Information Communication Distribution and Transaction (ICDT) Model

According to Angehrn, (1997) a key point of the use of the Web, is how fast one is able to move information. In view of this, Anghern (1997) developed a model for internet marketing strategies incorporating both the number and types of services and the level of sophistication of websites. This model was called ICDT - Information, Communication, Distribution and Transactional. The model is to provide an understanding as to the different stages organizations can make use of the internet to develop a strategy The ICDT model divides the Virtual Market Space in four components as shown in Figure 5.

According to Sigala, (2003) the ICDT model provides the fundamentals of differentiating four separate types of marketing strategies. Businesses striving at increasing the visibility as in who’s who, what is available, how much it costs and improving the perception of products or services could achieve it by internet either internet based marketing initiatives – VIS or by influencing the business communication strategy – VCS. Hagel (1999), also support Sigala’s view by saying, the access to information is the key point to bargain for the power in any commercial transaction. Commercial transactions do not show so many possibilities of innovation and increase of sales as online transactions do. Nowadays businesses are presented with the situation whereby customer’s loyalty to a website is lacking. Hence for companies to build loyal visitors to their websites and build up an on-going relationship, then it needs to regularly update the content of its pages (ibid)
According to Hagel (1999), there are three different situations:

- Generating traffic: get the site visited by the target public.

- Concentrating traffic: make the site to be visited for a longer time.

- Keeping traffic: make more difficult to site users to leave the virtual community.