LABUAN INTERNATIONAL CAMPUS

GC31903 E-COMMERCE
SEMESTER 2, 2019/2020

TITLE: GROUP PROJECT PROPOSAL

PREPARED BY: GROUP 4

NO NAME MATRIC NO. TASK FOR EACH MEMBER
1. Chia Ching Wei BG17160602 Question 2
2. Lim Zhi Yang BG17110129 Question 5
3. Loo Mun Shi BG17160587 Question 3
4. Nur Farhana Binti Haris BG17160523 Question 1
5. Nurul Atiqah binti Abd Samad BG17160468 Leader
6. Tan Wee Zhang BG17160465 Question 5
1. Introduced your company and business.
Estée Lauder established in year 2015, is a partial electronic commerce company that sells the best
skincare and cosmetic products that promote to discover beauty at its finest. 1 Estée Lauder focused
solely on prestige makeup, skin care, fragrance and hair care with a diverse portfolio of 25+ brands sold
in approximately 150 countries and territories. Estée Lauder focused on promoting its high-quality
products to its loyal consumer base. Other than just having a physical store, the company, which now
has 600 websites in 39 countries, is betting local employees can help set up sales plans and marketing
events to win domestic shoppers. Estée Lauder cited healthy sales at the direct-to-consumer online
website and at other companies’ e-commerce stores. Besides that, to catch customers’ mind to this brand
product, Estée Lauder organized a physical campaign and also online campaign to advertise their every
upcoming new product. The mission of Estée Lauder is “bringing the best to everyone we touch”.
Estée Lauder is confident in achieving marketing and advertising goals by promoting other
upcoming products in diverse channel not only selling in physical shop, but also online commerce in
Malaysia and global. This also will help in driving sales of the Estée Lauder brand on websites and also
build brand equity and consumer engagement.

2. Identify and explain e-commerce concept.

The e-commerce concept used by Estée Lauder is partial electronic commerce. 2 Estée Lauder sells the
products via the internet and Estée Lauder do offers and display the products in retail stores, and this is
known as partial electronic commerce. Estée Lauder can be as well-known as click-and-mortar
organizations as Estée Lauder is conduct some e-commerce activity, yet the primary business is done in
the physical world. Customers can then choose to purchase the product in the way of their preference
whichever brings the convenience to them. By using partial electronic commerce, provide a wider
platform for consumer to choose the products. Consumers no longer need to visit Estée Lauder store;
they can choose to buy online.
The form e-commerce can take depends on the degree of digitalization of the ordering system
(payment), processing (order fulfilment) and delivery (physical or virtual/digital). For instance, the thing
that have been digitalized by Estée Lauder is the ordering and payment system. Consumer drop by retail
stores and make the product purchase can now make their payment in the form of cash or by using e-
wallet, consumer do not need to worry about if they are running out of cash, as we are now moving
forward “go cashless”. Apart from having in-store products, Estée Lauder is now selling the products
online by having a product order placement in the website. Consumer can then browse through Estée
Lauder website and screened the products then add their favorite products into cart and make the
payment by online banking.

3. Who is your customer / consumer / user for the E-commerce website?

First, loyal customers who purchase the products form Estée Lauder’s physical store constantly. Loyal
customers are the customers who always consider and purchase the products form a physical store over
the other competitors. Basically, loyal consumers essentially trust the business that has offered on e-
commerce website such as web store, shipping policies and so forth. Estée Lauder must keep a few
strategies in place to ensure the loyal customers continue to feel they are valued such as provide
promotion or loyalty points for any orders, special discounts on loyal customer’s birthday, and more. As
1
Observation from Estée Lauder Official Site at, https://www.Estéelauder.com.my/corp_info
2
Estée Lauder Official Site. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.esteelauder.com.my/
an e-commerce website seller, Estée Lauder will ensure the website provided a speedy and reliable
search tool that enable the customers to identify the product or service quickly. Besides that, Estée
Lauder will also provide an e-commerce website with easy-to-use filters, so that the customers will not
spend lot of the time in doing research.
Second, impulsive or one-time customers especially female which like to purchase things that
they are interest in through e-commerce website. Impulsive customers will make the purchase decisions
in the spur of the movement. It usually caused by thoughts and emotions. This type of customers can be
browsers or even product-oriented. If they find something that they are interesting on e-commerce
website, they will purchase it impulsively. They might also be gift card holders or a special discount
voucher that they would like to convert. This customers are just looking for convenience, so they’ll need
a simple and clear description of the products, easy, quicker checkouts and no registration requirements.
However, it is difficult to determine whether they will be a returning customer. So, Estée Lauder will
provides them excellent after-sale services, shipping information updates and special discounts in order
to attract them to repeat purchase.

