E-Business Fundamentals and Systems

This report discusses the e-commerce business model of Intro Travel and Stride Travel, their link with the business model, principal goals, and semantic different scale. It also compares and contrasts the chosen websites.

RUNNING HEAD: E-Business Fundamentals and Systems
0
E-Business Fundamentals and Systems
0

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 1
Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
E-commerce business model.................................................................................................................2
Link of the website with the business model.........................................................................................4
Principal goals.......................................................................................................................................6
Semantic different scale.........................................................................................................................6
Comparison and contrast of the chosen websites.................................................................................14
References...........................................................................................................................................15

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 2
Introduction
Business to consumer (B2C) is a business model based on the transactions between a
company and customers. The company sells products and services and the customers are the
end users. It is the best practice to promote products and services among consumers. When it
is applied to any type of direct consumer selling than it has to be associated with the online
selling which is known as e-commerce. There is also business to business model (B2B)
which is used by the companies. There is involvement of the two parties in this process
before it reaches finally to the consumers. It is a situation where one business makes
commercial transaction with other business. The B2C has become significantly important in
the online sales. The online purchasing is more convenient for the customers. The companies
are the direct sellers in the B2C model. The consumers are divided into the target segments in
this model. The business to consumer model have been chosen in this report in which
companies deal directly with the customers, there is no mediator in the selling process. The
B2C model is more effective when the customers have positive experience with the company.
The satisfied customers are more likely to buy more products and services (Ye and Ma,
2017). The repeat business shows the growth of the business and is a key behind the success
of the company. The B2C marketing begins with the extensive market research. The
company should know who are the customers and the specification required by them. The
B2C campaign uses company’s website and social media in order to be effective.
This report is to represent two travel companies, Intro travel and Stride travel. Both of these
companies are engaged in providing professionally planned trips and amazing experience to
the customers. Both the companies Intro travel and Stride travel have a significant role in
fulfilling the needs of the clients by arranging travel services from airlines to the hotel. The
travel company mainly acts as an agent and sells travel products and services. These
companies provide specialized service for both commercial and business travelers.
E-commerce business model
Intro travel makes use of the B2C model. In reference to the B2B model, the company sells
their inventories to other travel agencies. The B2C tools are used by the Intro in getting a
direct booking from all over the web. The company does not hire experts for this service. The
support is provided regarding language and currencies (Gummesson, 2014). In order to be
successful, the company attracts and retains both the business and clients segment. The

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 3
software enables Intro to target effectively and manage customer segments with the help of a
cloud based program (Yang, Zhang, and Gallagher, 2016).
URL for Intro travel
https://www.introtravel.com/
Stride travel uses both B2B and B2C model to provide service to the businesses and clients.
In the context of B2B model, Stride travels have a connection with thousands of the
holidaymakers. There are various hotels which deal with travel agencies. However, hotels
need to pay a commission fee to the agency as it helps to get more bookings. In the context of
the B2C model, the company leverages all the possible streams of booking opportunities
(Fielt, 2014). Later it combines the prospects and manages through a sales funnel. It enhances
the chance of the clients signing up with the company (Abdullah and Siraj, 2018). The CRM
software is also used to effectively manage the clients through a single platform. It also
results in an increased number of bookings (Wang, Wang, and Liu, 2016).
URL for the Stride travel
https://www.stridetravel.com/

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 4
Link of the website with the business model
Intro travel provides an amazing experience to the travelers in the awesome destinations. The
company is engaged in providing an amazing experience to the customers since 2005. The
clients can make a booking before at least 28 days. The full payment should be made at the
time of booking (Halter, 2017). If a person cannot travel due to some reason than that person
can swap the tour to some other tour. The company believes in bringing people together
through travelling and change the world for something better. Intro travel offers the right
B2C tools to make the booking function easier for the clients (Walsh, Beatty and Holloway,
2015). It ensures to give success in the online travel industry. The company provides travel
insurance which is highly recommended for the Australian trips. The insurance covers
medical expenses, missed flights, loss of luggage and valuables. The group tour facility is
also provided by the company those travel alone. It provides opportunity to travel and make
new friends with it (Chiu, Wang, Fang and Huang, 2014).
The technology has expanded channels in the B2C markets. The website has become
effective channel of the B2C. It has been observed that 33% of the adults aged 18-39 uses
internet first to look for the information on travel whereas 25% of the adults rely on the web
for researching travel agencies. The website of the company is relevant enough to provide all
the information. The website is friendly and simpler to use. Before making bookings online,
the customers use to go the travel agency offices (Raj, Griffin and Blackwell, 2015). They
were required to visit different office and select the final one to make bookings. But the
evolution of e-commerce has made possible to make bookings over internet. The consumers
can avail any type of product or services regarding travel on the internet. Intro travel uses

