Course: MBAV 5531-09F-7B09, E-Commerce

Professor: Richard Yellen

Student: Thanh Khanh Nguyen
Student ID: 179080
Class: HOM#14
BUSINESS-TO-CONSUMER
B2C
 Unique Features Implemented Well
• Ubiquity / Global Reach / Universal Standards:
– Combination of online order and shipping/ pickup at local stores for consumers’
convenience.
– Globally expansion: United States, Canada, Europe, China, Vietnam, etc.
– Traffic ranked 330th at Alexa.com, 1st ranked in “Consumer Electronics” category at
Ranking.com
– Consumers have the same access to technology, products provided in the website.
• Richness:
– Images, brief description and features of products; movie trailers.
– Consumers’ ratings and reviews of products.
• Interactivity:
– Order support area: clear instruction for ordering.
– Product support area; availability check.
– Free phone for immediate assistance; E-mails.
– Ask & Answer (ex. televisions), consulting (ex. cell phones)
• Information Density:
– Prices are ranged -> save consumers’ time when they look for products that suit their
pockets.
– Discounted prices are shown for consumers to compare.
– Brands & features of products are categorized -> create consumers’ ease to find their
favourites.
• Social Technology:
– Forum: consumers discuss the quality of products, how to use them, etc. with others.
– IdeaX: consumers share their ideas, vote good ones, discuss with others and receive
BestBuy’s feedback
 Unique Features Implemented
Poorly

• Personalization/Customization:
– My Account helps consumers control their Order
Status, Wish List, etc. but it doesn’t help BestBuy
identify market segments for their marketing
strategy or it doesn’t help consumers personally
select, kept updated with or follow up their favourite
types of products.
 Suggestion for Improvement
• Personalization/Customization:
– Consumers are given the ability to select their favourite types of
products which they can see first when logging in the site.
– Consumers are alerted when there are new products of their
favourite types.
– BestBuy stores and uses consumers’ purchase and behaviour history
for marketing purposes and for management of prominent products.
• Videos (especially of home appliances) should be added to increase the
richness:
– Show how the products are used -> consumers find the usefulness
and buy.
– Create confidence in consumers when they have the thought that
they are carefully instructed to use products.
• Some consumers may not want the staff to listen to their voices or they
may be dumb -> Online Chatting can be added to improve interactivity:
 Unique Features Implemented Well
All the eight features are implemented well and professionally.
• Ubiquity/Global Reach/Universal Standards:
– Businesses share the same technology in the site by creating Alibaba accounts :
• Searching or posting information of products
• Negotiating and placing orders from their places.
– Community of businesses from over 200 countries.
– Partners in the U.S.A, Australia, Korea, Vietnam, India, etc.
– 1st ranked in “Business/Trade/Directories” category at Ranking.com
• Richness:
– Photos, minimum order quantity, information of products and suppliers, offer letter,
terms of payment.
– Success Stories.
• Interactivity:
– Contact Information & Online Chat tools.
– Instruction for buying/selling.
• Information Density:
– Costs of same types of products -> easily compared.
– Trade news/analysis/trends.
– Security Bulletin: tips for approaching companies in specific countries, etc.
• Social Technology:
– Forum: basic knowledge of Import & Export, box Ask an Expert, box Technology, etc.
– Information of Trade shows.
• Personalization/Customization:
– My Alibaba: control messages and buying leads/products
Suggestion for Improvement

• Only one language (English) should be

used at the same time, not a combination
of English and Chinese.
• “Search Products” box: add an option of
“Categories” of products next to option of
“Country/Region”
Omit the “Browse by Categories” list on the
left hand;
Omit box “Trade with the World”
 Unique Features Implemented Well
• Ubiquity/Global Reach/Universal Standards:
– 6th ranked in “Shopping/Auctions” category at Ranking.com
– Anyone can create accounts and share the same technology in the site.
• Information Density:
– Shipping cost, shipping destination, payment option.
– Comments and Ratings of other buyers -> the sellers are trustworthy or
not.
– Similar items are listed -> prices, values are easier to compare.
– Negotiation information are open.
• Interactivity (between sellers and buyers):
– “Ask a Question”, “Request Pictures” tools help buyers know more
about the products from the buyers.
• Social Technology:
– Clubs, blogs, photo albums.
• Personalization/Customization:
– My Store: sellers enhance their “online store” and display their products.
– My Want Ads: manage the Want Ads posted.
– My Watchlist: buyers control their favourite stores/products.
 Unique Features Implemented
Poorly
• Interactivity (between iOffer and users):
– Beginners, esp. buyers who have no knowledge of C2C
have difficulties: no instructions; only the selling policies but
not enough.
– The Help search engine only list FAQ’s -> takes time to
search appropriate information.
• Richness:
– For one product, some sellers give all description, price and
many photos, some only show one photo and price.
Suggestion for Improvement
• A format of display for sellers: at least 2 photos
or video with some description for one product.
• Instructions for beginners should be created.
• Customer Service, i.e. Online Chat, should be
created -> provide timely support for both sellers
and buyers.
• Information of users when they create accounts
should be collected more carefully in order to
avoid fraud.
 Unique Features Implemented Well
• Ubiquity/Global Reach/Universal Standards:
– 1st ranked in “Junk_Email_Removal” category at
Ranking.com
– Headquarter in the U.S.A, branch offices in England,
Japan, Hong Kong & China.
– Users share the same technology when downloading and
using the programs.
• Interactivity:
– “Support” section gives good instruction on downloading,
installation, subscription, etc.
– Partner/Reseller policies.
• Information Density:
– Search box provides sufficient and accurate information of
the products searched available on the site.
– Users’ testimonials.
• Social Technology:
– Cloudmark Forum.
Unique Features Implemented Poorly
• Customization/Personalization:
– No existence.
• Richness:
– Rare presence of images.
– Long and complicated description of products.
– Description is not in the right position.
Suggestion for Improvement
• Brief description of each product, link for
full description.
• Free trial/ Buy buttons are placed next to
the description.
• Addition of videos or images describing
how the programs function.
• No need of personalization/customization,
but Tell a Friend function should be added
for marketing purposes.
Unique Features Implemented Well
• Richness:
– Description of the service and its advantage.
• Interactivity:
– E-mails.
• Information Density:
– Information about Investor Relations, annual
report.
– Products are categorized -> customers’ ease to
find specific products for their needs.
Unique Features Implemented Poorly
• Ubiquity/Global Reach/Universal
Standards:
– Website is just to recommend products.
– Companies have to contact offline headquarter in
India or offices in Australia, France, Indonesia,
etc. for M-commerce services.
• Customization/Personalization:
– No existence.
• Social Technology:
– No existence.
Suggestion for Improvement
• To conduct online registration for
companies:
Convenience for customers; enlarge the
number of users -> implement ubiquity and
global reach.
Customers’ accounts make marketing
messages effective -> implement
personalization/customization
• Implement social technology: create
forum -> users exchange experience,
solutions to problems…