Ba 685 - Electronic Commerce Initiatives

Electronic Commerce Initiatives

Brenda Mallary

BA 685/eBusiness

27 August 2011

Dr. Bari Courts

Abstract

Ecommerce needs to be treated as and separate new business venture, even if it is part of an existing business. There are a number of critical success factors that need to be looked at when planning an ecommerce initiative. This paper also explores the findings of three articles dealing with electronic commerce initiatives (Higher Education Weblog 2009, Nowshade Kabir 2009, Shartman, 2009).

Electronic Commerce Initiatives

To begin with e-commerce is a project that is very intensive than any other project. Perhaps the first detail that a company needs is a good background in project management (Training Camp 2011). A second consideration is the e-commerce extension of the existing business. A new business needs to figure out at a minimum:

* Project Sales

* Inventory Requirements

* Employee and Staffing Requirements

* Cash Flow

* Rate of Return on the project (Higher Education Weblog, 2009)

Customers who shop the web may never have heard of your existing business, therefore the web provides an opportunity to access a completely new customer base, as well as improve service to an existing customer base. The number one consideration in developing an e-commerce website is proper planning. "Planning is the key to success in e-commerce, that is definitely what I would stress," says David Albert, president of Publishing Dynamics, a Web-services consulting firm in Chicago. "Any business owner needs to do a cost benefit analysis before starting an e-commerce venture." (Higher Education Weblog 2009) Robert T. Plant, the author of "eCommerce: Formulation of a Strategy," (Prentice Hall, 2000) says that "It starts with the customer. What is the value proposition that you're offering? Why would somebody want to buy what you are selling?"(Higher Education Weblog 2009)

One important consideration is what type of storefront do you want for your business? The look and the feel are the most importantly the ease of operation. The objective of the e-commerce storefront is to sell the merchandise. Alert recommends that before you hire a designer go out on the web and check the competition. Then try to number the websites and see how well the products are being displayed. See how easy it is to use the web to purchase an item. Then when your company is deciding on a web designer, look at how the websites work and compare it to other sites. This is where the company needs to get into the nuts and bolts on how this is going to work. If the website is not inviting and easy to use, it will cost the company sales.

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