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 5
B2C method in order to deliver relevant content and information to guide prospects. Intro
travels offer the packages as per their preferences (Huotari, Ulkuniemi, Saraniemi and
Mäläskä, 2015). The number of days, destinations and options of the hotels is provided as per
the budget of the customers. Apart from this the company offers the membership in which
customers can attain bonus points. These points can be reduced in the next booking.
Stride travel is the world’s leading search a review site for the tours and the adventures trips.
The company offers more than 25,000 tours and adventure experience across every continent.
It enables everyone to explore the world, find adventures and create lasting connections. The
company has an impressive selection of pre-planned trips on every continent. The clients can
directly book the packages with the operators and can get access to the amazing deals. The
simple research options provided by the company help to find the best trip effortlessly
(Leistra-Jones, 2017). The site of the company compares trips of over 700 companies and
plans the expert trip. The cash bonus can be earned as a member of the company. The clients
can also save up to 40% on the bookings. It provides the option of comparing trips and to
choose the best deal. The reviews on the specific journeys are available on the website of the
company which helps to choose the one. The company has been awarded many times by the
New York Times, National Geographic, Travel leisure, ABC news and more (Wiengarten,
Bhakoo and Gimenez, 2015).
The website of the Stride travel is efficient enough to gain information concerning the
operations of the company. The clients can gain information regarding travel packages and
the appropriate time to visit the places. The travel insurance is the additional service which is
provided by the company. The Stride travel is another e-commerce company rendering travel
services in Australia to both businesses and clients. The company provides assurance to the
clients by providing qualitative services (Grant, Edgar, Sukumar and Meyer, 2014). The
company makes use of various promotional and marketing strategies to the target audience
(McKnight, Lankton, Nicolaou and Price, 2017). The B2C tools used by the Stride travels
have made the booking process faster and simpler for the clients. It is a user-friendly interface
which sells travel products to the prospective consumers directly on the website of the
company. The integration of the B2C has been beneficial in the various ways. It also reflects
the option of managing and promoting self-travel products (Sharma, Chadee and Roxas,
2016).

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 6
Principal goals
The principal goals of the Intro travel are given below:
Use the B2C method to identify the target market of the consumer market.
Identify the trends and the preference of the consumers in the target market.
Track the consumers responding to the company’s website (Swani, Brown and Milne, 2014).
Promote the use of social media for the interaction with the clients.
Obtain reviews and feedback to implement changes as per the customer’s response.
Forecast trends and opportunities for the particular holidaying destination (Pike, 2016).
To make a website of the company more user-friendly along with the simple booking
process.
The principal goals of the Stride travel are given below:
Use a variety of methods to discover the preference of the customers.
Provide a high standard of service and memorable experience to the clients.
Provide the quality personnel in the tourist market.
To create awareness about the commercial and emergency conditions of the travel industry to
ensure safety (Chatzoglou and Chatzoudes, 2016).
Develop customer relationships.
Provide relevant services as per the requirement of the customers.
Improve revenue and profitability.
Semantic different scale
1 2 3 4 5
Very poor Poor Inapplicable Good Very good
The table is used to present the reviews and feedbacks of the customers from Amazon and
Target’s products and services on the basis of the above five semantic scales:

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 7
Sr. No. Attributes Intro travel Stride travel Comments
1 Link of website
URL to the
name of the
business
5 5 The website of
the URL and the
name of the
business both
are same.
2 How easily the
website can be
found by using
general internet
search
engines( Google
, AltaVista,
Bing, Yahoo)?
5 5 Both of the
companies can
be easily
explored
through any
research engine
(Pedersen,
Gwozdz, and
Hvass, 2018).
3 The reasonable
organization
information
required by the
users is
available on the
site or not
3 4 Every customer
has different
requirements. In
this scenario, it
is complicated
to fulfill the
demand of each
and every
customer.
However, both
the companies
update their
website on the
regular basis in
order to meet
customer’s
requirements.
The companies

