ABSTRACT

In this book we argue that the most important functions and tasks needed to be successful in electronic commerce take place in the physical realm. After all, most customers choose to buy time and again on the web in order to have a wide

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variety of products come to their doorsteps, as opposed to having to go to pick up the products where they are stored for sale and having to haul these items back home. e successful completion of Internet-based transactions between sellers and buyers requires a host of physical assets, including trucks, airplanes, ful–llment centers, and, of course, the physical package. Internet commerce does not take place exclusively in cyberspace.