Internet marketing and product visualization (IMPV) system: Development and evaluation in support of product data management

Abstract

An Internet marketing and product visualization (IMPV) system that can act in support of product data management (PDM) was developed and evaluated. The integrated system allows for virtual product visualization and supports management of the inventory level. The idea of managing the inventory through an Internet marketing system should be of interest to those industries that want to market their products on the Internet as well as keep a manageable inventory flow of their goods and materials for both business-to-business (B-B) and business-to-consumer (B-C) electronic commerce applications. In addition, these companies should seek the most efficient way to market their product to customers. In this sample system for marketing clocks, prospective customers can see information about the product, customize the features and visualize the final selection in a Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) environment. Ninety prospective customers were asked to evaluate the marketing aspect of the system, give their perception of the product value and tell about their willingness to purchase from the Internet. In addition, customers' perception of the value of the VRML virtual product, an electronic photograph of the clock, and the paper catalogue clock were compared with the actual product values. The results suggest that although VRML may help provide customers with a better overall view of the system, it may not be the best way to portray product value. Suggestions for the practitioner and ideas for future work are presented.