Developing our website
A vital website is indispensable to our ongoing global ambitions. While this year
has seen a number of important developments, including the introduction of a
completely revamped Rabobank International site, our move into the new
millennium will bring a host of even more far reaching e-commerce initiatives.
What's NewS reports on our continuing efforts to leverage the power of the
Internet to channel customers into the various business lines of Rl,
establish ever doser links with our dients and colleagues, and thus
fully realize the potential of the emerging electronic economy.
Increasing satisfaction
Adding links
Strategie relations
Enhancing efforts
What's NewS Issue 10 December 1999 I 5
As a whole, the Rl website has received
near
..nearly three-quarters of a million
'hits' from over 70,000 visitors since it
went live in May. Many were from poten-
tially valuable corporate customers, and
two-thirds of them came from abroad,
mainly the United States. This underlines
the emerging role of e-commerce as a pri-
mary channel of borderless trade: visitors
are drawn and captured by specialized
knowledge rather than its physical coun
try of origin.
Thus, highlighting our position as a
global, knowledge driven organization,
RI's site presents information in a clear
three-dimensional matrix designed to
make it easy for users to find answers ac-
cording to content type (e.g. research),
special interests (such as F&A), or geo-
graphical location. A modest 'transac-
tional' capability was also built into the
site so that customers could buy and
download specialized research reports di-
rectly over the web - a new distribution
channel that has proved an unexpected
hit. We've earned over USD 25,000 selling
reports in the Hrst Hve months,' says
Maarten Giezeman, a member of the mul-
tidisciplinary Internet commerce support
team headed by Sam Siemssen. 'We re
ceived nearly a hundred orders from the
start of business in May through Novem
ber. The number of orders as well as the
average size of those orders have steadily
increased. When we originally included
this feature it was considered something
of an experiment; in practice, it's given us
an important new way to quickly satisfy
our clients' desire for knowledge. The fact
that we've made money is a
clear sign that the informa
tion is of real value to them
- and with knowledge fur-
ther evolving as a product in its own
right, improving our channels of knowl
edge delivery will be key to longterm com-
petitive success.' Colleague Arthur
Hoogeveen draws attention to rlie fïrst
successful affiliate marketing efforts:
high quality Rl research being offered
to online F&A communities.
Another sign of the site's vi-
tality is the continuing integra-
tion of individual web pages
linking to our office network. All have the
same 'look and feel' as the originating
home page. For example, one recent addi-
tion was a page on our Indian operations
in Mumbai and New Delhi. 'We were de-
lighted with the way India, under Karan
Ahluwalia, developed and executed its
own page in such an enthusiastic and out-
standing way,' says Arthur Hoogeveen. 'It
offers a full overview of products and ser
vices, specific contact details, and adds to
the value of the site overall. We're very
happy to see such initiatives.'
Yet another important initiative was the
recent inclusion of an investor relations
area, developed under the supervision of
global liability management's head Haijo
Dijkstra. 'We see investor relations as cru-
cial in our continuing effort to maintain
close ties with our friends and partners in
the institutional field, especially at a time
when there is such intense competition for
funds,' says Dijkstra.
'The strategie value of the Internet in our
investor relations work was underlined
by its role in the success of our recent is
sue of hybrid securities onto the interna
tional capital markets.' [See related article
on page IS; 'Special hunding Program.)
Having chalked up these accomplish-
ments, the Internet commerce support
team is busy preparing a new thrust that
will push us even further into the territo-
ries of customer oriented e-commerce.
We can expect far more information to
become available on our site,
and further development of
tools that let our customers
execute live transactions over
the web. For example, the
treasury markets sales opera-
tion headed up by Theo van
Koningsveld, which has in
recent years moved over to-
wards electronic distribution both of its
commodity and specialized products rang-
ing from FX and money market deals to
derivatives and advisory services, is now
planning to web enable many of these
capabilities in the first half of next year.
The aim is to better serve not only inter-
nal customers, like the member banks, but
external end users as well.
According to Marcel Doorn, who handles
e-commerce for the treasury markets unit,
'the Internet will enhance our effort to
provide information and decision support
tools throughout the member bank net
work. It will also be used for communica-
tion about products and their distribution
into end-user markets, for the provision of
portfolio overviews, and for research and
sales support. For member banks, we'11 be
porting our Rabo DealAssist auto dealing
system onto the Internet, as well as many
capabilities now available on Rabo Trea-
suryWeb. For end users in the mid-cap
corporate market, we're going to release
a web enabled version of our FX and
money market trading environment,
as well as adding substantially extended
sales and support.'
With similar initiative planned within the
Insight and WebFocus projects, it is clear
we are experiencing an important corpo
rate cultural shift. Suggests Giezeman:
'Internet based e-commerce is increasingly
understood as being central to the strate
gie future of the bank.'
