall be discussed in this conference paper. Many facilities are readily available online for businesses to build their corporate identity and showcase themselves on the internet. Business have evolved and change the way they interact with customers and they have to follow the trend of technology as the world became one large platform connecting millions of users. With the rise of online reviews, the buying behaviour of customers are influenced. Companies have to keep a positive corporate identity in order to attract customers or retaining old ones (DiMicco et al, 2007). Within this paper there are also factors highlighting why a business should adapt to new technologies and have an online presence on social networking site or having their own E-shop online.

Businesses have to undergo a series of strategy in order to go through its product life cycle. With the rise of internet and the introduction of web 2.0, the way business use to perform thirty years back differs a lot from today’s way of doing (Rauch,2001). In today’s era if a business doesn’t have a good online presence it would be negative and limit people from finding them on the internet while contrasting it with two decades ago businesses were dealing with customers physically rather than virtually (Holmes,2015). But in this digital era a business might have no physical store and still manage to grow and expand through different brands. ASOS UK is brand shop online that have millions of products displayed on its website and still it competes with its competitors that have thousands of physical shops around the world (Chapman, 2018). A business that have an online presence opens itself to an audience of 4.4 Billion of active users, they can reach their target audience faster giving the fact that advertisers company online such as Google adv. have different algorithm to make the corporate business to be seen by a targeted audience that a business wants online (Nagarad, 2018). Traditional businesses before were having issues to reach a big audience and limits itself to a certain level because of geographical limitations and communication barrier (Rauch, 2001). The internet has allowed businesses to break the barrier of communication and now customers or businesses can communicate instantly, and freely the world has turn into one single huge platform which promote globalisation. The corporate identity of a business online is important in order to survive in the digital era as the way they displayed themselves online affects how to customers perceive them (Topalian,2003). People uses the internet to access millions of information at one click. A person could simply do an engine search, choose among different company displayed by the search engine online and contact the business but if it is not available online its competitors will have a competitive advantage over them (Holmes, 2015).

In this digital era Web 2.0 has given the ability to users to read and write (O’reilly, 2007). This has also changes the way online users interact. With Web 1.0, users were only able to read the information available to them but in today’s digital era information can be instantly share and edit simultaneously. Social networks are well known for its ability to share information to their circle of friend or on their wall depending on their privacy setting of their profile (Hodkinson, 2015). O’reilly argues that web 2.0 also become handy when users gets access to video streaming site, businesses make use of this tools to upload their video content on video streaming sharing site and make it available to be viewed by millions of users (O’reilly,2007). Online viewers get to comment and share the video based on their linking hood. This generate views for a business freely and also known by electronic word of mouth which raise awareness for a business. Statista claimed that the online users have reach up to 4.4 Billion of active users, thus the online population is growing day by day where nearly ¾ of the world’s population are online meaning that business can target a broader audience directly and ethically (Statista, 2019). With such facility, a business can target the desire market and grow rapidly, the web allowed them to maximise their profit, spend less on marketing and communications as compared to the cost of traditional media marketing channel. With web 2.0 customers can order a product and get it ship by the company the next day or answer queries from the customers instantly despite time zone difference. For example: a person can order a product on the internet and communicate to them as long they are online.  And more spending could be allocated in developing their product or service. 

Furthermore, With the internet and digitalization we have the ability to take a picture with our phone and upload it on a website or a social network site instantly (Wilson,2009). Digitalization have re-invent the way corporate businesses work, as now customers doesn’t have to move and bear excess cost in looking for a particular goods or services. A business could simply design a website where it fit all of their content online for customers to access it via their devices the contents that are uploaded online can be modify instantly regarding their price and details. There are websites such as eBay or amazon that both sellers and buyers engage with each other through messages and then even have the ability to pay or refund each other through a secure payment method known as online banking and virtual bank cards (Holmes, 2015). Businesses no longer faces geographical barrier as the product can be paid onto their official website and it would reach another country in matter of days through carrier service. Businesses also adopt an online inventory system to let the company and customers aware of its actual stock compare to traditional business where it had to be sorted out manually. Nowadays nearly all businesses are present online since people uses internet on a daily basis, advertisers company have find a way to make even more money in advert placement whether it is in game, films or on internet websites with a high traffic (Holmes, 2015). Since there are advert placement on website people can directly click onto it to relieve themselves from their curiosity and this click will take them onto another page displaying all information regarding the company. Whether it’s about giving people information of a product, contact detail of the company, about the company or even promotion that are currently being done. Advertising are much more convenient because it cost less than traditional marketing such as billboard or in the newspaper, it also can be measured and let the marketer know what should be done on the next quarter of the business (Pearson, 2009). With analytic tools, online it provides insight on the advert placed and how it performs among users online. Those makes it easier for company to plan their next move and if a company isn’t present on the internet they miss this part and have to figure out carefully their next move so that their competitor doesn’t overcome them.

