Web Store Design Layout Project 5

Running head: WEBSTORE LAYOUT DESIGN 1

WEBSTORE LAYOUT DESIGN 6

Webstore layout design

C University

name

Webstore Layout Design

Channel for the Webstore

The best type of channel that would be chosen for the web store development is the B2C channel. This model is definitive in it originality based on the fact that there is a business to the interactive customer interface. Characteristically, in choosing this channel, there is targeting that its core which allows for the information gathering to be much more comfortable. Therefore there is little consideration in setting up especially when using Amazon for the web store. This is because there is already as the interacting interface that has been established by Amazon that creates a platform through which purchase of goods can easily be displayed, and shipping can be arranged. Choosing Amazon means there is less cost in setting up and there is room for financial management that is more personalized; therefore there in use of online banking tools that is made easier. The profitability is in eth the fact that reduced overhead increase the profit margin over reachability to a large market share.

Essential Support Service

For a successful web store, there are key areas that are essential as part of the support services tackling communication, payments, orders, and logistics. In terms of the logistics, the aspect of the search for this has already been made easier with the Amazon platform. There is already a search bar that allows the improvement of the search competency and thus accuracy in the location of products. Also, this search bar allows for comparability purpose that focus on the quality as well as customer needs (Entrepreneurs, 2015). By this measure, there is a sense of equality of competition that not only works in product improvement, but it also allows for the web store to conclusively determine product placement for maximization of searchability as well as competitive advantage.

However, there is a need for the consideration of the customer response which comes in the form of a product review. Therefore, providing a chance for a feedback communication mechanism after use, this is essential to understand the improvement of product type and the response to quality (Khurana, 2018). At the same time, it is essential to have market integration system that allows a combination of the retail management within different market places. In this way, there is a provision of listings and categorization that makes reachability of product easy for the customers. A good one would be E-bay market integration would allow for a more extensive market consideration (Entrepreneurs, 2015). Lastly, there is customer interaction that is necessary for the determination of their satisfaction. This will involve great communication through social media in Instagram and YouTube that will allow for a reaction to products, unveiling and answering the question of product specification as well as the customer input on its development of interaction including packaging (Khurana, 2018).

Webstore Analysis

Looking at Gap Inc. Piperlime as an apparel web store has been experiencing challenges and thus failure of the company in catching up to its competitors. The evidence of this failure is seen due to the lack of emotional appeal in shopping especially when it comes to clothing and shoes. The detachment of on-hand service provided a challenge in customer appeal. Also, the virtuality of shopping gave an aspect of detachment from sensory of touch and smell, which is one of the things that gives satisfaction in shopping. This is especially true due to eh the fact that the web store did not have any physical outlet. Therefore there was a hardship in the attraction of new customer as most were those the loyal customer whose sale was less than 100 million that was negative in terms of the sale range of Gap in general (Wahba, 2015).

However, the same company has seen its success with the Old Navy brand which has seen a global brand growth due to the development of a strong relationship with the customers. This is due to its interactiveness in which value is put on the competitiveness it offers hence a more customer friendly pricing (Tyler, 2019). The quality of the products is maintained despite the strategy of discounting. As compared to other Gap products, this site has been successful in attracting this customer through an efficient service. The availability of stores within the rich provide more transparency of service that is attractive in the delivery of customer experience. At the same time, there is high media hype of the site that includes a social media presence that makes it advertisement and reachability easy.

References

Entrepreneurs. (2015, February 25). Essentials for E-Commerce Success. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/thesba/2015/02/25/essentials-for-ecommerce-success/#2474dedc492b

Khurana, J. (2018, December 10). How to Do E-commerce Communication Right. The Balance Small Business. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-to-do-ecommerce-communication-right-1141640

Tyler, J. (2019, March 5). We visited Old Navy and saw why it became Gap's biggest asset before it was announced it was spinning off as its own company (GPS). Business Insider. Retrieved from https://www.pulse.com.gh/bi/strategy/we-visited-old-navy-and-saw-why-it-became-gaps-biggest-asset-before-it-was-announced/bbq568j

