The Web overcomes many of the traditional problems inherent in the marketing of
international services. In this new era of cyberservice, marketing managers must
reappraise their approach to marketing services in general and international
services in particular. The defining characteristics of services—intangibility,
simultaneity, heterogeneity, and perishability—are a service marketing challenge
but can be managed successfully, because the Web is an outstanding tool for mass
customization that combines the best of mass production and customization. The
authors use a series of exemplary cases to illustrate how international firms
can use the Web to enhance the marketing of services across national boundaries.
They offer a diagnostic checklist that can be employed to evaluate the
effectiveness of a firm's Web site in providing international services.
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