Moreover, social network sites are free to use and any online user might sign up for an account freely without any instalment fees to pay. On signing up they get the ability to have a circle of friends on their account where they can chat with their friends instantly and if they are not into that circle they would have to request a person only if he accept the conversation can be accepted (DiMicco et al, 2007). Businesses create their own page on the social network site such as Facebook and reaches people rapidly. With website like Facebook it is an open platform where people can join group and follow businesses simply by a click or to be aware of their latest promotion. Information are available in front of them which they socialise through the website. While they can also share information, and tagged their friends. Big companies make use of such tool to reach more people through the website advertisement system. As social network websites have built in features such as showing adv. to users that are in a specific area they are directly targeted and reach them which makes it easier for business (Boyd et al.,2007).

With the rise of innovation from social network, Facebook is one of the platform with more than 2.3 billion of active users, information is instantly shared and people can reach a person of another country instantly (Aslam, 2019). Thus, the rise of globalisation makes international trade better for businesses. A business in order to be successful online they would have to be present on different platform in order to reach maximum users (Holmes, 2015). For a business to be credible on social network platform and be convincing to its audience they will have to provide sufficient information to them (Topalian,2003). That information will be looked at the users and they will be deciding whether to ask for more information or buy the goods or service directly through a link posted on their social network page. A Page with a good number of followers and likes on their post will attract the attention of targeted audience making them to conform indirectly to other users behaviour by liking and following the page. They will first view information then follow the page. Users judge the company also by online reviews that are placed on their page by reading such it will make them to have a bright idea of what type of business it is. It is kind of a prejudgment that occurs (Harris et al .2009). Accor hotels is a group of hotel that have many assets in different countries and often people choose to deal with them since they maintain a good reputation online. Even on hotel reviewing website such as Trip advisor they make sure that each customer is satisfied those tools altered the final decision of the end consumers and if the business isn’t present online they would turn to another company that already displayed their information since it is easier to found them. Users look for information instantly and choose from the list given to them. Website like Booking.com have millions of hotels published on it and people find it easier to look for information all gathered at a same place then can compared with online reviews, number of likes on post, number of followers they have and also amount of information displayed to them. Those aspects act as more people like the post on their social network page the more it is likely to appear convincing to users (Wilson, 2009).

In 2019, social network sites are coming up with new features such as shopping straight ahead from the website itself this new aspect is to influence users buying behaviour online. If a person need an airline ticket they would simply search for airline company on the platform and buy directly through their e-shop online and pay with their card number electronically (Harris et al.,2009). And they will eventually receive a booking confirmation through their inbox or email. Those steps make it easier for companies as they’re now able to lower their agency cost. Airline companies gives its users ability to book their tickets and check in online while restaurants let people order food online with delivery option . In the digital era, millennium and young people are growing up in the digital era where every steps or decisions taken are influence by the online presence of various companies (Lin et al., 2011)

To conclude that there are still businesses that doesn’t have an online presence but with time and the facilities that the internet offers alongside with social networks sites it will affect those business. They will most likely to be seen as inexistent by online users, this generation of people are grown within the digital era and we are all adapting to digitalization which makes it easier for everyone. A corporate online identity is a must for businesses to survive in this digital era since the facilities it offers to everyone. People have change the way they communicate contrasting it with decades ago where we used landline to communicate to other people or through fax. Internet makes everyone to stay connected despite having geography barrier. A corporate online identity is how they want customers to see them and the more they provide sufficient information to the public the more it is likely to success in the market. People no longer have to wait for the shops to be opened they can shop at any interval time period, contact the company or even get a glimpse of what firms are offering to them. A simple click over the internet can give the users enormous amount of date. The more the company create interaction between users the more it engages with the users. With digitalisation, it has change the way people consume things as everything we see can be upload online through pictures or videos that are taken by a simple camera smart phone. People somehow conform with content of other users online. It is easier for a business to reach customers rapidly online despite the competition is tough the company should always have competitive advantage to outtake its competitors. In this digital era, it is most likely that an online identity is a must for a business to survive in the digital era.

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