4. Explain why your business need the e-commerce website.

The first factor why Estée Lauder’s company need an e-commerce website is because to make a
business to go global. It goes without mentioning the brick-and-mortar installations are constrained by
position and that may be crucial to the company's sales based on the label of Estée Lauder. Expanding
globally will allow Estée Lauder to grow into different areas of the market. Besides that, it also can
lowering cost. Since e-commerce appears to bring much lower costs than brick-and-mortar installations,
introducing an online aspect of Estée Lauder's product doesn't have to be a high-risk expenditure and in
addition, in certain situations it will be a far cheaper option than opening another store because that's
something the business thinks they can potentially lose money on.
Besides that, it also can increase the brand awareness. Among such mentions on social
networking, attracting fresh buyers by looking for and tapping into different online audiences, the result
is enhanced brand recognition.3 More customers should be conscious of and involved in purchasing the
brand and its products from Estée Lauder. A good e-commerce platform can have an impact on
snowball. As more people share and disseminate the web and its goods, brand awareness increases
exponentially, ensuring revenues too. Lastly, it easily to make a comparison shopping to all the
consumers. The e-commerce platform of Estée Lauder is highly conducive to providing an informative
shopping experience and helps the company to present useful product and service knowledge to
consumers at all times.

5. What factors should be addressed for your e-commerce adoption/success

The first factor that addressed e-commerce success is technological factors. The researcher has found
that the problem of data security considered one of the obstacles to e-commerce adoption. Fraudsters
will post spam emails and attack web hosting servers, thereby infecting websites with viruses. They may
embezzle confidential data about the information of your customer such as credit card. The e-retailer can
use the Address Verification System (AVS) to prevent this problem, this system will compare a
customer's billing address with information stored in a file by a credit card issuer. If the information

3
L. Burgess & J. Cooper (1999), A Model for Classification of Business Adoption of Internet Commerce Solutions. In: Global
Networked Organizations: 12th International Bled Electronic Commerce Conference, Bled, Slovenia, June 7-9, pp. 46-58.
provided does not match the information stored on the credit card, it can block any suspicious
transactions.4
Another key factor for e-commerce adoption is technologies advancement. Due to the internet
accessibility, millions of people across the world can reach website at any time, meaning that the
business is able to reach out to a larger audience.5 Then, an e-commerce platform is available all day,
customers can always visit the store virtually when they desire. Other than that, an e-commerce website
could offer huge information. E-commerce websites can offer additional information than physical stalls
to their customers without any hassle. All the given information is provided by vendors so that the
customers will find it easy to purchase products with information.6

6. Explain the feature (good design as in task b) of your e-commerce website.

The first relevant criterion that Estée Lauder will include on the website of the organization is a User-
friendly Navigation website. This mean that, consumers can arrive on any page of Estée Lauder website,
not just the homepage. It should be easy for them to get around on their own using Estée Lauder’s
navigation and page names without any guesswork. The website structure is straightforward and
organized logically other than visitors don’t find themselves at dead ends, like pages without links to
related content or 404 error pages.7
Secondly, optimized the website. Estée Lauder would need to customize the website and its
material to fit specific devices, software, processing size, search engines and customers. As optimization
website is not a done by one activity because the world of web design changes constantly. So, Estée
Lauder must consistently be updating the website with new information to keep it up to date. Thirdly,
Professional Web Design. A balanced delivery of details and graphics is necessary to keep website looks
professional and straightforward. Also, an e-commerce platform will effectively turn the tourists into
paying customers. Rather than that, the user can get a strong first experience of a professional site
interface.
Lastly, the good website design for Estée Lauder is to have a well-planned information
architecture. It is a structuring content to classify the content and arrange it according to relations
between the content pieces, allowing users to find what they need with less effort. This has become even
more important today as websites offer a broad variety of information and resources to draw their target
market. Estée Lauder must arrange the website pages and categories carefully to include information in a
way that helps users to browse easily. It is particularly relevant because Estée Lauder offers a great deal
of material on the website.8

