E-commerce Development and Models: A Case Study of B2B Accounting Services in Australia

This report discusses the growth rate of e-commerce in the global market, e-commerce models, and a case study of two B2B accounting services in Australia. It identifies the most suitable platform based on usability design and business goals.

Cover page

Abstract
This report explains e-commerce development. It also states growth rate of e-commerce in the
current global market with countries like China, Japan, South Korea, India and Australia fueling
the large percentage of e-commerce growth. It also expounds of e-commerce models. The
researcher has chosen to discuss on both Business to Business and Business to Consumer
models. Its main aim however is to select two e-commerce platforms offering accounting
services in a B2B or B2C model in Australia against some factors such as usability design. The
main goals of the selected e-commerce platform are also identified and the most suitable
platform of the two identified.

Table of Contents
Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
E-commerce Implementation and Services Models.....................................................................................4
Business to Business Model....................................................................................................................4
Business to Consumer Model..................................................................................................................5
Consumer to Consumer Model................................................................................................................5
Task A: Selected E-commerce Model.........................................................................................................5
Task B: Why B2B Model?..........................................................................................................................7
Task C: Business Goals and Objectives.......................................................................................................7
Task D: Business Model Assessment for H and R Block Tax Accountants................................................8
Task D: Business Model Assessment for LTN Accounting and Financial Services..................................15
Task F: Most Successful Website..............................................................................................................20
Bibliography............................................................................................................................................20

Introduction
All over the world, e-commerce – the buying and selling of goods and services using the Internet
has continued to increasingly grow and is slowly outpacing the traditional retail market. In the
last ten years, online sales have plummeted and are now accounting a higher ration of all retail
sales1. By the end of 2016, e-commerce sales were more than 8 percent of total retail sales2. E-
commerce market growth is largely being driven by technology growth3. More access to the
Internet has also driven e-commerce growth. With the coming of mobile computing devices such
as the smart phones and tablets more and m0re people are making online purchases. Research
has indicated that over 20 percent shoppers are using mobile devices to shop. Furthermore,
digital payment services including PayPal, Apple Pay, Amazon pay and more have made it
possible and easy to make online purchases as they can be accessed all over the world being used
to send and receive instant money4. As such, shoppers can now shop on the go without waiting to
access laptops and desktop computers. Shopping online saves a lot of time for the customer as
they can shop from the comfort of their home. Countries that are on top of the list in driving e-
commerce and have contributed the largest percentage of e-commerce sales in 2017 include
China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and India5.
1 . Business insider Intelligence, e-commerce growth has hit a two-year high
2. Ibid
3. Ibid
4. Smart Insights, 7 Ecommerce Trends for Online Growth in 2017
5. Jonathan Camhi, Southeast-asias-set-for-explosive-e-commerce-growth

E-commerce Implementation and Services Models
As a result of e-commerce growth, a lot of models to facilitate the mechanism have come up.
The main models used to facilitate e-commerce include the following:
Business to Business Model
Commonly known as B2B, it is a model that allows a business to sell its products and services to
another business via the Internet6. It allows a business to make purchases without the need to
access another’s business’ physical premise saving time and money especially if there are
discounts for online purchases.
Business to Consumer Model
Business to Consumer (B2C) is the most common e-commerce model. It is a model where a
business sell its products and services directly to the consumer who will use the product7.
Consumer to Consumer Model
Sometimes referred to as peer to peer, it represent a model where consumers sell and buy from
each other directly via the Internet without relying on third party providers8.
Task A: Selected E-commerce Model
The selected models include Business to Business (B2B). Selected sites include H and R Block
Tax Accountants and LTN Accounting and Financial Services.
i. H and R Block Tax Accountants:
6. Chris Joseph, Types of eCommerce Business Models
7. Ian Linton, Differences Between B2C & B2B in Business Systems
8. Cudjoe Dan, Consumer-To-Consumer (C2C) Electronic Commerce

The company main objective is to help prepare tax returns. Information from their
website states that they are a leading tax preparation firm preparing about 800,000 tax
returns for clients. Other services include book keeping, financial planning, grants
growth and other business services.
 URL - https://www.hrblock.com.au/tax-returns
 Website Home Page (snapshot)
ii. LTN Accounting and Financial Services
LTN Accounting and Financial Services offers services including accounting and
taxation, medical accounting, company registration and business financial services to
its clientele.
 URL - http://www.ltn.com.au/
 Website Home Page(snapshot)

