Eying Internet users' enthusiasm for technology gadgets, Internet portal Yam Digital Technology Co (
"Many Web users are interested in consumer electronics products. Yam.com created the customized Web site to meet that demand," Chen Jen-ran (
Brick-and-mortar electronics retailer Synnex Corp (聯強國際), will provide product information for the site, according to Lin Chun-chien (林俊堅), spokesman for Synnex.
The information will include product descriptions, prices and test reports and offer price comparisons as well as technology consulting services online.
"We're very familiar with these products," Lin said. "Currently Synnex controls the majority of consumer electronics stores around the island and we have more than 400 tech products on our shelves."
Though it's not an online shopping site, Yam plans to make money from selling advertising space on the new Chinese-language site, tech.yam.com.
The customized site is part of an ongoing trend toward tailoring content to specific Internet communities. While the site requires membership to enter, access is free of charge. Yam hopes to attract more than 10,000 members and drum up NT$5 million in ad sales this year.
"If consumers are interested in buying products they see online, they can go to retail stores or connect to the shopping site in Yam.com," Chen added.
Synnex, as part of the alliance, hopes consumers will chose their stores and come in ready to pull out their wallets.
Having done their homework on the Web, Synnex believes tech-savvy buyers will make quick purchases, saving their sales staff precious time and energy.
"The practice could eliminate extended explanation times by our sales personnel and speed up the purchase process," Lin said.
Synnex, which controls about 40 percent of the retail computer and mobile-phone market in Taiwan, saw sales hit NT$2.56 billion in the first half of this year.
This is Yam's third niche market site after already setting up another two Web sites focusing on kids and women in 1998 and 1999, respectively. The buying power of women, children and their parents as well as consumer electronic users is considerable, therefore corporate ad potential is good "and it's an opportunity for us to boost sales," Yam's Chen said.
According to Chen, online advertising was still the major source of income for Yam in the first half this year, accounting for nearly 60 percent of total sales, with the remaining 40 percent coming from e-commerce. The company reported nearly NT$200 million in sales and a NT$5 million profit for the first half of this year.
"As public confidence in Internet companies recovers, the Web advertising market is bouncing back, too ? I predict online advertising sales will double this year," he added.
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