DealsOn E-commerce Platform Development

The assignment focuses on developing a comprehensive plan for creating an e-commerce platform called 'DealsOn'. It requires students to propose suitable software development and project management methodologies, addressing potential risks, including legal, security, and operational challenges. The plan should demonstrate a thorough understanding of e-commerce business models, technology considerations, and best practices.

E-Business Model & Information
DealsOn
10/5/2017

DealsOn
Table of Contents
Reflection and the Set of Challenges........................................................................................3
Sources Referred & Used.........................................................................................................3
Report Overview...................................................................................................................... 4
Aim & Goal..........................................................................................................................4
Objectives............................................................................................................................ 4
Details Covered....................................................................................................................4
Limitations........................................................................................................................... 4
Background of DealsOn...........................................................................................................4
Value Proposition.....................................................................................................................5
Management Strategies and Project Decisions.........................................................................5
E-Business Model of DealsOn.................................................................................................5
Marketing Plan.........................................................................................................................5
Feasibility and Analysis – Political......................................................................................6
Feasibility and Analysis – Economical.................................................................................6
Feasibility and Analysis – Technical....................................................................................6
E-Business Infrastructure and Payment Gateway.....................................................................6
Hardware Needs...................................................................................................................6
Software Needs.................................................................................................................... 7
Risks & Issues..........................................................................................................................8
Legal.................................................................................................................................... 8
Privacy and Security............................................................................................................ 8
Other Risks...........................................................................................................................8
Advantages...............................................................................................................................9
Conclusions & Recommendations......................................................................................... 10
References..............................................................................................................................11
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DealsOn
Reflection and the Set of Challenges
There were many issues and challenges that cropped up during the project for the website
DealsOn
 The acquiring of the information on the functioning of the grid systems was not easy.
There were many templates that were used and the understanding of the difference
between the templates was also difficult.
 There were many different plug-ins and modules that were involved and used in the
site. Also, there were many extensions that were involved. It was not easy to get hold
of the functioning and integration of all these elements with each other.
 The first task that was to be completed was the designing and development of the
homepage for the website which had various sections and a menu below the header
section. There were different options that were to be integrated in the menu for the
site. The emergence of the issues such as absence of content in the menu, technical
errors and likewise were not getting rectified in the beginning phase.
Sources Referred & Used
The resolution of the challenges and problems that were experienced was done only after an
understanding and clarity on the subject was gained. This was made possible with the aid of
many resources in the form of websites, tutorials and videos.
The basic detail of Wix and the functioning that was involved around the same was acquired
from the website as http://wixtoolset.org/documentation/manual/v3/main/wix_learning.html.
The in-depth information on Wix and the functioning involved with the same for the building
of a website was acquired from
http://harrington.uri.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2013/01/Wix-Tutorial-1.pdf.
One of the challenges that came up was in the form of addition of an online store to Wix. The
information around same was gathered from the link
https://support.wix.com/en/article/adding-a-shopping-cart-icon-in-wix-stores.
Many videos have been uploaded on YouTube that are available for free which can be used
for gaining an understanding on the usage of Wix. There were two videos that were used to
acquire basic and advanced understanding by going through the videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI5mXY-M3WA and https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Iy2VaWfeXrs.
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DealsOn
Report Overview
Aim & Goal
The main aim of this document is to bring out the details and elaborated information on the
solution that is proposed for the website as DealsOn.
Objectives
The report has the objective of covering the e-business model that is involved with DealsOn
along with the specific requirements that must be present in the site.
Details Covered
The scope of the report covers the analysis and review of the solution that is proposed from
different aspects along with the recommendations regarding the e-business model of the
solution.
The specific information on the project expenses and project timeline are not covered.
Limitations
The set of assumptions and the underlying dependencies of the project have not been covered
and included in the document.
Background of DealsOn
DealsOn is a website that provides the coupons and online deals that are available to the
customers. The motive of the website is to allow the users to experience exclusive offers and
avail the same at the time of purchase on various websites and applications. The primary sets
of features provided by the site are as listed below.