Wahba, P. (2015, January 23). Gap drops Piperlime to focus on fixing its major brands. Fortune Magazine. Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2015/01/23/gap-drops-online-piperlime-brand-to-focus-on-fixing-its-major-brands/

Week 2

Naming Conventions

The naming convention that would be used for the website in HTML with .html extensions. This is because, in the internet of things, it is one of the easiest to uses in any engines and across different interfaces then another programming languages (VTech SEO, n.d). Therefore it makes it easier for navigation through the site as well as its formation. The naming will be alphanumeric only to keep its integrity; there will be no use of spaces in the file names, lower case only, and recording of where the file is saved to avoid confusion (The New Code, 2017). A page will always be titled when being created hence identification of the content without really opening.

Archiving

The niche that will be served with this website will be adult men and women interested in sportswear within the United States. This is because the website will be informative about sports equipment and related wear and events. The site will fit in the competitive market by specialization in specific wear and identification of the value added to the customer rather than on the cost. Quality will be one of the main instruments of focus to optimization of return of experience by the consumers (Lake, 2018).

Attraction to Customers

In recognition of the competitive advantage, there will be a presentation of the educative aspect of sports with critical elements that would invite a community development within the cycle of sportsmen and women to allow interactive communication with each other as well as constructive criticism. In this aspect, the main aim is to empower change from the sportsmen and women rather than force it on them while including diversification.

Target Audience

The target audiences are men and women between 20- 35 years old with an affinity towards sports as their hobby or full-time job. The main characteristic of this demography is that part of their expenditure is focused on improving their craft and hence are determined to be the best with high value for efficiency and quality. Therefore their preferences are in the identification of how the specs of the product would enhance their achievability and competitiveness. Therefore, this demography has jobs, or family paying for their craft and thus there is room for flexibility and trail of new products as they are open to experimentation.

Business Model

The best business model that will address this population is the B2C storefront retail where there will be pricing and product pricing corresponding element while at the same time, the specification can easily be identified ad questions asked immediately. At the same time, it focuses on the customer and thus an indication of available units to understand their ability to get the product hence creating a sense of uniqueness and luxury. It also allows for content advertising with mixed fee base as well as bank financing based on analytics/traffic.

CRM Development

The CRM would be developed by incorporation of the newsletter, live chat room, email contact and also a phone. The primary initiative will be a quick response and identification of needs through sorting creating direct contact with the customers. At the same time, there will be a feedback platform that will allow for direct comment and review of products.

Search

The probable word that would be used in searching include; affordable clothing, sports events, experts on sporting activities, clothes for women, clothes for men, the durability of clothes, things that are important to take in a sporting event, sporting equipment and so on.

Inventory Strategy

The inventory strategy that would be used for the site is the identification of the demand through which the cost will be priced based on quality and thus determined through product development costing. As a result, there will be consideration of the overhead cost in terms of the insurance in delivery and number of units’ available hence both fixed and variable overhead costs.

Order Fulfillment

This will be handled by the use of real-time shipping calculator that is informative for both the customer as well as the company. In this way, there will be several options which a customer will be able to compare to fit within their budget. At the same time, there will be real-time tracking allowed.

Sales Taxes

The sales taxes would be handled through internet tax which will be used based on the analytics. Therefore, taxation will be based on internet usage and the bundles from service provider tariffs. It makes it easier for establishment and accountability from both sides while stabilizing the cost of the product.

References

The New Code. (2017). HTML Naming Conventions and File Management. Retrieved from http://thenewcode.com/30/HTML-Naming-Conventions-and-File-Management

VTech SEO. (n.d). Advantages of HTML. Retrieved from http://www.vtech-seo.com/web-design-articles/advantages-of-html.html

Lake, L. (2018, August 12). Defining Your Niche Market. The Balance Small Business. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancesmb.com/defining-your-niche-market-2296131

WEEK 3

Continuity Plan

Objectivity is important in recognition of the impact of a business continuity plan for the webstore. By delineating the issue and challenges that may be present, there is a definition of the disruptions that are likely to occur and thus potential threat determination early enough to mitigate the day to day operations (IT Governance, n.d). In the event of a disaster, the first step will be the identification and analysis of critical products and services such that there is prioritization of the processes. This is done through first the assessment of the control areas in which they would likely hit. Protection is then set in this area through restrictions and putting up reinforcements. It is then followed by the determination of the impact in terms of revenue and customer service reach. In following there is communication to the customers of the issue at hand with an identification of possible timeline to be fixed. This communication will pave the way for internal communication from the point of the first contact to the disaster recovery team immediately for the identification of a solution. In the end, it goes back to communicating with the customer on the solution that has been done and reassurance of return of services.

