6`2 discussion

Running Head: ESTABLISHING AN ECOMMERCE PRESENCE 2

ESTABLISHING AN ECOMMERCE PRESENCE 2

Establishing an Ecommerce Presence

Name

Institution

Date

Problem

Brick and motor Business is seeking to establish an e-commerce presence. The owner of the business is looking for technological solutions that will manage inventory and shipping, payment processing, manage customers and integrate online shopping. Currently, the business is struggling to reach and attract new customers. The business is also experiencing challenges with regard to managing customer information and leveraging such information to aid decision-making. The main goal of the business is to promote growth in the e-commerce space.

Recommended technologies

The technologies selected to address the above challenges include cloud computing and AI solutions. I believe the above two technologies are curial for succeeding in the e-commerce space and the solutions provided by the technologies can be leveraged to automate, multiple business processes, attract more customers and improve customer experience. Cloud computing solutions can be leveraged catering to the ever-changing market scenarios associated with e-commerce (Almarabeh & Majdalawi, 2018). for instance, cloud computing will enable the business to upscale or downscale its products and services subject to traffic, demand, and seasonal spikes. AI solutions will be important especially with the adoption of big data. AI solutions can be used to target customers and initiate product recommendations. AI-powered chatbots can be used in engaging customers and providing personalized services hence improving customer experience.

Objective

The main objective is integrating the new technologies with minimal or no errors. The major issue to be targeted while integrating the new technologies is avoiding misconfigurations especially with regard to cloud computing. Cloud misconfigurations have proven to be a major security issue for the majority of businesses moving to the cloud with could misconfigurations representing the biggest threat associated with cloud security. Successful integration of cloud computing and artificial intelligence solutions is crucial for establishing and promoting an e-commerce presence which is the main target for the business.

Technology requirements

The first requirement is reconfiguring the current infrastructures used to fit cloud computing solutions. The second is getting the required internet connection and bandwidth in order to boost business performance and activity associated with migrating to the cloud. The next thing is ensuring a secure connection which I recommend obtaining Fiber to the premise to guarantee the most secure possible connection. Another requirement is creating an offline backup for the available data and services that will enable continuity of key and basic operations during downtime or in case of a disaster hence minimizing losses (Sohaib & Naderpour, 2017).

Another requirement involves accounting for all security risks and having a plan in place for mitigating identified security risks. The next requirement involves getting the team ready for cloud migration and the use of AI solutions. This will majorly be achieved via training them before fully integrating the new technologies. In minimizing or avoiding errors such as misconfigurations automated configurations solutions are recommended which will greatly reduce the element of human error that significantly contributes to misconfigurations in the cloud. In addition automated solutions the businesses applied in a much better position to identify any cloud complexities ensuring consistency in its cloud platforms via its autonomous methods.

Competitors and technology

The first competitor identified is ZARA a fashion brand founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega and Rosalia Mera. The company is an established fashion brand with over 2000 stores over the world. Leveraging cloud computing solutions has been one of the reasons for the company’s success in e-commerce in recent years. The company has leveraged cloud solutions to making ZARA one of the most affordable fashion brands by cutting operational costs. The company has further leverage cloud computing solutions in streamlining its supply chain and attaining efficiency. For example, cloud computing has enabled market specialists, managers, and designers to exchange data and engage in real-time hence speeding u the designing process. According to Sohaib & Naderpour, (2017) cloud computing solution has also greatly impacted their fast fashion model by equipping designers with up-to-date data needed for designing and delivering fashion products as fast as possible.

The second competitor involves H&M a multinational clothing retail company found in 1947 by Arling Persson and has over 500 stores all over the world. H&M is a well-established fashion brand that is known for its fashion clothing model for women men and children. H&M has leveraged AI solutions to attaining success in its retail stores and e-commerce. The company leverages AI solutions in obtaining more insight about their customers and using it to deliver products and services as per the demands of customers. The company started incorporating AI solutions in the business in 2016 upon identifying the need to AI in order to sustain the company’s growth.

For example, the company leverages AI solutions in stocking popular items. It achieves this by leveraging AI algorithms in each store by analyzing store receipts and items purchased to identify the most popular brands and those that need promoting (Howard, 2019). The company further uses AI in predicting market demand via data insights generated. They have also employed AI in their warehouses to creating automated warehouses that enable the company to actualize next deliveries to their customers who expect fast and hassle-free deliveries when purchasing items online.

References

Almarabeh, T., & Majdalawi, Y. K. (2018). Cloud Computing of E-commerce. Modern Applied Science, 13(1), p27. https://doi.org/10.5539/mas.v13n1p27

Howard, J. (2019). Artificial intelligence: Implications for the future of work. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 62(11), 917–926. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.23037

Patil, M., & Rao, M. (2018). Studying the Contribution of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in the Interface Design of E-commerce Site. Smart Intelligent Computing and Applications, 197–206. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1927-3_20

Sohaib, O., & Naderpour, M. (2017, July 1). Decision making on adoption of cloud computing in e-commerce using fuzzy TOPSIS. IEEE Xplore. https://doi.org/10.1109/FUZZ-IEEE.2017.8015404

Vanneschi, L., Horn, D. M., Castelli, M., & Popovič, A. (2018). An artificial intelligence system for predicting customer default in e-commerce. Expert Systems with Applications, 104, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2018.03.025