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 8
also provide
various options
to target
customers.
4 Are
requirements
appropriate for
the user’s
information?
3 4 Proper processes
have been
implemented by
Intro and Stride
travels in order
to provide
relevant
information.
5 How well the
website assures
users about
security and use
of the
information?
3 5 The security
concern in the
case of Intro
travel is not up
to a mark. Stride
travel offers
proper security
through
insurance to its
users.
6 How well does
the website raise
users trust in the
organization?
3 5 Intro travel deals
with the
customer
segment only
and has
developed a
good image in
the market.
Stride travels
serve both
business and
clients in

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 9
relation to the
travel products
and services. It
has gained trust
along with the
popularity of the
targeted
audience.
7 How well does
the website
address legal
issues linked
with the use of
website or
engagement in
the transactions?
5 5 Both of the
travel companies
have clearly
addressed the
legal policies on
their websites. It
mentions that if
any activity is
conducted for
the purpose
rather than
consumption of
the services than
the authorities
have to take
strict action
against the
users. The
agencies have
the right to
cancel the
membership and
packages.
8 How well does
the website
provide for the
5 5 Personal
information and
the number of

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 10
convenience of
the users?
days are asked
by the clients.
9 How well does
the website
address the
language or
cultural needs of
the clients?
2 2 There is no
availability of
the language
option on both
the sites.
10 Does the
website contain
all the product
information
which is
required by the
users?
4 5 Both the
websites contain
appropriate
information
about their
service
offerings. But
Stride travel
provides more
information by
making a
comparison of
700 companies.
11 Does the
website allow
customization
(user-managed
features) that a
user could
expect?
4 4 The customers
share their
requirements
through
feedback and
reviews.
Accordingly,
companies
customize the
features.
12 How well does
the website
personalize the
5 5 Proper measures
are adopted by
the companies

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 11
experience for
the users?
from time to
time on their
websites so that
consumers
experience can
be improved
with the
companies.
13 How well does
the website
identify
adequate
channels for the
products and
services?
5 5 Yes, both the
travel companies
offer sufficient
channels for the
customer's
support.
14 How easy it is to
found
information on
the website
about the
organization,
their products or
services?
5 5 Both of the
companies
provide
sufficient
information on
their websites
about the
products and
services.
15 How easy is to
read information
on the websites
(the information
is provided in
the appropriate
language with
the sufficient
detail for the
4 5 Stride travels
provide more
options.

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 12
users)?
16 Is it easy to
navigate the
websites?
5 5 Both of the
websites offers
sufficient
information to
the users to
navigate other
window and
links while
assessing the
website of the
company.
17 How appropriate
are the websites
aesthetics for the
targeted
audience?
5 5 The timelines of
Intro and Stride
travel are lively
which appeals to
the target
segment.
18 How well does
the website
foster
community
among users?
5 5 Both of the
companies have
the option of
sharing reviews
and feedbacks
concerning
service offered
by them. These
feedbacks
convert the
prospective
consumers into
clients.
19 How rapidly
does the website
load into the
5 5 The website
loads in
maximum 2

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 13
browser and do
all website
features, links
and embedded
objects work as
intended?
seconds
depending on
the internet
speed.
20 How well does
the website
support different
web browsers or
platforms?
4 5 Intro travel’s
website takes
more time than
Stride travel to
load in other
browsers.
21 Does the
website provide
a sufficient
range of
payment options
as could be
reasonably
expected?
4 5 Both of the
companies
confirm and ask
clients regarding
their
requirements
before finalizing
payment. The
companies
accept payments
in both modes
online (digital)
and offline.
22 Does the
website provide
a sufficient
range of
delivery options
as could be
reasonably
expected
5 5 Yes, both of the
companies
extract services
as per the
preferences of
the consumers.

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 14
Comparison and contrast of the chosen websites
Stride travel provides more effective services to the targeted audience in the Australian
market. It makes use of innovative promotional and advertisements strategies in order to gain
a competitive advantage in the e-commerce sector. The website is also capable of fulfilling
the demand of the clients and businesses in the terms of the travel information and services. It
can be considered that the Stride travel is more popular than Intro travel. The target group of
Stride travel is more extensive and is operative in various countries. It is also successful in
the terms of the service offerings. Stride has gained widespread image than Intro travel.