 Listing of the coupons that may be applicable on the different websites
 Listing of the promotional offers that can be applied by the users for the first time
purchase
 Available loyalty programmes and rewards that can be gained
The set of functions and features that have been implemented on the website of DealsOn are
extremely basic and there is absence of features like secure login, social media integration,
advanced sorting and filtering options, integration with enhanced payment options etc.
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DealsOn
Value Proposition
Value proposition of the website includes the improvement of the website of DealsOn. There
are many features and functionalities that are currently missing from the website like social
media integration with various social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
etc. The user interface of the site is also poor leading to poor user experience. The security of
the website and payment options provided is also limited. The need is to upgrade the website
to advanced features and mechanisms so that the customer base associated with DealsOn can
be enhanced and maximum revenues are earned.
Management Strategies and Project Decisions
There are many advancements and improvements that are required to be done to the website
of DealsOn. The strategy that must be followed for the purpose shall be agile development
methodology. The requirements as per this methodology shall be divided in different sets. A
single iteration must focus upon one sub-set of the requirements which shall then lead to the
accomplishment of the end-result (Brohi et al., 2016).
The project activities must be done in a series of steps so that the resources are aware of the
tasks that they need to perform.
E-Business Model of DealsOn
There are many e-business models that are present which can be applied and used in case of
e-business development of the website or web application for a business unit. DealsOn is a
website that has been set up for the consumers to allow them to earn maximum benefits and
best deals during their online purchase and transactions. Therefore, the model applicable to
this website is the Business to Consumer which is also known as B2C model (Martinez-
Lopez, 2010). The business activities and features that are included on the site must be done
with a view to attract maximum customer base and to earn maximum customer satisfaction as
an outcome (Pandya and Dholakia, 2005).
Marketing Plan
It is necessary for every business unit to develop a marketing plan and a marketing strategy in
such a manner that the maximum numbers of customers are attracted towards the business.
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Feasibility and Analysis – Political
There are various industries and business units that are directly dependent upon the legal and
political framework that is followed in a country. The change in these policies has a direct
impact on the functioning and outcomes of the business. Similarly, there are business setups
that do not have a large scale impact on such political ups and downs. DealsOn is a website
that belongs to the second category. There are certain political decisions that can have a slight
impact on its functions such as taxation schemes and policies, government laws around e-
commerce merchants etc.
Feasibility and Analysis – Economical
There are many factors that can have a direct impact on the economical framework of a
country. The economical policies and status can have an impact on many business units as
well. However, DealsOn is a business setup that is not regulated or impacted by the changes
in the economical scenario of a country. Certain factors that have the potential to cause an
impact are inflation rates and interest rates.
Feasibility and Analysis – Social
The e-commerce industry is regulated by the needs and preferences of the customers. These
parameters are very important as the profits and sales that are earned by a business setup are
entirely dependent upon the customer behavior. The same goes for the business and revenue
that is earned by DealsOn. The change in the customer demands or choices will have an
impact on the profit or loss for the website as well.
Feasibility and Analysis – Technical
Technology is an integral part of the web based systems and application. The website of
DealsOn will also have a lot of dependency and reliance on the technical aspects. There may
be technical trends that may change which may be required to be implemented in the web site
as well. Therefore, the website shall be designed in a scalable and flexible manner so that any
of such technological changes are easy to make (Pradhan, 2014).
E-Business Infrastructure and Payment Gateway
Hardware Needs
The website of DealsOn may be used by hundreds and millions of users from any part of the
globe. The performance and behavior of the website shall therefore be competent enough to
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DealsOn
meet out these needs and requirements. It shall be designed in such a manner that the huge
traffic on the website is handled with ease and without any availability issue. Therefore, the
systems on which the site is deployed, the servers that are used for the purpose and the
network equipment that is used shall be of latest quality.
Many different needs and requirements from the aspect of the infrastructure have been listed
below.
