To run an ecommerce website successfully it is important that to know the consumer trend. It is equally important to know the kind of products people buy from your site, the geographical location of the consumers etc.
The condition of global business was not easy at the time when people were not aware about the internet. At that time business transactions, export-import and effective communication between two business parties was not as effective as it is today.
Intranet can definitely serve as a very powerful tool to communicate in an organization. But you need to keep in mind a few points which can help you achieve your objective of making it a successful platform for your organization.