Dell Online

V. Kasturi  Rangan; Marie  Bell

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Case | HBS Case Collection | March 1998 (Revised March 1999)

Dell Online

by V. Kasturi Rangan and Marie Bell

Abstract

Dell started online commerce for its PCs in 1996, and by 1997 had achieved a sales rate of $3 million a day. The case describes the internal process that led to these dramatic results and poses the question of how the firm should leverage this activity to meet Michael Dell's goal of achieving 50% of the company's anticipated $20 billion in sales by the year 2000 via Internet channels.

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Market Transactions; Goals and Objectives; Business Processes; Distribution Channels; Internet; Hardware; Competitive Advantage; Computer Industry; Retail Industry;