The development of Internet technologies, communication and distribution models in the last decade contributed for the favourable change in companies' business environment and the purchasing conditions for consumers. The changed understanding of distribution and the configuration of channels defined as a factor for market success set forth the need for applying flexible marketing and real-time marketing in order to achieve target efficiency on the level of market, segment, channel, object and

more »

... bject. There are several challenging areas of marketing which can be solved through its automation: management of capacities, increasing the efficiency of marketing communications, overcoming information asymmetry, relevant price setting and management of inventories. Companies invest in designing technologies, software and platforms for automated marketing by striving to facilitate and speed up marketing processes not only on company level but on the level of channel configurations, B2B, B2C and C2C as well. Moving traditional marketing practices to e-environment is not always possible and it does not always achieve success. It is necessary to maintain a balance between the use of new technologies for production, distribution, communication and price setting. Designing and applying innovations for one of these elements only is not enough to achieve long-term market success. Dynamic market changes and offering on behalf of consumers make companies face the issue of the hierarchy of decisions and authorizing managers to make real-time changes. An alternative for companies is to shift part of the processes and activities to automated marketing. The other alternative for them is to give more freedom to their staff and stimulate real-time creative marketing through relevant motivation and organization of positions. It is certain, though, that the speed, scope and control favour the first alternative which will continue to develop in various spheres of economic and social life.