EMBA, Online Business

7/28/2019 EMBA, Online Business

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Electronic Commerce

Starting an Online Business,

Website Evaluation and UsabilityTesting

Md. Rakibul HoqueUniversity of Dhaka


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Electronic Commerce

Starting a New Online Business

Creating a New Company orAdding an Online Project

Step 1: Identify a consumer orbusiness need in the marketplace

Step 2: Investigate the opportunity

Step 3: Determine the businessownersability to meet the need


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Electronic Commerce


Online Business PlanningBusiness plan

A written document that identifies acompanys goals and outlines how thecompany intends to achieve the goals and atwhat cost.

Business case

A document that is used to justify theinvestment of internal, organizationalresources in a specific application or project.


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Electronic Commerce


Initial Funding of a New Online BusinessAngel investor

A wealthy individual who contributes

personal funds and possibly expertise at theearliest stage of business development

Incubator

A company, university, or nonprofit

organization that supports businesses intheir initial stages of development


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Electronic Commerce


Secondary Funding a New OnlineBusiness

Venture capital (VC)

Money invested in a business by anindividual or a group of individuals (venturecapitalists) in exchange for equity in the

businessAdditional Funding: A Large Partner

The IPO


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Electronic Commerce

Roadmap to Becoming an E-Business


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Electronic Commerce

Classification of Web Sites

Informational Web siteA Web site that does little more thanprovide information about the

business and its products and servicesInteractive Web site

A Web site that provides

opportunities for the customers andthe business to communicate andshare information


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Electronic Commerce

Classification of Web Sites

AttractorsWeb site features that attract and interactwith visitors in the target stakeholder group

Transactional Web siteA Web site that sells products and services

Collaborative Web site

A site that allows business partners tocollaborate


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E-commerce and your website

E-commerce simply means selling overthe Internet goods, services,information, whatever. Such businessesbegan in 1995 and generate more than150 billion sales in the USA in 2010.Yes, that's $150,000,000,000 in the USA

alone.


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E-commerce and your website

How do you get your share of the action?Easy.

You create a website that promotes yourproducts

Obtain an Internet address Hire space on a web-hosting company

Upload your pages

Add a payment system Use various promotion services to get your

site noticed.


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Electronic Commerce

Building or Acquiring a Web Site

Building a Web Site

Step 1Select a Web host

Step 2Register a domain name Step 3Create and manage content

Step 4Design the Web site

Step 5Construct the Web site and test Step 6Market and promote the Web site


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Building or Acquiring a Website

You'll be familiar with websites collections ofHMTL pages grouped around some URL likehttp://www.companyname.com. Websites can bevery ambitious, with stunning graphics, animation,sound, database search systems, customerrecognition and a good many other features. Butthey don't need to be. Many successful e-commercesites are half a dozen pages extolling the virtues ofthe product. More can be less, and 'wow' sites willonly hinder customers getting to your products, andmake promotion more difficult.


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Building or Acquiring a Web Site Quality Assurance

Quality assurance is about making surethe Web site design is properly testedbefore it is launched and ensuring that it

continues to perform up to expectationsafter launch.

A lesson most Web designers can learn

from total quality management (TQM)principles is to design the site for easymaintenance.


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Who Builds the Web Site? Do It Yourself

Internal Web site development

The process of building and/or maintainingthe Web site with company staff

Outsource

External Web site development

When the business hires another firm tobuild and/or maintain the Web site


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Hybrid

Partnering Web site development

When a mixture of internal andexternal development is used tobuild and/or maintain a Web site


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Site navigation

Aids that help visitors find the informationthey need quickly and easily

A Generic Navigation Bar


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Electronic Commerce

A Simple Hierarchical Web Site

Structure


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A Web Page Layout Grid


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Web site construction

The initial content creation, design,programming, and installation phases of

a Web sites developmentWeb site maintenance

The on-going process of keeping the

Web site open for business, managingcontent, fixing problems, and makingincremental additions to the site


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Creating Content:

Content is usually created by the

sites owners and developers Buying Content:

Content that is acquired from outside

sources should be supplementalcontent, not primary content


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Finding an URL or Internet Domain

The URL (uniform resource locator) is youraddress or domain on the Internet. You'llwant something that identifies your companyand possibly your line of business. How do

you get a domain? You visit an online company offering domain

for sale. As you are a commercial concern,you'll go for a dot-com, dot-net or possibly a

dot-bd domain. You'll try possible names inthe search box provided until you find asuitable one available.


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Suppose your company is Navana DistributionLtd. You find that navana.com has been taken,and so has distribution.com, both a long timeago. But navana-distribution .com is still free,

and you therefore take that domain for a fewdollars a year. An online credit card facilityaccepts your order, and an email a few minuteslater confirms the purchase. Just as soon as

ownership is recorded by the relevantauthorities, usually within a couple of days, thedomain is yours to go on with to the next stage.


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The Domain

Name

System is a

hierarchical

system witha root

domain, top-

level

domains,

second-level

domains,

and host

computers at

the third

level.


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Registering a Domain NameDomain name

A name-based address that identifies

an Internet-connected serverDomain name registrar

A business that assists prospective

Web site owners with finding andregistering the domain name of theirchoice


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Analysis of an Internet Address


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Hosting Your Site

You are halfway there. You have the sitebuilt, and a domain name to host it under.Now you have to upload the site to a web-

hosting company that will display it on theInternet, 24 hours a day, seven days aweek. Thousands of such web-hostingcompanies exist, and there are now web

hosting directories that enable you to selectby cost, platform type, facilities, etc. all ofwhich are explained by on-site notes.


