BACHELOR IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

SCHOOL: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

SEMESTER

E-COMMERCE.

INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

Prepared for:

Lecturer’s name: Mr. Saboor

Prepared by:

Student’s Name: Onuoha Nelson Chinwendu

ID No: Alfa2018-0344

Subject Code: BBA

Deadline date: 14th November, 2020

Contents
ANSWER NO 1..........................................................................................................................................4
USING AN ONLINE CATALOG FOR BUSINESS..............................................................................4
Advantages –.......................................................................................................................................4
Disadvantages -...................................................................................................................................4
PAPER CATALOG.................................................................................................................................5
Advantages –.......................................................................................................................................5
Disadvantages –...................................................................................................................................5
ANSWER NO 2..........................................................................................................................................5
SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE BUSINESS WORLD....................................................................................5
Why social media is important for business –.........................................................................................6
Brand building.........................................................................................................................................6
Omni channel engagement......................................................................................................................6
Business growth......................................................................................................................................6
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA...............................................................................................6
1. Social media adds a new dimension to your Omni channel customer service..................................6
2. Social media helps to reach out to a bigger audience.....................................................................10
 Segment your audience..................................................................................................................10
 Make use of visuals.......................................................................................................................10
 Initiate conversations.....................................................................................................................10
 Measure your efforts......................................................................................................................10
3. Social media creates word of mouth..............................................................................................10
4. Social Media Marketing (SMM) is economical.............................................................................11
5. Social media allows collecting first hand customer feedback........................................................11
ANSWER 3...............................................................................................................................................11
3 WAYS THAT ONLINE ADVERTISING NETWORKS HAVE IMPROVED ON...........................11
ANSWER NO 4........................................................................................................................................12
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN E-BUSINESS AND WRITING A TRADITIONAL BUSINESS PLAN. .12
Advantages of an e-business plan –...................................................................................................12
Disadvantages –.................................................................................................................................13
ANSWER NO 5........................................................................................................................................13
INDUSTRIES THAT ARE LIKELY TO USE M-COMMERCE AND HOW IT IS WORKING........13
 Shopping via Mobile Apps....................................................................................................................14
Sales from Smartphones and Tablets.....................................................................................................14
One-Click Ordering...............................................................................................................................14
Social Commerce...................................................................................................................................14
Voice Shopping.....................................................................................................................................14
ANSWER NO 6........................................................................................................................................15
5 POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF B2B E-COMMERCE.........................................................................15
1. Stretch your reach......................................................................................................................15
2. Watch that bottom line grow......................................................................................................15
3. Streamlining, efficiency and transparency.................................................................................15
4. Management of customers and suppliers alike...........................................................................15
5. Ecommerce is e-friendly............................................................................................................16
CITATIONS AND REFERENCES...........................................................................................................16
ANSWER NO 1
USING AN ONLINE CATALOG FOR BUSINESS

An online catalog can be an excellent way to showcase your products to your target market,
regardless of your industry. If you’ve been putting off creating an online catalog because you
think the process might be too hard or too technical, here's the good news: An online catalog
maker can make creating your digital catalog simple and straightforward. There's a small
learning curve that you need to master but the whole process is designed to make it as easy as
possible to get started. Below are the advantages of online catalog.

Advantages –
 Increased customer satisfaction and more accurate orders;
 Greater consistency and accuracy in purchasing processes;
 Reduced internal administrative costs - paper, printing, and distribution;
 Reduced costs for associated data processing operations.

Disadvantages -
 Grow slowly because sellers are required to win the trust of their customers to convert
them into loyal customers.
 The high initial investment of catalog marketing because the seller is not only needed to
produce catalogs but also required to buy the list of prospective customers.
 Low response rate.

PAPER CATALOG
A couple of years ago, proposing an on-line catalogue would have been proof of a company’s
innovation and commercial dynamism. In 2017, to be considered on the front line, it is once
again advisable to propose for your customers the pleasure of turning printed pages. A
turnaround explained by the versatility of the good old paper catalogue that has never stopped
responding to companies requirements.

