Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is one of the first steps in developing an e-commerce presence?
What is one of the first steps in developing an e-commerce presence?
What should be established in the e-commerce planning phase regarding financial aspects?
What should be established in the e-commerce planning phase regarding financial aspects?
Which consideration is critical when choosing e-commerce merchant server software?
Which consideration is critical when choosing e-commerce merchant server software?
What aspect involves understanding the potential customer base in e-commerce?
What aspect involves understanding the potential customer base in e-commerce?
Signup and view all the answers
What additional tool can enhance website performance?
What additional tool can enhance website performance?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following is crucial for developing a mobile website?
Which of the following is crucial for developing a mobile website?
Signup and view all the answers
What should be included in the business model of an e-commerce venture?
What should be included in the business model of an e-commerce venture?
Signup and view all the answers
What is an important aspect when selecting hardware for an e-commerce site?
What is an important aspect when selecting hardware for an e-commerce site?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the primary function of web application servers in e-commerce?
What is the primary function of web application servers in e-commerce?
Signup and view all the answers
Which component allows shoppers to review and edit their product selections?
Which component allows shoppers to review and edit their product selections?
Signup and view all the answers
What role does credit card processing play in e-commerce?
What role does credit card processing play in e-commerce?
Signup and view all the answers
What type of middleware is used in web application servers?
What type of middleware is used in web application servers?
Signup and view all the answers
Which statement describes the trend in e-commerce software tools?
Which statement describes the trend in e-commerce software tools?
Signup and view all the answers
In an online catalog, what information is typically included?
In an online catalog, what information is typically included?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the purpose of integrating functionality in e-commerce software?
What is the purpose of integrating functionality in e-commerce software?
Signup and view all the answers
What does a shopping cart facilitate in an e-commerce environment?
What does a shopping cart facilitate in an e-commerce environment?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following platforms is specifically mentioned for small and medium-sized businesses?
Which of the following platforms is specifically mentioned for small and medium-sized businesses?
Signup and view all the answers
What is a key factor to consider when selecting an e-commerce software package?
What is a key factor to consider when selecting an e-commerce software package?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following platforms is categorized as a high-end solution?
Which of the following platforms is categorized as a high-end solution?
Signup and view all the answers
What aspect is NOT listed as a key factor in selecting an e-commerce software package?
What aspect is NOT listed as a key factor in selecting an e-commerce software package?
Signup and view all the answers
Which e-commerce platforms are considered mid-range options?
Which e-commerce platforms are considered mid-range options?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the primary objective of unit testing?
What is the primary objective of unit testing?
Signup and view all the answers
What is a primary risk associated with building your own web system?
What is a primary risk associated with building your own web system?
Signup and view all the answers
In the context of web hosting options, what is co-location?
In the context of web hosting options, what is co-location?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following statements about outsourcing is true?
Which of the following statements about outsourcing is true?
Signup and view all the answers
What does hosting a website entail for a business?
What does hosting a website entail for a business?
Signup and view all the answers
What is a possible benefit of outsourcing in building a web system?
What is a possible benefit of outsourcing in building a web system?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following best describes system testing?
Which of the following best describes system testing?
Signup and view all the answers
Which skill set is essential for building your own web system?
Which skill set is essential for building your own web system?
Signup and view all the answers
What does vertical scaling refer to in hardware scaling?
What does vertical scaling refer to in hardware scaling?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following is a method of horizontal scaling?
Which of the following is a method of horizontal scaling?
Signup and view all the answers
What is one advantage of outsourcing hosting for a website?
What is one advantage of outsourcing hosting for a website?
Signup and view all the answers
Which of the following is NOT a search engine optimization tool mentioned?
Which of the following is NOT a search engine optimization tool mentioned?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the purpose of using metatags in website design?
What is the purpose of using metatags in website design?
Signup and view all the answers
What strategy can be used to identify market niches?
What strategy can be used to identify market niches?
Signup and view all the answers
How can link building be beneficial in website optimization?