4
Vishnoi, L. (2020, March 11). Acquire. Retrieved from 10 Problems That Every E-commerce Faces and Their Solutions:
https://acquire.io/blog/problems-solutions-ecommerce-faces/
5
18 Major Benefits of e-Commerce Business for Retailers & Customers 2018, Brianna Wills, Dec 15, 2014,
https://medium.com/@briannawillsss/18-major-benefits-of-e-commerce-business-for-retailers-customers-in-2015-
63c5fc87f679
6
5 Reasons Why Ecommerce Is So Important For Your Business, https://www.discoverydesign.co.uk/blog/post/5-reasons-
why-ecommerce-is-so-important-for-your-business/
7
Nanehkaran, Y. A. (2013). “An Introduction to Electronic Commerce”. International Journal of Scientific & Technology
Research, Vol. 2(4), pp.190193.
8
Observation from Estée Lauder Official Site at https://www.essay48.com/marketing-strategy/12868-Estée-Lauder-
Marketing-Strategy
Appendix for Feature of E-commerce websites
Chia Ching Wei (BG17160602)

To ensure the feature of website to successful, it should not only look fantastic but it should also
give customers a smooth user experience. It is necessary to have good usability. This will differentiate
your Website from your competition. In my opinion, these are the essential characteristics of a user-
friendly website.
1. Optimized, performance and speed
Estée Lauder will need to customize the website and its content for various computers, browsers,
data speed, search engines and users. If Estée Lauder don't customize the website for mobile data
users and their download speed, users can leave the website. If the website does not support will
modern browsers, some users may be missing out as well. If Estée Lauder don't customize
website for popular/advanced smartphones and their sizes, users may not want to visit the site
anymore.

2. Effective Navigation
Effective navigation is a primary feature of website usability. Simple HTML or JavaScript
menus seem to function best on all browsers and platforms, and remain consistent. It is equally
necessary to be clutter-free when navigating. Seek to restrict as many menu items as possible. A
drop-down menu or sub-navigation with several parts and pages can function best on large sites.

3. Secure
Privacy is a big concern of visitors on the web today. Estée Lauder need to ensure the website
adheres to industry requirements and guidelines. For example, if Estée Lauder wish to have user
registration function, Estée Lauder need to ensure that user passwords are encrypted and not
shown in plain text. Estée Lauder have to make sure the website is safe; hence, Estée Lauder can
choose to use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption for privacy precautions. If Estée Lauder
provides a forgotten password feature for the user, it is a must to ask the user the security
questions, to ensure the reset password option has been done.

4. Easy access and Informative

The way information is structured and presented on Estée Lauder website is important for good
usability. A website provides a wide variety of knowledge and services to attract their target
audience, it has become much more relevant today. It needs a carefully plan on the website
sections and categories, and present information in a way that users can find easily. Often think
about it from the user’s viewpoint. It is particularly relevant if Estée Lauder provide a lot of
content on the website of the company.

References
1. Chand, M. (2016, August 8). Top 10 Characteristics Of A Good Website. Retrieved from
https://www.c-sharpcorner.com/article/top-10-characteristics-of-a-good-website/
2. Singh, K. (2013, June 17). Web Design: 11 Characteristics of a User-Friendly Website. Retrieved
from https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/web-design-11-characteristics-user-friendly-website
Lim Zhi Yang (BG17110129)

1. Quality Web Content.

Quality content provides value for visitors as high-quality content will engage and retain readers. A
quality website content can promote ideas, discussion and interest in the industry, blog, or business.
More importantly the content can answer questions readers may have and offer them information that
they find useful. High-Value Content can generate more sales as good content can be especially useful if
we know how to drill down on the target demographics and guide them to the purchase. An estimated
77% of consumers read online content prior to making a purchase. Publishing product specific content
such as FAQs, product reviews, and instructional videos or blog posts can help reassure potential
customers and lead to sales. High quality website content is valuable because it’s precisely the type of
content that’s worth sharing. The simple fact is that the content people find informative, engaging,
funny, controversial, educational, or insightful is the type of content that they share. With the continued
growth of social media sites and the rapid rise in mobile browsing social sharing is a significant
contributor to making your brand visible online. This is true for small businesses all the way up to large
enterprise organizations.

