ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The GIC Group, an integrated agribusiness company, has initiated a multi-client study that will provide food and agribusiness companies with the essential information to design and implement their e-commerce strategies. The study--The Impact of E-Commerce on the Food and Agribusiness Industries: A Roadmap to E-Commerce Strategy--offers practical e-commerce strategies based on a comprehensive assessment of existing and near-to-market options.

The study will contain: 1) a review of the basic concepts of e-commerce; 2) an identification of the economics of e-commerce and how it affects the food and agribusiness industries; and, 3) a methodology for analyzing the impact of e-commerce on the subscriber company's business. The study also reviews existing and upcoming applications to build a company's e-commerce architecture, and concludes by providing a roadmap to design a company e-commerce strategy.

It also analyzes the impact of these changes for the companies who serve this market: input suppliers, farmers, food processors and distributors, food retailers and consumers, food and trading services companies, and financial institutions. New Internet technologies allow business to reach global customers more easily, and allow new entrants to the industry from unrelated fields. At the same time, these technologies also force a reconfiguration of industry value chains. The established industry's strategic dimensions have been challenged by the new technology and the competition from knowledge-based entrants. The new entrants can easily reach and rapidly erode the market of the traditional players.

Juan Solana, GIC's Director of Research, underscored the market potential as well as the pitfalls and problems with e-commerce. He said, "Although the specific characteristics of food and agribusiness industries (perishability, standardization, and bulkiness, to name a few) limit the extent of e-commerce applications, e-commerce itself still offers substantial opportunities for companies in the agro-sector to expand their customer base within the U.S. and worldwide. To be opportunistic," he stressed, "companies will have to revamp their supply management systems."

Please feel free to view the study's outline and scope of work on our site.

Ordering Information

For ordering and price information, please contact:

Richard Gilmore
The GIC Group
1434 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel. 703-684-1366
Fax 703-684-1369