Advantages –
 Ease of use
 Sharing information
 The paper catalogue, cornerstone of multichannel strategy
 Attract and project the company’s brand image
 Improving digital marketing with paper catalogues

Disadvantages –
 Lack of storage space
  Security issues
 Prone to damage
 Document transportation
 Editing problems
 High costs
 Limit communication and collaboration
 Environmental damage

ANSWER NO 2
SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE BUSINESS WORLD

The impact of social media on businesses, both positive and negative, is immense. Do you agree?
90% of businesses agree to this. Either you are a startup or a small business, whether you are an
online store or an enterprise, social media is vital for your business marketing strategy. 71% of
consumers who have had a good social media service experience with a brand are likely to
recommend it to others. This shows the importance of social media in businesses. In order to
maintain a competitive pace, businesses are bound to leverage popular social media platforms.
Social platforms help you connect with your customers, boost brand awareness, and increase
your leads and sales. With more than three billion people across the globe using social media, it’s
no passing trend.

Why social media is important for business –

Social media has greatly transformed the business landscape. It is one of the most important
aspects of digital marketing, which provides incredible benefits that help reach millions of
customers worldwide. If you are a CEO or a small business owner, it is very important to know
why you need to be on social media and how it is going to affect your business. There are several
questions you must ask yourself before you plan your social media strategy.

 What are the channels where my customers are present?

 What are the ways to target my audience on those channels?
 What are my objectives and the RoI of the social media strategy?

So it is evident that how social media can have an immense impact on your business and can be
one of the most powerful marketing channels to reach out to your audience. In a nutshell, social
media helps businesses in three key areas;

Brand building – Social media is one of the most profitable digital marketing platforms that
boosts your brand visibility among potential customers, allowing you to reach a bigger audience.
By applying a social media customer service strategy, you significantly increase your brand
recognition.

Omni channel engagement – Research shows, 60% of US millennial expect consistent

experiences when dealing with brands online, in-store, or by phone. Social media strategies boost
user engagement across channels in order to engage customers and deliver better omni channel
customer experience.

Business growth – Social interaction between businesses & customers is a growing trend that
increases sales and improves brand loyalty. SMM report says, more than 65% of businesses are
on social media to increase leads.

POSITIVE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Some social medium impact businesses positively and offers an opportunity for your audience to
find you on social media. It helps to reach to your targeted audience, stay engaged with them,
and responds to their queries instantly. It is a great way to evaluate your competition by
monitoring their social media pages. Social media has multiple positive impacts on business in
terms of brand recognition, customer engagement, revenue, and customer service. It also is a
great tool to evaluate your competitors and how they are using social media for their growth.
Here are 9 positive ways of how social media impacts businesses.

1. Social media adds a new dimension to your Omni channel customer service: Today’s
customers choose social media as the main source to interact with a brand as they get
instant attention. Research says that 42% of consumers expect a response on social media
within 60 minutes. Social media is a powerful channel to engage customers who reach
out to you through different social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
Instagram, Whatsapp to deliver a seamless omni channel messaging experience.
Providing omni channel customer service is an important aspect of a business. However,
it is even more important to use the right tools, system which can help your business to
deliver an omni channel experience across the customer lifecycle. In order to deliver
omni channel customer service, you can use certain tools. One such tool is REVE Chat,
which is a multi-channel live chat platform that streamlines customer conversations
across website, social, mobile and messaging apps to deliver great customer service and
increase team productivity.
Social media customer service example – Nike

Nike followed an excellent customer service strategy. It has one of the strongest customer
service accounts on Twitter. They feature a dedicated Twitter account, Team Nike, which
provides support seven days a week and in seven languages.

When a customer mentions Nike’s main twitter handle, @teamnike responds instantly. This
shows how dedicated the brand is to solve their customers’ problems. Best practices:
  Pay attention to all customer service issues and be kind to them in all scenarios.
Passive complaints that are left unaddressed can easily cause a rift between the vendor
and the customer.
 Manage your social conversations promptly in order to deliver superior customer
service.
 Enhance your customer experience by being available across all the touch points that
customers prefer to contact you to deliver instant support.