2. User-friendly and clear navigation.

Research conducted by HubSpot.com reveals that when asked about the most important factor in a
website, over 75% of respondents stated they rank ease of finding the information at the top. If you
construct your website in a manner that’s too complicated to navigate, produce content too difficult to
comprehend, or design functionality too cumbersome to use, your website will not meet its objectives,
and you will lose business. The most important characteristics of a user-friendly website is mobile
compatibility. As more and more people use their mobile phones to access the Internet, creating
a mobile optimized website has become a necessity. Then, a user-friendly website should have fast load
times. Nothing is more annoying for website visitors than a website that takes long to load. In fact, slow
speed is one of the main reasons why visitors leave a website. Besides, a good website should equip with
effective navigation. It is equally important for the navigation to be clutter-free. Try to limit the number
of menu items as far as possible. A drop-down menu or sub-navigation may work better on large site
with many sections and pages.

3. Simple and Professional Web Design.

The reasons why simple website design is better because simple website design gets more conversions.
Study after study has proven that simple website design leads to more conversions than convoluted
websites with excessive ornamentation. Many ecommerce store owners even report massive increases in
sales after simplifying their websites. It can be tempting to try and promote sales by pulling out all the
bells and whistles but trying too hard can have the opposite impact. People don’t like it when they feel
like someone is trying to sell them something. Then, a simple website design will avoid distraction to
website visitors. Removing unnecessary distractions from your website creates a more clear, concise,
and streamlined user experience. If someone clicked onto the website, they are not simply admiring the
supreme graphic design, but they know exactly what they want to find on the website. As the website
owner, the goal should be to make it as easy as possible for visitors to find what they are looking for.
The easiest way to improve the user experience on your website is to simplify it. Lastly, simple websites
load quicker. Fast load times are imperative, not only for a great user experience, but also for good SEO
rankings. According to the experts, users tend to abandon websites that take longer than three seconds to
load. That may not seem like much time, but in the digital age, people are accustomed to expecting
information at the click of a button. Waiting for a web page to load is not an option.

References
1. Mike Mcevoy, July 30, 2016, 7 Reasons To Create High Quality Website Content, Retrieved from
https://www.webpresencesolutions.net/high-quality-website-content-7-reasons/
2. Jimmy Rodela, business.com writer, Jul 25, 2015, 77% of People Read Online Reviews Before
Buying: Are They Finding You? Retrieved from https://www.business.com/articles/77-percent-of-
people-read-online-reviews-before-buying-are-they-finding-you/
3. What Makes a Website User-Friendly? Retrieved from https://www.intechnic.com/blog/what-makes-
a-website-user-friendly/
4. Web Design: 11 Characteristics of a User-Friendly Website, Retrieved from
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/web-design-11-characteristics-user-friendly-website
5. Kayla, September 19, 2019, Why Simple Website Design is the Best Website Design,
https://www.lyfemarketing.com/blog/simple-website-design/
6. Sherman, August 29, 2019, Why Local SEO is Important and How It Will Impact Your Business,
https://www.lyfemarketing.com/blog/local-seo/
Loo Mun Shi (BG17160587)

1. Refunds and Return Policy

Refunds and return policy is one of the things that customers will be looking for before they make a
purchase. This is because it’s hard to be 100% confirm whether the customers will be satisfied with the
product that they purchase over the e-commerce website. Therefore, e-commerce website need to
provide a good understanding of return policies for the customers. In the e-commerce website, refunds
and return policy will be show on the setting or help center of the site, so that the customers can easily
refer the information.

