News in View: the boo.com autopsy

NEWS Conference goers used last week's Internet World show to air their views on the fall of e-tailer boo.com. Those questioned highlighted the company's problems ranging from poor marketing management to badly thought out spending regimes. Frank Miller, marketing manager of online quality assurance company Clicksure, said boo.com's business model was blatantly unsustainable. He said: "Boo employed a lot of people. When you think about the fact that they were all based in London, which is a very expensive place to live, Boo must have needed a huge turnover to support this." Miller believes the market will continue to experience a major fall-out. But he added, the survivors will be distinguishable by their attention to detail and sound business practices. "Are these organisations set up with best practice in mind? Is it clear where they are based? Is it clear on the Web site what they're all about? Privacy and refunds are another important point. There are standards involved that companies should adhere to. This doesn't mean automatic success but at least it's a pointer in the right direction," he said. Speaking on silicon.com's Behind the Headlines programme, Rene Carayol, e-chairman of online venture e-photomail, agreed with many of the comments. He said: "Opening in five countries simultaneously, burning the amount they did on marketing, who was there saying 'well hang on a minute guys, let's just have a little review here'. It took 12 months for them to call in the liquidators. Netimperative went this week too, Disney have closed down their toy chains, we will see much more of this but it doesn't mean that it's over." You can hear more feedback in Silicon.com's News in View programme in the Ecommerce Channel (http://www.silicon.com/a37728 ).