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Hosting Your Site

You make your choice of hosting company,click through to their site, pay their hostingfee, and can then upload your site to thatcompany's server. The hosting company

will explain how. It's very simple, but you'llneed a cheap or free piece of softwarecalled an FTP program. You can obtain thisfrom any software supplier and use it to

maintain your site thereafter. Onceuploaded, your site goes 'live'. You're onthe Internet.


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Hosting Your Site

Of course if your site has been built by a web

design company, then they'll upload it for you.And if you've built your site online, then all youneed to do is e-mail the hosting company thatyou're ready to start trading.

A web hosting service is a type of Internethosting service that allows individuals andorganizations to make their own websiteaccessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts

are companies that provide space on a serverthey own or lease for use by their clients as wellas providing Internet connectivity, typically in adata center.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_hosting_servicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_hosting_servicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Websitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Webhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_(computing)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_centerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_centerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_centerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_centerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_(computing)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Webhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Webhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Webhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Webhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Wide_Webhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Websitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_hosting_servicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_hosting_servicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_hosting_servicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_hosting_servicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_hosting_service


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Electronic Commerce

Hosting Your Site

ISP hosting serviceA hosting service that provides anindependent, stand-alone Web site for

small and medium-sized businesses.Web hosting service

A dedicated Web site hosting company

that offers a wide range of hostingservices and functionality tobusinesses of all sizes


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Hosting Your Site

Self-hosting

When a business acquires thehardware, software, staff, anddedicated telecommunicationsservices necessary to set up andmanage its own Web site.


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Web Server

A web server provides information andservices to web surfers. So, whensomeone access www.navana-

distribution.com he/she is accessing aweb serverfrom their computer.


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Web Server

When you choose a web server you mustconsider the following things:

Competitive prices (but not too competitive: youget what you pay for).

Good reputation: look for awards and genuinetestimonials.

7/24 email and telephone support.

SSL (Secure Socket Layer) to provide security forpayment transactions.

Adequate security measures.


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Web Server

Appropriate operating system (NT/Windows2000, Linux, Unix).

Direct feed of website data into accountingand inventory databases.

Adequate disk space, with opportunity to addmore.

Sufficient bandwidth, with affordable

increases. Online help: tutorial, manuals, control panel.

Regular site backup, preferably daily.


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Promoting Your SiteWith hundreds of new ecommerce sites

appearing every day on the Internet, it'sgetting mighty crowded out there. How isyour site going to be noticed? By: Getting out a press release

Featuring in business directories, in online andoff-line versions.

Submitting to the search engine.

Using the pay-per-click search engines, whichcharge a few cents to a few dollars for each visitorthat clicks through to your site with a particularsearch phrase.


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Promoting Your Site

Signing up other sites as affiliates, payingthem a commission on the sales they achievefor you.

Using search engine adds.

Persuading other sites to link to yours,possibly through a reciprocal link directory.

Providing free and helpful information on your

site. Advertising off-line in newspapers and

specialist magazines.


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Designing a Killer Web Site

Be easy to find. Give customers what they want.Establish hyperlinks with other businesses,

preferably those selling complementaryproducts.

Include an e-mail option, an address, and a

telephone number in your site.Short, memorable, easy to spell site name

Indicate business


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Give shoppers the ability to track theirorders online.

Offer Web shoppers a special all theirown.

Follow a simple design.


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Assure customers that their onlinetransactions are secure.

Follow up every online transactionwith an order-confirmation e-mail.

Keep your site updated.

Consider hiring a professional todesign your site.


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Web Site Design Tips

Avoid clutter

Avoid huge graphics

Include a menu bar at top of page

Include navigation buttons

Incorporate meaningful contentinto the site


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Include an FAQ section

Include privacy and return policies

Avoid fancy typefaces and small fonts

Watch for typos and misspelled

words


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Avoid small fonts on busybackgrounds

Use contrasting colors for text andgraphics

Be careful with frames

Test the site on different browsersand different size monitors


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Collect information from visitors, butdont put them through a tediousregistration process

Include a search function andcompany contact information

Avoid automated music

Make sure the page looks appealing

Remember: Simpler is better


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Major Components of an EC

Suite

Color and Its psychological


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Effects

A site visitor has formed a first impressionof your site within the first 8 seconds ofclicking on. Appropriate design involves

matching the demographics and content ofexpected visitors to appropriate colors,shapes and typefaces. Color expressesyour sites values, goals and personality.Before using color, ask yourself thisquestion: What is the goal of the website?Entertain? Inform? Sell?


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Effects

In deciding on color for a web site, the firstthing a web designer should consider is

whether the colors will strain the visitorseyes. For example, yellow means caution,but pure yellow will strain your eyes,because it is the first color your eye will fixon.


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Site Evaluation Criteria

Color Shape: A circle represents connection,

community, wholeness, and safety. A

Rectangle represents order, logic andsecurity. A Triangle represents energy,power, balance, law, and silence.

Type: Type should be appropriate andused carefully. Times New Roman, Arial.

Content


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Services

Primary Focus

Ancillaries

Site Classification

Professionalism

Speed


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Consistency

Personalization

Security

Scalability


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Site Usability

Usability is a measure of theeffectiveness users have with their website visits. A poorly designed web site that

uses the latest technology will not be assuccessful as a site that has betterdesign and less technology. The theory

behind usability on the web site is to makethe site as effective, efficient and trouble-free as possible.


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Steps of Site Usability

Visit the site

Search for a product or service

Learn product information Purchase the product or service


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Usability Checklist

Is the site efficient?

Is the site supportive?

Is the site consistent and reliable?

Decide on a writing style and stick to it.

Give visitors what theyre looking for.

Identify your business.


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Usability Checklist

Keep the big picture in mind. Make the site easy to navigate.

Focus on contents before graphics.

Make your text scanable.

Be careful about flashy marketinglanguage.

Encourage visitor feedback.

Test, test and test again.

Documents

EMBA, Online Business