2. Turnaround Time of Website

Peoples inherently will easily lose their patience when they visiting a website. If a website take a longer
time for loading, it will cause them leave quickly before it fully renders. Other than that, if the websites
take a longer to bring the page up and running, it will become useless for visitors even though the
graphics are beautiful and contents are meaningful. Companies need to use secure website hosting,
proper website code, and modified graphics in order to prevent the turnaround time of website become
longer.

3. Product Information / Descriptions

The sales pitch for the product is to present the product with quality information or descriptions and high
quality photographs. There are no any salesman in the e-commerce’s world convincing the consumers to
purchase an item. So, a product description is important to be persuasive product on the website pages.
In order to make a purchasing decision, online customers also need a powerful information and photos
as their references.

4. Easy-to-use Navigation
Web navigation is the basic feature for the website design. A web navigation can help the visitors to find
the necessary details rapidly and easily accessible from any page. Navigation on an e-commerce website
must be easy to identify and provide the labels that simple, clear, and easy to understand. For example,
an e-commerce website that sell men and women’s clothes, one of the categories may be “Skirts.” If
anyone selects on that category, they will move to a page that has more specific kinds of skirts, like
“Long Skirts,” “Short Skirts,” and “Children’s Skirts.”

5. Web Design Must Be Simple And Professional

An e-commerce website can convert the visitors into purchasing customers effectively. In order to keep
website looks simple and clear, balanced distribution of information and graphics are required. Besides,
the use of slightly contrasting colors and clear fonts are important for a web design. This is because the
screaming colors are explicitly contrasting and the font sizes that hard-to-read will strain on visitors’
eyes. Other than that, a good web design will gain a good first impression from the visitor.

References
The Web Showroom, Six Features of Well-Built Web Design, Retrieved from
https://www.thewebshowroom.com.au/well-built-web-design/
MakeSpace, The Top 10 Most Important Elements of a Website Design, Retrieved from
https://www.makespaceweb.com/Blog/0/Any-Category/582/The-Top-10-Most-Important-Elements-of-
A-Website-Design
Nur Farhana Binti Haris (BG17160523)

The first important criteria that Estée Lauder need to have in company’s website is a responsive web
design. Responsive web design is an approach that show that design and development must respond to
user behavior and environment based on screen size, platform, and orientation. Mobile devices are an
essential part of daily life, especially as users spend more than five hours a day on their smartphones.
This able people to surf the internet and access the information they want from their preferred device
without any headaches. Responsive web design automatically adjusts the web store to the mobile device
in use without distorting or confused the view. Media demand allows us to target not just a specific class
of devices but actually analyse the physical properties of the devices that make us work. Media demand
allows us to use advanced to change the web design based on the nature of the user's device.
Next, criteria that need to have by Estée Lauder’s website is attractive, easy-to-navigate web
store design. It is needed to make the online store layout intuitive for visitors by organizing products
into logical categories and subcategories, and ensuring that the categories are clearly visible. Exciting
online stores support customers throughout every step of the buying journey. Start from attracting
shoppers to visiting websites to inspiring them to explore their stores and products, ultimately attracting
customers. This will help shoppers quickly find the product that interests them most. It is also important
to send clear calls to the entire web store. Tell the customer to “click here to sign up for the loyalty
program”; to “click here to see the products for sale”; or to “use this code for this discount.”
The other good website’s feature that Estée Lauder should have is product details. Shoppers
want to get used to what platform it has to offer. Good product details criteria include informative
features on the product page such as high-quality pictures, in-depth product descriptions, zoom-in and
360-degree rotation, the ability to view products in a variety of colours, and product videos. By
providing as much product detail and information as possible, it can reduce the probability of returning
items and increase the probability of satisfied customers.
Estée Lauder need to have search and filter features when building the website. Some
customers know exactly what they are looking for - which is why it's important to provide them with a
focused shopping approach by finding and refining functions. The search bar or box helps customers
quickly find what they need. Other features like auto-fill search terms and most commonly used search
terms support efficient browsing. The ability to filter products by different attributes also helps to speed
up the product quickly to meet the customer's desired criteria. The search bar or box can also be
developed so that it is visible even when the customer scrolls down the page.
Other than that, Estée Lauder also need to have new product promotions to attract more of
customers’ attention. This can be done by posting new promotions on widgets and webpages across the
site helps customers see (and share) the latest special offers. Shoppers are always on the hunt for a sweet
deal. Other features of the promotion, such as the countdown to when the offer signal starts or ends and
the promotion is bundled, also help drive customers to act now. The ability to create unlimited
promotions with orders, categories, shipping methods, items, and more with an e-commerce platform
helps us effectively target buyers throughout each step of the customer journey.
References
1. Mahesh Chand (2016). Top 10 Characteristics of A Good Website. Retrieved from https://www.c-
sharpcorner.com/article/top-10-characteristics-of-a-good-website/
2. Steven Snell (2015). Characteristics of a Good Website. Retrieved from
https://www.vandelaydesign.com/characteristics-of-a-good-website/
Nurul Atiqah Binti Abd Samad (BG17160468)