How can link building be beneficial in website optimization?
Signup and view all the answers
What is a key consideration in basic website design for e-commerce?
What is a key consideration in basic website design for e-commerce?
Signup and view all the answers
What does Mobile First Design prioritize when creating a website?
What does Mobile First Design prioritize when creating a website?
Signup and view all the answers
Which design approach allows a website to adapt its layout based on the device's screen resolution?
Which design approach allows a website to adapt its layout based on the device's screen resolution?
Signup and view all the answers
Which option is the least expensive method for creating a mobile-friendly site?
Which option is the least expensive method for creating a mobile-friendly site?
Signup and view all the answers
Which design method requires the most programming and development resources?
Which design method requires the most programming and development resources?
Signup and view all the answers
What does Adaptive Web Design (AWD) do to optimize a site for different devices?
What does Adaptive Web Design (AWD) do to optimize a site for different devices?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the primary goal of Mobile Presence Design considerations?
What is the primary goal of Mobile Presence Design considerations?
Signup and view all the answers
Which design approach can utilize browser API effectively?
Which design approach can utilize browser API effectively?
Signup and view all the answers
In what order should a mobile-first strategy approach website design?
In what order should a mobile-first strategy approach website design?
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
E-commerce 2023-2024: Business, Technology, and Society
- This book covers the eighteenth edition of e-commerce.
- The book discusses the aspects of e-commerce in 2023-2024.
Chapter 4: Building an E-commerce Presence
-
Learning Objectives:
- Understanding the questions, steps, and processes for building an e-commerce presence.
- Identifying considerations for choosing web servers and merchant software.
- Understanding hardware choices and additional website performance tools.
- Understanding mobile website and app development.
Imagine Your E-commerce Presence
- The Vision: Includes mission statement, target audience, intended market space, strategic analysis, marketing matrix, development timeline, and preliminary budget.
- Where's the Money?: Includes business model(s), revenue model(s), target audience demographics, and market size/growth.
- Content Source: Includes SWOT analysis, e-commerce presence map, timeline, and cost estimates (simple website, small startup, large corporate).
Figure 4.1 SWOT Analysis
- Strengths: Examples include current sites addressing market needs, unique approach, ease of navigation, growing customer base, superior social strategy.
- Weaknesses: Examples include limited financial resources, no prior online experience, no existing user base, and lack of media attention.
- Opportunities: Examples include addressing large markets with unmet needs and capturing significant market share.
- Threats: Examples include competition copying approach, advertisers not wanting to try a new site, technological development, and low market entry costs.
Figure 4.2 E-commerce Presence Map
- Shows various channels for building an e-commerce presence (website/app, social media, email, print, and offline media).
Building an E-commerce Site: A Systematic Approach
- Management Challenges: Clear understanding of business objectives and choosing the right technology.
- Factors to Consider: Management, hardware architecture, software, design, telecommunications, and human resources.
Planning: The Systems Development Life Cycle
- Methodology for understanding business objectives for a system and designing an appropriate, five-step solution.
- Systems analysis/planning
- Systems design
- Building the system
- Testing
- Implementation
Figure 4.5 Systems Development Life Cycle
- Shows a graphic representation of the systems development life cycle.
System Analysis/Planning
- Business Objectives: Capabilities of the e-commerce site.
- System Functionalities: Information system capabilities needed to achieve business objectives.
- Information Requirements: Information elements the system must produce to achieve business objectives; example table provides business objectives, system functionalities, and the related information requirements.
Systems Design: Hardware and Software Platforms
- System design specification: Detailed description of a system's main components and relationships.
- Logical design: Data flow diagrams, processing functions, and databases.
- Physical design: Actual physical, software components, models, and specifications.
Building the System: In-House Versus Outsourcing
- Outsourcing: Hiring vendors for services involved in building an e-commerce site.
- Build-your-own: Choosing internal teams for creating the platform.
- Hosting: Outsourcing the hosting of the online platform and co-location.