 Tele-communication tools and equipment shall be integrated with the website so that
such communications are easy to make and accomplish.
 The payment gateways must be integrated on the site.
 Electronic funds and file transfer systems shall be present.
 Encryption algorithms must be used so that the information is secured and protected.
Software Needs
 Database tools
Database is an essential component of the website and there shall be a suitable
database selected for the web based applications so that the functioning of the website
is smooth and as per the requirements. In case of DealsOn, NoSQL database, such as
MongoDB shall be used as it will provide the necessary form of security along with
the ease of maintenance and support necessary for the Big Data tools.
 Coding tools
The source code of DealsOn shall be created in such a manner that the website is
scalable, adaptable and flexible in nature. These qualities and capabilities will be
easily provided by choosing PHP as the programming language for the development
of the front end (Methodsandtools, 2017).
 Testing
One of the most significant and essential activities that is carried out on the websites
is the testing. This is the activity in which the defects and bugs are highlighted and
pointed out for clarification and correction. There are tools that are necessary for this
purpose. The set of testing tools that must be used in case of DealsOn include
TestLink for the purpose of creation of test scenarios and test cases along with their
execution. LoadRunner must be used for the execution of the performance test cases.
The defects must be logged and reported through Bugzilla.
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DealsOn
Risks & Issues
Legal
There can be many risks and issues that may come up with web based applications. The type
of issues and risks that may have the most significant and severe impact are legal risks and
issues. There are many legal policies and regulatory norms that the organizations are required
to follow. For instance, there is a legal code called e-payments code that must be adhered to
for every financial transaction on the website. There are also legal policies applicable on the
security of the information and its protection (Uop. 2006).
The violation of these policies and laws can have legal obligations and punishments.
Privacy and Security
Information is the most critical assets for the organizations as it is the information that may
regulate the success or failure of the organization. For example, if the confidential
information of an organization such as its internal policies and techniques get exposed in
public then the competitors may take advantage of such a situation. The significance of
information has led to the emergence of many information related risks and attacks that may
have a negative implication on the privacy and security of the same (Onebusiness, 2013).
In case of DealsOn, there are many privacy and security risks that are associated with the
information sets. The form of these risks can vary on the basis of the carrier or agent of the
risk. For instance, if the agent is the network then there can be risks such as man in the
middle, denial of service, eavesdropping attacks etc. Similarly, if the employee or the user is
the carrier of the risk, then there may be issues such as breaching, loss of data, malware
attack, unauthorized access etc. that may emerge. There may also be risks such as message
alteration, spoofing and phishing that may take place.
All of these risks and attacks can have a poor impact on the privacy and security of the
information. Therefore, these issues shall be avoided by using countermeasures and controls
like network security tools, anti-malware packages, information encryption etc.
Other Risks
User negligence becomes a cause for many risks and issues. These issues are mainly
associated with the operational mistakes and errors. The users may accidentally carry out a
task or an operation that may have a negative implication on the user, the website and the
system. These risks shall be avoided by using support forums and documents for enhancing
the operational ease of the users.
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DealsOn
There may also be compatibility issues that may be witnessed. The website of DealsOn is
linked with the legacy systems and databases. Addition of new features and improvement of
the website may have compatibility and integration issues.
There will also be a number of changes that will be developed. These changes may be
difficult to handle and processed for the employees of DealsOn. There will be new set of
business practices that will be required to be followed along with the use of newer tools and
methods.
Advantages
The idea behind the setting up of the website as DealsOn is to enable the customers to gain
maximum benefit in their online transactions and operations. The improvement of the website
by revising the current operations and functionalities along with the addition of new features
will have many advantages in terms of customer engagement, customer attraction and
experience (Wills, 2014).
The website will allow the customers to integrate their social media accounts and platforms
which will provide the data analysts and scientists with the information on the customer
preferences and choices. The designing of the business and marketing strategies along with
the business decisions will be made easy as a result. The target audience for every coupon
will be easy to identify. The setting up and enforcement of a correct strategy will lead to the
ability to gain competitive advantage in the market (Khurana, 2017).