1. Well Planned Information Architecture

Is the structure of all the information in the website. When the business put care into the arrangement of
information, it can make it easier to understand and navigate. It also involves arranging this information
in a way that is easy to understand and can be scaled as the website grows. It also allows the user to
reach the content easily, without much effort. The inadequate structure of the app will discourage
visitors and frustrate.

2. Modern
The modern website makes it more applicable to all the visitors. Such an example, videos that
automatically play in the background can add a lot to a page. They can be used to tell a story and
significantly reduce the amount of other content that is needed to explain about the business as well as
the images in the websites are also responsive which aims to ensure an optimized experience for viewers
coming from different devices.

3. FAQ
It is very important as people have a lot of questions. The criteria of this is it will draw most of the
traffic and convert more customers. FAQ pages are an integral part of good navigation and the customer
journey for most websites. This section of the site is the go-to area for the audience who want to learn
more about the business and find out why the products and services are what they want. It is a good idea
to invest in high-quality content for the FAQ page to ensure that the content converts and helps the
business reach the goals.

References
Strategy Beam Official Site, Retrieved from https://www.strategybeam.com/blog/the-benefits-of-an-faq-
page-and-the-most-important-pieces-for-your-business/
Tan Wee Zhang (BG17160465)

The first criterion of the good design of the e-commerce website for the business is consistency. As well
as keeping the navigation of the site consistent, the overall look and feel of the web should be consistent
across all pages of the web. For example, color schemes, backgrounds, typefaces, and even the tone of
the writing are all part where being consistent can have a positive impact on usability. But this is not to
say that every page on the website should have the exact same layout. Instead, the e-retailer should
create different layouts for specific types of pages, such as the layout of product information page, the
layout of landing page, it can easier for visitors to understand what type of page might find information
on a given page.
The second criterion of the good design of the e-commerce website for the business is
conventionality. It means the internet users have become more familiar with certain Web design
conventions; the e-retailer should follow the behavior of internet users to create the website. These
conventions include the logo at the top left (or centre) of the page, the main navigation at the top of the
page, and having the home logo always bring visitors back to the homepage. To provide the best
experience for website visitors, the e-retailer should take advantage that they already know what types of
web experiences more familiar by the visitor, they can apply this information to make the site easier for
visitors to navigate. One of the most common general examples in web design, the e-retailer using a
shopping cart icon on an e-commerce website.
The third criterion of the good design of the e-commerce website for the business is simplicity.
Although the website's look and feel are significant, most people aren't coming to the website to evaluate
how slick the design of the website. Instead, they come to the website to perform certain operations or
find specific information. The E-retailers should not add unnecessary design elements such as elements
without any functional purpose to the website, it will only make it more difficult for visitors to complete
the work they want to do. The e-retailer can use simplicity in a variety of different ways. For example,
the e-retailer should not use too many colours on the website, according to the Handbook of Computer-
Human Interaction recommends using a maximum of five different colours on the website's design.
Moreover, the typefaces of the website should be clear and legible for the internet user, a common
recommendation is to use up to three different fonts and up to three different sizes.

References
Singh, K. (2013, June 17). Web Design: 11 Characteristics of a User-Friendly Website. Retrieved from
socialmediatoday: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/web-design-11-characteristics-user-
friendly-website