Figure 4.7 Choices in Building and Hosting
- Illustrates different options for building and hosting an e-commerce site (in-house vs. outsourcing).
Testing the System
- Unit testing: Validating individual components of a website.
- System testing: Evaluating the entire website as an integrated system.
- Acceptance testing: Final tests to ensure the website's business objectives are met.
Implementation, Maintenance, and Optimization
- Systems break down: Often unpredictable and costly.
- Maintenance: Ongoing cost, with annual costs for a $40,000 site potentially being similar to the initial development cost.
- Benchmarking: Evaluating the performance of the website.
Web Server Software
- Apache: Leading web server software, used with UNIX/Linux; stable and reliable.
- Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS): Second major web server software; Windows-based; integrated and user-friendly.
Site Management Tools and Dynamic Page Generation Tools
- Tools: To monitor links, identify orphan files, monitor customer purchases, and evaluate market campaign effectiveness.
- Dynamic Tools: Enables personalized content and dynamic content generation. Lowers costs and offers price differentiation. Enables WCMS.
Application Servers
- Web application servers: Provide specific business features for a website.
E-commerce Merchant Server Software
- Functionality for sales, online catalogs, shopping carts, and payment processing.
- Different options available: Shopify, WordPress/WooCommerce, Wix, Square, Weebly. High-end options include SAP Commerce, Oracle ATG Web Commerce and Adobe Commerce.
Choosing Hardware
- Platform: Underlying computing equipment needed for e-commerce.
- Objectives: enough capacity to meet peak demand without excess costs, consideration of factors affecting speed, capacity, and scalability of the site.
Right-Sizing Your Hardware: The Demand Side
- Customer demand: Most important consideration.
- Factors: Number of concurrent users, nature of customer requests, content type, required security measures and legacy issues.
Right-Sizing Your Hardware: The Supply Side
- Scalability: Ability of site to increase as demand warrants.
- Vertical scaling: Increasing individual components’ capacity.
- Horizontal scaling: Employing multiple computers to share workload for scaling.
- Outsourcing hosting: To manage high-demand conditions.
Other E-commerce Site Tools
- Website design: Business considerations, search engine optimization (SEO) tools, and search engine placement.
- Tools: Metatags, titles, content, market niches, expertise, links, and buy ads. Local considerations for e-commerce.
E-Commerce Website Features That Annoy Customers
- Features that are often considered frustrating to customers, such as requiring pre-content ads, too many clicks, problematic links, confusing navigation, content viewing obstructions, slow-loading pages, dated content.
- Features that annoy customers, such as music that plays automatically, and other audio/visual distractions, unprofessional design, text-rendering issues (legibility issues and distracting backgrounds). Necessary and clear returns policies.
Table 4.9 Eight Most Important Factors in Successful E-commerce Site Design
- Provides a breakdown of factors for successful e-commerce site design: Functionality, informational content, ease of use, site navigation, ease of purchase, multi-browser functionality, simple graphics, and legible text (ease of reading).
Personalization Tools
- Personalization: treating people differently based on their personal qualities. Enables customization for optimal product recommendations and offers personalization based on user activity and purchase history.
The Information Policy Set
- Privacy policy: How the site handles personal information.
- Accessibility rules: Enabling functionality for people with disabilities.
Planning and Building a Mobile Presence
- Mobile website or mobile web app.
Mobile Presence Design Considerations
- Platform constraints: Graphics, file sizes, and mobile-first approaches.
- Designs: Responsive and adaptive web design accommodating various screen resolutions.
- Server versions: Site versions optimized for specific devices.
Mobile Presence: Performance and Cost Considerations
- Mobile-first design, mobile websites, and mobile web apps compared to native apps in terms of cost and performance.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Related Documents
Description
Test your knowledge on the foundational aspects of e-commerce development. This quiz covers critical topics such as financial planning, software selection, and mobile website considerations. Perfect for beginners looking to enhance their understanding of online business.