Security Policy

The continuity plan is one of the measures of the controls in place. Also, there is the security policy which for the webstore state; “We collect sensitive information which is encrypted and transmitted to use securely. Verification of this can be viewed through the secure lock icon at the bottom of the browser. The information collected is for billing, customer services, and feedback communication. Given this, we take precaution to make sure that the information is protected online and offline.”

Security and privacy page

We collect personal data about emails, names, transaction, payment source, contact for the identification purposes and account registration. This data provides a general lead in terms of the processing, answering questions aptly, and sending a tip on the latest good and where to shop best. We have a legal basis under the EU to recognize consent of information collections and use, identification of this information as part of the contractual agreement, legitimate interest pronunciation, and the data cannot be used for any other purpose other than those defined in the terms and conditions. Consequently, this data can be accessed by the financial processors in consideration of payments made, the survey platform, out communication manager, our marketing providers, the website management services, the customer services, and the website designers who are under a contractual agreement and thus bounded by the company privacy and security policies. This data will be stored no more than five years for auditing purpose, and contact. On the other hand, some of the data will only be kept until unsubscription from the site. The user has the right to amend, erase, request for data exportation, objection to using, and access to the data (Cleverism, 2018).

Points during the Transactions Process

In recognition of the security and privacy, the communication by the webstore will be during account registration for the verification of personal data and passwords, during transaction for payment hence verification of data in connection to the service provider, during communication of upcoming release hence emailing of information, and indirect communication when answering questions and providing feedback of request for survey.

Risks to Web Store Data

Risk	Likelihood	Mitigation measures
Failure Of Utility	Possible	Provision of an off-grid backup power source
Sabotage By Malware And Hacking	Highly likely	Provision of firewalls for protection, provision of a secure network, and back up information, availability of direct communication with cybercrime fighting unit
Sabotage Due To Product Imitation	Highly likely	Use of label and logo, trademarking, provision of secure lock that identifies the true and legal website
Improper financial transaction	Likely	Secure direct communication across the affiliate service providers through a known representative to ensure that there can be refunds or completion of payments

Questions to Ask When Choosing a Merchant Account and Payment Gateway Provider

The webstore service is time reliant, available in broader geographic areas hence accessibility, require trust, should be protected by both law and business ethics, provide room for the definition of terms, and should be reliable (Tailored Transactions, n.d). Therefore the question to ask include:

· How long the provider has been in business – track record and references

· Length of service offered (is it live and 24/7) – a time of service offered across timelines. The compliance of the payment systems terms to PCI

· The type of services for fraud protection that is offered

· Contract length and terms of the agreement in cancellation and early termination, other fees that are present

· The deposition period for funds

Charges that Credit Card Companies Charge

The companies charge annual fees, cash advance fee, balance transfer fees, fiancé charge expedited fees, late fee, over the limit fee, late common fees, and returns check fees. The alternative would be to use automated sales in which the process is inclusive of the customers, alternative payment with direct online payments, and shopping carts. The best options for the webstore are the direct online payment and the shopping carts as they give control to the user and direct deposition to the webstore account. It makes the transition more comfortable and more simulative of traditional retail.

References

Cleverism. (2018, May 25). Privacy Policy. Retrieved from https://www.cleverism.com/privacy/

Irby, L. (2018, September 9). Common Credit Card Fees and How You Can Avoid Them. The Balance Small Businesses. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/common-credit-card-fees-960254

IT Governance. (n.d). Business Continuity Management (BCM). https://www.itgovernance.co.uk/bc_dr

Tailored Transactions. (n.d). 10 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Merchant Services Provider. Retrieved from http://www.tailoredtransactions.com/10-questions-to-ask-when-choosing-a-merchant-services-provider