E-Business Principle of Spinneys Supermarket

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Project planning and feasibility study
Systems analysis and requirements definition
Systems design
Implementation
Integration and testing
Works Cited

Introduction

To meet the needs of Spinneys Supermarket, it will be necessary to come up with a systematic approach to help it capture online customers. As a consultant, I believe that it will be required to develop a system that uses QR code to help this firm achieve its new market objectives. When developing the new system, the following steps should be followed.

Project planning and feasibility study

The first step will be to plan for the project and conduct a feasibility study. The feasibility study will help in determining whether the cost that will be incurred in putting up the project is worth the system. This firm should be able to recover its investment in the project after a short while.

When conducting the feasibility study, the team will take into consideration a number of facts. It will be necessary to consider the fact that Spinneys Supermarket wishes to utilize the waiting time of people in the metro stations. The second factor is that the firm wants to use the power of QR codes.

Finally, the firm is not planning to invest in its data center. It means that it will be necessary to find the best deals in outsourcing these services. The current minimum cost of a database app is about $ 8000 in this country. This investment can quickly be recovered if this project is successfully implemented.

Systems analysis and requirements definition

One of the major requirements given by Spinneys Supermarket is that the firm is not planning to invest in its data center. Any computing that is required in this initiative will not be done within the firm. The aim is to reduce the cost of computing infrastructure (Guo 42). All these services will be outsourced.

When conducting a system analysis and requirement definition in this context, therefore, the marketing unit will not need to invest in buying computing services because they will be outsourced. It may only need to purchase iOS Apps such as iFrame Unlimited that will help in reaching out to customers using mobile phones, tablets, and other online devices.

For instance, iFrame Unlimited is very popular in reaching out to clients who are on Facebook. It may help this firm to reach out to customers who are in the metro or bus stations who may consider going to Facebook as they wait for their means of transport (Meier and Stormer 81).

Systems design

According to Palmer (65), developing a system that attracts online customers may be a very complex and costly task. However, Spinneys Supermarket has decided to make the process simpler by eliminating the need to design the infrastructure. The firm will only focus on the iOS Apps using its currently existing infrastructure.

Any additional infrastructural needs will be handled by the outsourced companies. The company will need to design a website that will enable its customers to do online shopping. The QR code will not only allow the firm to monitor online activities of the customers but also direct them to the website where they can have online transactions.

Implementation

At the implementation stage, Spinneys Supermarket will need to develop a website and integrate the mobile apps that will help it reach out to the targeted customers. It will also need to seal a deal with the relevant firms because most of the infrastructure required for the project will be outsourced. Companies like Digital Poin8 may be of great help in developing the website.

They can also be outsourced because they have the necessary infrastructure that can support the new system for the supermarket. The firm will need cloud computing services such as VMware. This company will use the highest module code of v40 which is 177×177 modules to achieve the best results.

Integration and testing

The last stage will be the integration and testing of the system. Spinneys Supermarket will need to test if the QR codes help in monitoring online activities of the customers and in directing them to the website of the firm. The supermarket must have its transport infrastructure to facilitate Same-Day-Delivery principle it is embracing.

If a client makes a purchase when at the metro station, the firm should have the capacity to deliver the product to the agreed location within the stated period. Spinneys Supermarket will use QR codes instead of the traditional UPC barcodes. The current stage of QR code in the technology hype cycle can be classified as Plateau of Productivity as of 2015.

This technology has gone through a series of developments ever since it was developed. According to Siau and Erickson (94), QR code has become a trusted application for firms that seek to target customers using mobile phones, tablets, and personal computers. The app has found additional tasks that make it very effective for e-commerce.

Other than tracking down the activities of customers who are online, it also directs them to the website of the firm so that they can make purchases. The technology is at its advanced stage even though more improvements have been witnessed in the recent past. In case a mobile site is used as a part of the solution for conducting e-commerce, the 3 Cs of e-commerce will still have to apply to achieve the expected results.

However, some fundamental adjustments may be necessary. For example, the content may emphasize on audio, photos, and short videos instead of texts. It is always a little more complicated to use short-text-messages in mobile gadgets such as phones because of their sizes. The community that can be reached when using mobile sites is by far greater than when the target group only uses personal computers.

According to Kajan (112), phones have become an integral part of our lives irrespective of one’s social class. The final C entails the commerce aspect of the system. It is the most complex section. Gerber (37) says that many people prefer doing business in a brick and mortar setting. They want to engage in a transaction with people they know and trust. It makes it difficult to attract them using an online platform.

To develop an e-commerce strategy, Spinneys Supermarket will need to take advantage of its popularity in the current market. When going online, it should first target its current customers who trust its products. The content placed on the website and social media platforms should have proper graphics. The current customers should form its first community when it goes online.

If necessary, the firm may need to advertise its Same-Day-Delivery strategy so that clients will be aware of the online actions of the company. Finally, it is also suggested that the marketing team should engage customers who visit its stores in online trade.

A team of Sales representatives may help them to make online purchases using customers’ mobile devices. It will inform them that they may not necessarily need to visit the stores when they want to make their purchases. They can always buy the products in the online stores.

Works Cited

Gerber, Michael. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It. New York: Harper Business, 2013. Print.

Guo, Yimeei. Research on Selected China’s Legal Issues of E-Business. New York: Cengage, 2014. Print.

Kajan, Ejub. Handbook of Research on E-Business Standards and Protocols: Documents, Data, and Advanced Web Technologies. Hershey: Business Science Reference, 2012. Print.

Meier, Andreas, and Henrik Stormer. E-business & Ecommerce: Managing the Digital Value Chain. Berlin: Springer, 2009. Print.

Palmer, Daniel. Ethical Issues in E-Business: Models and Frameworks. Hershey: Business Science Reference, 2010. Print.

Siau, Keng, and John Erickson. Principle Advancements in Database Management Technologies: New Applications and Frameworks. Hershey: Information Science Reference, 2010. Print.

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