The Trojan horse reversed

A totally opposing theory is nevertheless put forward by some analysts. The American market is the most mature. This means that it is in this part of Internet that customers (individuals or companies) are the most likely to buy. I repeat, it's on the American Web that customers can be found. "Good heavens, how obvious," you think to yourself, with a satisfied smile, "if American companies are just waiting for the European market to develop, why can't we outstrip them by immediately selling our products to 80 million American internauts, 30% of whom already have the habit of buying online, rather than trying to sell to the French market where only a handful of Internet users risk revealing their credit card number on the Web. Let's come back to the French market later when it's ready."

This is one aspect of the current global development of electronic commerce which is the most interesting for French readers of this guide. But to succeed with this tactic, each of these unknown distant markets must become familiar, and perhaps the greatest opportunity for your company is not in the States but in Asia, as is the case for a Bordeaux wine wholesaler. Jean-Baptiste Duquesne was a young graduate of a business school and a wine connoisseur when he entered the Bordeaux wine trade in October 1995. At the same time as setting up his business, he created a Website with no investment. In the closed world of the French wine industry, he knew he would need a lot of perseverance to make an impact, faced with firmly established competition. Three months after its creation, this four-page site managed to attract 900 visitors per month, probably more by curiosity than by real interest, as he was at the time the first Bordeaux wine dealer to take the plunge. And then, by chance during one of his special offers on Internet, he made contact with a Hong-Kong distributor...