Online to Offline Strategy for MMU Ice Cream Parlor: Report

This report presents a business plan for an ice cream parlor at MMU, focusing on an online to offline (O2O) business model. The report details the four key components of the O2O model: content management, order management, customer service, and break bulk deliveries. Content management strategies include developing a product review platform, ensuring high-quality images, creating an easy payment process, and designing a professional website. Order management focuses on a fast and efficient website, customer database retention, and a streamlined pickup process. Customer service recommendations emphasize product knowledge, friendly staff, and responsiveness. Finally, break bulk delivery considerations include secure, fast, and reliable delivery with a professional appearance. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of quality products and continuous improvement based on customer preferences. References from various academic sources are also provided.

MMU ICE CREAM PARLOR 1
MMU Ice Cream Parlor
Name of the Student
Maleka Campus
Course Name
Course Number
Instructor’s Name
Date

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INTRODUCTION
Online to offline (O2O) business is a strategy that uses online advertising and marketing
approaches to identify potential clients, create awareness of services and products and finally
lure the customer to visit the physical store to buy the goods and services (Del, 2013). This
model comprises of four components content management, order management, customer service
and Break Bulk deliveries to B2C (Business to Customer) (Swatman, 2009). In this paper we
apply all this components on the development of an ice cream parlor in MMU.
CONTENT MANAGEMENT
The developers of the online platform for the ice cream parlor in MMU must ensure that the
content is attractive and good. The following must be put into action to ensure this:
a. Developing a product review platform on the website
This will give the customers a platform to express how they felt about the ice cream and services
offered by MMU ice cream parlor. In this case customers will act as the advocates of the
business thus the best way to get the ice cream validated by a third party (Ribbik, 2014).
b. Ensuring quality images
Anybody who buys goods online views their pictures first (Shen, 2014), thus MMU ice cream
parlor must ensure quality pictures of their ice cream are taken. The pictures should be clear and
show some of the customers eating and enjoying their ice cream.
c. Developing an easy payment process

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The checkout page is the final stop for people’s shopping journey (Choi, 2008). The design must
be in a way that payment is clearly shown and as easy as it can be. If possible, several payment
processes should be employed and clearly displayed.
d. Ensuring quality design
Many online customers base their opinion on the website’s overall design (Laudon, 2013). The
MMU ice cream parlor website should be professionally designed to give it a high rating on
customer opinion thus translate to increased sales.
ORDER MANAGEMENT
An efficient ordering online system should be ensured by the parlor through the following ways:
a. The website must be fast and efficient
MMU ice cream parlor must ensure that their site is optimized for mobile web browsers and at
least implement an efficient and fast mobile app. This will ensure customers spend less time
ordering for their goods thus maintain them because most of the online visitors will abandon
their orders if the site requires more time to place orders.
b. Retaining customer database
The website should be designed in a way that a customer can be able to trace their previous
orders easily thus when making a similar order they just click a few buttons (Nishii, 2008).
c. Streamlining the pickup process
The pickup process after orders have been made online should be made quick and easy. The
customer should just present their receipt and the parlor and get their ice cream in time.

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CUSTOMER SERVICE
Good customer service means should be created and maintained by every business (Law, 2010)..
MMU ice cream parlor should consider the following in ensuring this:
a. Know the product well
MMU ice cream parlor should ensure all its customer facing staff know the product well and
beware of the most common questions that customers ask. This will help them articulate well the
answers the customers require.
b. Be friendly at all times
The company should train its staff to be friendly to customers, every conversation should start
with a smile and a warm greeting. If the customers call they should be addressed in a friendly
way. After every service the staff should learn to say thank you.
c. Be responsive
MMU ice cream parlor staff should ensure they respond as quickly as possible to all enquiries
made by customers. This will boost customer confidence thus translate to improved sales.
BREAK BULK DELIVERIES TO B2C
Break bulk are goods that must be loaded individually and in this case delivered to the end user
(the customer) (Mikurak, 2012). The company should embrace the following in ensuring
efficient delivery of its products:
a. Secure delivery

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The ice cream delivery equipment and vehicles should be licensed to ensure compensation incase
of any accident during delivery.
b. Fast delivery
MMU ice cream parlor should ensure that their ice cream is delivered on time to the customers,
this will boost customer confidence in their services.
c. Reliable
Each time delivery is promised the company’s reputation is put in the line (Rogg, 2009), thus the
parlor should ensure they employ delivery mechanisms that are highly reliable. The company
should come up with package tracking through the internet.
d. Professional appearance
The appearance of drivers, staff and ice cream tracks reflects on the business. The delivery
vehicles should be clean and the staff should maintain a neat appearance.
CONCLUSION
The MMU ice cream Parlor must consider the ideas discussed above to ensure that it grows its
customer base. Above everything else the goods, they produce must be up to standard and
constant improvement ensured depending on the ever-changing customer preferences.

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REFERENCES
Del Real, A. E. (2013). U.S. Patent No. 8,353,012. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office.
Law, R., Qi, S., & Buhalis, D. (2010). Progress in tourism management: A review of website
evaluation in tourism research. Tourism management, 31(3), 297-313.
Mikurak, M. G. (2012). U.S. Patent No. 8,271,336. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office.
Shen, C., & Wang, Y. (2014). Online to offline business model.
Laudon, K. C., & Traver, C. G. (2013). E-commerce. Pearson.
Swatman, P. M., Krueger, C., & Van Der Beek, K. (2009). The changing digital content
landscape: An evaluation of e-business model development in European online news and music.
Internet Research, 16(1), 53-80.
Ribbink, D., Van Riel, A. C., Liljander, V., & Streukens, S. (2014). Comfort your online
customer: quality, trust and loyalty on the internet. Managing Service Quality: An International
Journal, 14(6), 446-456.
Choi, T. Y., & Eboch, K. (2008). The TQM paradox: relations among TQM practices, plant
performance, and customer satisfaction. Journal of Operations Management, 17(1), 59-75.
Nishii, L. H., Lepak, D. P., & Schneider, B. (2008). Employee attributions of the “why” of HR
practices: Their effects on employee attitudes and behaviors, and customer satisfaction.
Personnel psychology, 61(3), 503-545.
Rogg, K. L., Schmidt, D. B., Shull, C., & Schmitt, N. (2009). Human resource practices,
organizational climate, and customer satisfaction. Journal of management, 27(4), 431-449.

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