E-Commerce Applications/E-shop: exercises
Exercise based on: E-Commerce Infrastructure
Checklist
You should work on this exercise from the first session onwards.
The purpose of the exercise is to help you identify and investigate the important ecommerce issues, which you need to address in your assessed assignment. By the
end of this exercise you will have:
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read and reflected on all the items on the e-commerce infrastructure checklist
researched any items you don’t understand
prioritised the items that signal risk or raise integration issues
identified the items relevant to your RFP (Request For Proposal)
When planning entry into e-commerce, many businesses make the mistake of
focusing on technology rather than ‘value’. Customers don’t come to buy technology
they want products and services, and ‘value’ with it.
Have a look at the notes on ‘value systems’, (located in ‘Learning Resources’,
’Information’). As you work through the checklist identify factors, which add value in
terms of ‘service’, ‘customer relationships’, ‘publishing’ and ‘delivery’.
Almost 40% of the cost of selling online is after the user presses the buy button and
becomes a customer. This is when critical processes occur. Payment processing,
order fulfilment, product delivery, and product returns handling, make up the reality of
e-commerce. These processes underlying e-commerce and involve risk and
integration problems which can make or break your relationship with the customer,
your profitability and future business.
What to do
Print the Infrastructure checklist (located in ‘Learning Resources’, ’Information’).
Not all of these questions will apply to you business. Some of them you will not be
able to tackle in your Request For Proposal (RFP), but you need to be aware of the
whole picture before selecting priorities.
1. Work through the questions and investigate any you do not understand.
2. Delete the ones that do not apply to your business.
3. Priorities the questions (1 = must do as part of RFP), (2 = must signal as
important but may not be able to address in the RFP), (3 = uncertain items, return
to these).
4. Use the questions you have classified as 1 and 2 to plan the investigation for
your RFP e.g. interview questions.
E-Commerce Applications 2007-08
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