Friday, February 04, 2005
Is your motorcycle bitable?
While flipping through my wife's e-commerce textbook I came across a curious word:
BITABLE
Thought at first it had to do with bagels or cream cheese, but turns out it means to what extent a product or servicable can be transacted across a digital platform. For example, it is easy to bank or trade stocks across a computer network. You can even trade almonds and cashews (and Vietnam opened its first nut exchange a couple of years ago). But how about a car or motorcycle? Can you really buy a vehicle--the second-biggest purchase of your life--using just the Internet? Americans have learned that it is nearly possible. For example, we purchased our sporty red Ford Mustang a few years ago using www.AutoByTel.com; after we entered all the information fo rour desired car we were sent to the nearest dealer, who had the exact car at a price under the invoice amount.
So, will motorcycle one day become bitable here in Vietnam? What other products or services?
BITABLE
Thought at first it had to do with bagels or cream cheese, but turns out it means to what extent a product or servicable can be transacted across a digital platform. For example, it is easy to bank or trade stocks across a computer network. You can even trade almonds and cashews (and Vietnam opened its first nut exchange a couple of years ago). But how about a car or motorcycle? Can you really buy a vehicle--the second-biggest purchase of your life--using just the Internet? Americans have learned that it is nearly possible. For example, we purchased our sporty red Ford Mustang a few years ago using www.AutoByTel.com; after we entered all the information fo rour desired car we were sent to the nearest dealer, who had the exact car at a price under the invoice amount.
So, will motorcycle one day become bitable here in Vietnam? What other products or services?