2. Social media helps to reach out to a bigger audience: Almost 90% of marketers say their
social marketing efforts have increased exposure for their business, and 75% say they’ve
increased traffic. It an ideal way to create brand awareness and stay in contact with your
customers. Social media platforms are becoming the main source for people to learn more
about businesses – latest information about new products, services, advertisements, deals
or promotions. Here are some tips to expose your brand to a broader audience.
 Segment your audience – Prior heading up to the social platforms make sure that your
target audience is on the platform or not. It’s not at all wise to blindly follow other
brands.
 Make use of visuals – Once you have segmented your audience make use of attractive
visuals along with content to grab immediate attention and boost engagement.
 Initiate conversations – Involve yourself into the social platforms not only by listening
but also by building great conversations by tagging or mentioning others.
 Measure your efforts – It is very important to measure your social activity by using
external tools. Gain insights and channelize your efforts and strengthen your brand
image.

The social channels allow share business news and even post related photos or links to
stories/studies in their industry. It also builds trust with their customers and showcases
themselves to a new demographic of potential clients. Best Practices:

 The social channels allow share business news and even post related photos or links to
stories/studies in their industry. It also builds trust with their customers and showcases
themselves to a new demographic of potential clients. Best Practices:
 Identify your target audience, their patterns, and behaviors and then choose the right
social media channels for your business.
 Social media is a place to forge connections and bring a voice to your brand. Ensure that
your tone is consistent, friendly, and suits your business that you are trying to showcase.
 Visual and engaging content is key. To publish relevant, quality content and involve your
audience – ask questions, use polls, and host events.
 3. Social media creates word of mouth: Social media does, in fact, help to get the word out
about your business. With the arrival of interactive and social media, the patterns, role,
and impact of word of mouth have evolved. Due to which new online communities are
shaped. Such changes affected the ways businesses can leverage the power of word of
mouth for marketing purposes and, vice versa, the impact of word of mouth on
businesses. Research shows that 72% of people see online reviews in the same light as
personal recommendations made by friends and family.

Great word of mouth marketing example – Threadless

Threadless is an online community of T-shirt designers and a platform where they assembled to
submit and vote on T-shirt designs. The designers were paid 20% in royalties, and either
Threadless gift cards or cash.

The members were happy to promote their designs and bring more people to the site by good
word of mouth. Best Practice:

 Offer an incentive such as a discount, a free product, an extended service to your

customers so that they take their quality time to promote your business.

4. Social Media Marketing (SMM) is economical: Many businesses are jumping into the
Social Media Marketing (SMM) bandwagon as its positive impact on brands and
promises profitable success when done properly. Social media marketing techniques
target social networks and applications to spread brand awareness. Social media
marketing is perceived as a more targeted type of advertising and therefore it is very
effective in creating brand awareness. Social media engagement campaigns produce a lot
of shares; generate more views and publicity for your business – all for a one-time cost.

5. Social media allows collecting first hand customer feedback: Social media platforms
allow collecting first-hand feedback from customers to improve brand image, reputation,
and relationship with the customer. The customer must feel like they are heard, valued
and this makes them happy. So, respond to every post, comment, suggestion and make
the best use of it for your brand development. Businesses that engage with customer
service requests via social media earn 20% – 40% more revenue per customer.
ANSWER 3
3 WAYS THAT ONLINE ADVERTISING NETWORKS HAVE IMPROVED ON

Three ways online advertising networks have improved on, or added to, traditional offline
marketing techniques are they have the ability to precisely track not just consumer purchases, but
all browsing behavior on the Web at thousands of the most popular member sites, including
browsing book lists, filling out preference forms, and viewing content pages. They can
dynamically adjust what the shopper sees on screen including prices. They can also build and
continually refresh high-resolution data images or behavioral profiles of consumers.

ANSWER NO 4
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN E-BUSINESS AND WRITING A TRADITIONAL BUSINESS
PLAN
The planning aspect of starting a business differs depending on the type of business you are
planning on launching. The planning phase also differs if you are starting a physical business as
opposed to an online business, also known as an e-business. You cannot use a standard business
plan for an e-business, as the operations differ for an e-business.

The main difference between a standard business and an e-business is that an e-business is run
solely online on the internet. While a standard business may use the Internet at times for
marketing, research and staying in contact with clients, an e-business will often do everything
online whether it is marketing, transactions, reaching clients or have meetings. A standard
business has an office with employees, while an e-business may have a single office or the owner
may work from home with employees around the world. The structure of e-businesses differs
depending on the needs and demands of the e-business.