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 15
References
Abdullah and Siraj, S., 2018. Antecedents and consequences of the process of customer
engagement through social media: an integrated conceptual framework. International Journal
of Electronic Business, 14(1), pp.1-27.
Chatzoglou, P. and Chatzoudes, D., 2016. Factors affecting e-business adoption in SMEs: an
empirical research. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 29(3), pp.327-358.
Chiu, C.M., Wang, E.T., Fang, Y.H. and Huang, H.Y., 2014. Understanding customers'
repeat purchase intentions in B2C e‐commerce: the roles of utilitarian value, hedonic value
and perceived risk. Information Systems Journal, 24(1), pp.85-114.
Fielt, E., 2014. Conceptualising business models: Definitions, frameworks and
classifications. Journal of Business Models, 1(1), pp.85-105.
Grant, K., Edgar, D., Sukumar, A. and Meyer, M., 2014. ‘Risky business’: Perceptions of e-
business risk by UK small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). International Journal of
Information Management, 34(2), pp.99-122.
Gummesson, E., 2014. The theory/practice gap in B2B marketing: reflections and search for
solutions. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 29(7/8), pp.619-625.
Halter, N., 2017. “Cannibals and Convicts”: Australian Travel Writing About New
Caledonia. In The Palgrave Handbook of Prison Tourism (pp. 867-884). Palgrave Macmillan,
London.
Huotari, L., Ulkuniemi, P., Saraniemi, S. and Mäläskä, M., 2015. Analysis of content creation
in social media by B2B companies. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 30(6),
pp.761-770.
Leistra-Jones, K., 2017. “When once you have fallen into an equable stride”: The Peripatetic
in Vaughan Williams’s Songs of Travel. Journal of Musicological Research, 36(4), pp.259-
291.
McKnight, D.H., Lankton, N.K., Nicolaou, A. and Price, J., 2017. Distinguishing the effects
of B2B information quality, system quality, and service outcome quality on trust and
distrust. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 26(2), pp.118-141.

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 16
Pedersen, E.R.G., Gwozdz, W. and Hvass, K.K., 2018. Exploring the relationship between
business model innovation, corporate sustainability, and organisational values within the
fashion industry. Journal of Business Ethics, 149(2), pp.267-284.
Pike, S., 2016. Destination image: Identifying baseline perceptions of Brazil, Argentina and
Chile in the nascent Australian long haul travel market. Journal of Destination Marketing &
Management, 5(2), pp.164-170.
Raj, R., Griffin, K. and Blackwell, R., 2015. Motivations for religious tourism, pilgrimage,
festivals and events. Religious tourism and pilgrimage management: An international
perspective, pp.103-117.
Sharma, R.R., Chadee, D. and Roxas, B., 2016. Effects of knowledge management on client-
vendor relationship quality: the mediating role of global mindset. Journal of Knowledge
Management, 20(6), pp.1268-1281.
Swani, K., Brown, B.P. and Milne, G.R., 2014. Should tweets differ for B2B and B2C? An
analysis of Fortune 500 companies' Twitter communications. Industrial marketing
management, 43(5), pp.873-881.
Walsh, G., Beatty, S.E. and Holloway, B.B., 2015. Measuring client-based corporate
reputation in B2B professional services: scale development and validation. Journal of
Services Marketing, 29(3), pp.173-187.
Wang, W.T., Wang, Y.S. and Liu, E.R., 2016. The stickiness intention of group-buying
websites: The integration of the commitment–trust theory and e-commerce success
model. Information & Management, 53(5), pp.625-642.
Wiengarten, F., Bhakoo, V. and Gimenez, C., 2015. The impact of host country regulatory
quality on the value creation process in e-business supply chains. International Journal of
Production Research, 53(16), pp.4963-4978.
Yang, X., Zhang, X. and Gallagher, K.P., 2016. The moderating effect of online community
affiliation and information value on satisfaction with online travel communities in
China. Journal of Global Information Technology Management, 19(3), pp.190-208.

E-Business Fundamentals and Systems 17
Ye, Q. and Ma, B., 2017. Semantic Search of Online Reviews on E-Business Platforms.
In Internet+ and Electronic Business in China: Innovation and Applications (pp. 461-482).
Emerald Publishing Limited.