The customers will also be provided with the capability to security login and access the
website, experience enhanced and secure payment options and easily filter the coupons and
deals displayed on the website according to their choice. This will enhance the customer
experience earned on the site which will lead to positive publicity by the customers.
The enhancement of customer engagement and customer base will also have a positive and
direct impact on the sales and revenue of the site which will be improved.
There are many similar business setups and units that are functioning and are available for
access on the web. The improvement of the website of DealsOn will make sure that the
website offers certain unique features to the customers so that they find it easy to pick
DealsOn from the several options available for access.
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DealsOn
Conclusions & Recommendations
DealsOn is a website that provides the coupons and online deals that are available to the
customers for gaining maximum benefit in their transactions online. The set of functions and
features that have been implemented on the website of DealsOn are extremely basic and there
is absence of features like secure login, social media integration, advanced sorting and
filtering options, integration with enhanced payment options etc. The strategy that must be
followed for the purpose of website development and improvement shall be agile
development methodology. The requirements as per this methodology shall be divided in
different sets. A single iteration must focus upon one sub-set of the requirements which shall
then lead to the accomplishment of the end-result. There may be many issues and challenges
that may be seen during the project in terms of legal issues, security risks and many more.
These risks shall be handled and managed by using an adequate management methodology.
There is risk management process that is defined in the project management methodologies
that must be applied in this case. This process shall cover five phases for successful and
efficient management of the risks. These phases include risk identification, risk analysis, risk
evaluation, risk treatment and risk monitoring & closure.
Along with the development methodology, there is also an additional methodology that must
be used and applied in case of DealsOn. This includes the project management methodology.
Projects In Controlled Environment (PRINCE2) is the methodology that must be selected and
applied in this case. It will provide the required set of guidelines for the management of the
project and will also cover the necessary knowledge areas. The risks and conflicts that may
arise during the execution and timeline of the project will also be managed and handled with
much ease.
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References
Brohi, H., Prithiani, J., Abbas, Z., Bhutto, A. and Chawla, S. (2016). Strategic Marketing
Plan of Nike. SSRN Electronic Journal.
Khurana, A. (2017). Why E-commerce Is Taking the Retail World by Storm. [online] The
Balance. Available at: https://www.thebalance.com/advantages-of-ecommerce-1141610
[Accessed 04 Oct. 2017].
Martinez-Lopez, L. (2010). Intelligent e-services and multi-agent systems for B2C e-
commerce. Internet Research, 20(3).
Methodsandtools (2017). Software Development Tools: Java, JavaScript,.NET, PHP, Ruby.
[online] Methodsandtools.com. Available at:
http://www.methodsandtools.com/tools/tools.php [Accessed 04 Oct. 2017].
Onebusiness (2013). The Legal and Privacy Issues of Doing E-Business. [online] Available
at:
https://www.onebusiness.ca/sites/default/files/MEDI_Booklet_Legal_Privacy_Issues_accessi
ble_E.pdf [Accessed 04 Oct. 2017].
Pandya, A. and Dholakia, N. (2005). Conceptualizing B2C Businesses as a New Category of
Services. Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations, 3(1), pp.1-12.
Pradhan, S. (2014). Total Quality Management in Service Sector: Case Study of Academic
Libraries. Journal of Business and Management Sciences, 2(3A), pp.29-32.
Uop (2006). E-Commerce Legal Issues. [online] Available at:
https://www.uop.edu.jo/download/research/members/tisgway_ecom.pdf [Accessed 04 Oct.
2017].
Wills, B. (2014). 18 Major Benefits of e-Commerce Business for Retailers & Customers in
2015. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@briannawillsss/18-major-
benefits-of-e-commerce-business-for-retailers-customers-in-2015-63c5fc87f679 [Accessed
04 Oct. 2017].
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