Advantages of an e-business plan –

E-Business Saves Money: Forgoing the traditional model of a brick-and-mortar location means
small-business owners save a tremendous amount of money at startup. You save money when
you don't have to pay for a storefront, utilities, building maintenance, and you also save time by
not having to manage those things.

Better Communication and Faster Decision-Making: E-business allows for conversations to

happen quickly. Faster decision-making saves time, and time is money in business. E-business
allows people to communicate in several ways that facilitate understanding. If someone is not
comfortable on the phone or through a video chat, there is always messaging and emailing.
People who don't speak the same language can communicate through translation software
programs.
The Office can be anywhere: Any device that connects to the internet can be used as an
invaluable e-business tool. Your tablet, phone and computer all make 21st-century work tasks
available at the click of a few buttons. Social media, email and teleconferencing mean that
anywhere can be an office as long as the internet is there. The software that supports e-commerce
professional endeavors is vital in all of this and opens up others avenues for creating and
sustaining various e-business products and services.

Cheaper Marketing, More Control: Traditionally, companies had to rely on advertising

agencies to promote their brand and educate people about it. Now there are lots of ways to pour
money back into your business. When you control how your product is represented, you control
your company. E-business allows owners to embrace their power in ways they haven't been able
to before.

Less Restrictive Hours: No longer do people have to wait for stores to open. They can shop
whenever they want and arrange for delivery or pickup. If people want to start planning for an
event, they don’t have to wait for venues and caterers to open, because they can go to the
suppliers' websites. Information can be accessed at all hours and at everyone’s leisure, which
makes for a more pleasant experience overall for both the e-business and the customer.

Disadvantages –
Lack of Personal Touch: E-business lacks the personal touch. One cannot touch or feel the
product. So it is difficult for the consumers to check the quality of a product. Also, the human
touch is missing as well. In the traditional model, we have contact with the salesperson. This
lends it a touch of humanity and credibility. It also builds trust with the customer. An e-Business
model will always miss out on such attributes.

Delivery Time: The delivery of the products takes time. In traditional business, you get the
product as soon as you buy it. But that doesn’t happen in online business. This lag time often
discourages customers. However, e-businesses are trying to resolve such issues by promising
very limited delivery times. For example, Amazon now assures one-day delivery. This is an
improvement but does not resolve the issue completely.

Security Issues: There are a lot of people who scam through online business. Also, it is easier
for hackers to get your financial details. It has a few security and integrity issues. This also
causes distrust among potential customers.
ANSWER NO 5
INDUSTRIES THAT ARE LIKELY TO USE M-COMMERCE AND HOW IT IS
WORKING
Mobile technology has changed the way we live. Our smartphones are seemingly always within
an arm’s reached and dictate our daily habits. As a result, mobile commerce trends are evolving.
Consumer buying behavior has changed drastically over the years, and mobile commerce will
continue to thrive in the future. Mobile commerce is on pace control 73% of the global
ecommerce market share by 2021, up from 59% back in 2017. Over the last six months, 79% of
mobile users made an online purchase using their mobile devices. As an ecommerce store owner,
you need to stay up to date with the latest mobile commerce trends. Whether you’re using
Shopify or another platform to sell online, you can’t ignore mobile consumers. That’s what
inspired me to create this guide. I’ve researched and analyzed the most recent trends in the
ecommerce industry, and narrowed down the ones for m-commerce. The following ten trends
will dominate in 2020.

Shopping via Mobile Apps: It’s no secret that consumers are using their mobile devices to buy
online. We’ve already discussed how m-commerce is dominating the global ecommerce market
share. But the way people are using those devices to shop is changing. In 2019, 57% of US
consumers used a mobile retail app to learn more about a product. Rather than using an Internet
browser, more than half of US shoppers went straight for a mobile app to accommodate their
shopping needs. This is a game-changer for Shopify store owners.

Sales from Smartphones and Tablets: With mobile shopping on the rise, it’s no surprise that
sales from smartphones will dominate 2020. Consumers are doing more than just browsing via
apps; they’re buying. The average order value from a mobile app is $102 compared to $92 from
a mobile website. But mobile apps and mobile sites can be accessed from multiple devices. For
the most part, you can segment mobile devices into two categories; smartphones and tablets.

One-Click Ordering: The shift to shopping from mobile apps will ease the checkout process in
2020. Placing an order online has historically required quite a bit of information from the
consumer.

Social Commerce: Brands using social media to gain exposure and build brand awareness is
nothing new. I’m sure (and I hope) that you’re already leveraging social media for your
ecommerce business. While social media has a tremendous amount of upside, historically, it’s
been challenging for businesses to convert social traffic into sales. There’s always been too much
friction between navigating from a social post to a product page. But social commerce has
evolved.

Voice Shopping: Voice assistants like Siri and Alexa have been growing in popularity over the
years. Furthermore, the way voice search is being used has shifted as well. At first, people used
voice search for things like weather-related questions. Or maybe telling their smart speaker to
play music. In 2020, voice search has penetrated the ecommerce market. Voice shopping is
expected to reach $40 billion by 2022. That’s up from a modest $2 billion in 2018, which is a
1,900% increase in just four years.

ANSWER NO 6
5 POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF B2B E-COMMERCE
1. Stretch your reach: B2B ecommerce portals provide a means of stretching your reach
and getting your company and products recognized by more people. By having web
pages that showcase what your business is about, people who are browsing in a search
engine can stumble across your pages and therefore represent potential business
opportunities and sales. If you set your pages to be private, you can still expand your
reach by targeting your content in your web store to certain markets. It basically gives
you the opportunity to ‘be in more places at once’ as it were, which inevitably will
increase the possible business interactions you can enjoy.

2. Watch that bottom line grow: B2B ecommerce can also be a means of increasing your
sales as it provides the perfect opportunity to suggest different products to your
customers based on their sales or search history. There are strong cross and upselling
opportunities which can lead to increased profits. An online portal, the equivalent of a
marketplace, which showcases your services or products, saves a significant amount in
overheads that are associated with a physical storefront or physical trade show stall and
therefore with a reduction in overheads, the bottom line is automatically inflated.

3. Streamlining, efficiency and transparency: B2B ecommerce streamlines your

interactions with customers by making the whole ordering process efficient and reliable.
This is exceptionally important in today’s commerce climate where time is short and
demand is high. By operating out of a web portal, any ordering can be integrated with
your ERP software so that the time delay between ordering and dispatch can be
negligible. Errors in the ordering process or fulfillment of orders based on inaccurate
stock counts can be avoided as up-to-date stock counts from the warehouse can be
integrated into the website so that customers and sales agents always know what is on
hand.

4. Management of customers and suppliers alike: The B2B ecommerce concept allows
for better management of both customers and suppliers. In essence, the entire initiative is
a win-win for all involved. Your customers can have a custom-designed portal just for
 them which house their ordering history, any personal information, shipping and tracking
information and perhaps even a shopping or wish-list. They have better control of the
whole process, which not only promotes transparency and efficiency but also negates the
need to call and speak to someone to simply ask for an update on their order. Likewise,
you have better management of your suppliers as you can see what raw inventory is
available and when, and similarly, you can also observe the progress of your own orders.

5. Ecommerce is e-friendly: With an online portal accessible through search engines via
the use of SEO content, no physical fliers or glossy trade catalogues are required.
Likewise, travelling sales agents clock up many a carbon mile while on the road, which
can also be minimized through web portals and internet communication sites. Of course,
sometimes you can never replace the charm and ease of face-to-face dealings with sales
representatives, but ecommerce certainly provides a decent alternative.
 CITATIONS AND REFERENCES
A summary for Citing Sources contains brief, general examples without referencing specific
styles.

A recommended online source to various style guides is The Purdue OWL.

A print copy of Cite Right; A Quick Guide to Citation Styles--MLA, APA, Chicago, the
Sciences, Professions and More" is available in the Library in the Reference collection: Ref
PN 171 .F56 L55 2011.

TechTarget: What Is e-Business?

VentureBurn: What Are the Benefits of Ecommerce for Your Business