Task B: Why B2B Model?
Both H and R Block Tax Accountants and LTN Accounting and Financial Services are
considered B2B models because they provide products and services to other businesses through
the Internet. Additionally, both are Business to Consumer businesses since they also serve
individual clients according to information published on the two websites.
Task C: Business Goals and Objectives
 H and R Block Tax Accountants Business Goals
H and R Tax Accountants specialize in simplifying tax for businesses and
individuals in Australia. The company boasts of more than 40 years providing tax
returns with expert results. They have a team of tax professionals who work
together to ensure the right tax deductions, accuracy and security. Therefore their
main goal is to help businesses fill and return accurate tax figures and deductions.

They also aim to provide expert book keeping services, advisory and financial
planning for businesses. They provide growth grants and provide expert
information on US taxes and self-funding services
 LTN Accounting and Financial Services
LTN Accounting and Financial Services main goal is to provide professional tax
preparation, business solutions, book keeping, business management, medical
accounting, company registration and more. They assist business deal with
complicated accounting problems and taxing challenges in an affordable manner
throughout Australia.
Task D: Business Model Assessment for H and R Block Tax Accountants
High
Numbers 1(Very
Poor)
2 (Poor) 3 (Inapplicable) 4 (Good) 5(Very Good)
Does the
website URL
relate to the
business
name?
H and R name
express the
fact that the
company
offers
accounting
services for
clients
How easy is it
to find the
site website
using general Site is easy to

search
engines
including
Google,
Yahoo, Bing
etc.
find on search
engines
Does the
website
provide all
the
organizational
information
that a user
would
require?
All
information
the user needs
is published
on website.
Are the
requirements
to provide a
user’s
personal or
sensitive
information
appropriate?
Not clear
How well
does the
website
reassure users
about the
security and
use of their
information?
Not Clear
How well
does the
website foster
user trust in
the
organization?
Online
assistance

How well
does the
website
address legal
issues
associated
with the use
of the site or
engagement
in
transactions?
Website has a
privacy policy
How well
does the
website
provide for
the
accessibility
needs of
users?
Almost all
user needs
have been
incorporated
including
FAQS and
phone number
for further
queries
How well
does the
website
address the
language or
cultural needs
of users?
Language is
understandable
Does the
website
contain all the
product
information
that users
could
reasonably
require?
Most of the
information
Does the
website allow
all the
customization
that a user
Not clear

could
reasonably
expect?
How well
does the
website
personalize
the
experience of
users?
A customer
can get his
own solution
dealt with
through call,
online forum
Does the
website
identity
sufficient
channels for
user service
and support?
yes
How easy is it
to find any
information
on the
website about
the
organization,
their products
or services?
Very easy to
navigate
How easy is
the
information
on the
website to
read? Is the
information
in appropriate
language and
does it have
sufficient
details for
most users?
Very easy to
read

Is the website
easy to
navigate
when trying
to find
information
on products
or services
and perform
transactions
for users?
Yes
How
appropriate
are the
website
aesthetics
such as
colours,
layout,
imagery and
fonts for the
targeted
audience?
Good website
design, with
clear colors
and layout
How well
does the
website foster
community
amongst
users?
No clear
How quickly
does the
website load
into your
browser and
do all website
features, link
and
embedded
objects such
as files or
applets work
Fast user
response

as intended?
How well
does the
website
support
different web
browsers or
platforms
including
mobile phone
access?
Support major
browsers
Does the
website
provide
sufficient
range of
payment
options as
could be
reasonably
expected?
No
Does the
website
provide a
sufficient
range of
delivery
options as
could be
reasonably
expected?
To some
extent
Task D: Business Model Assessment for LTN Accounting and Financial Services
Website:
BDO
Australia
1(Very
Poor)
2 (Poor) 3 (Inapplicable) 4 (Good) 5(Very Good)

Does the
website URL
relate to the
business
name?
Yes
How easy is it
to find the
site website
using general
search
engines
including
Google,
Yahoo, Bing
etc.
Website is
easy to find
on search
engines
Does the
website
provide all
the
organizational
information
that a user
would
require?
Yes
Are the
requirements
to provide a
user’s
personal or
sensitive
information
appropriate?
users can
create secure
accounts
protected
with
password
How well
does the
website
reassure users
about the
security and
use of their
information?
use of
password
privacy
policy

How well
does the
website foster
user trust in
the
organization?
Client
testimonial
posted on
website
How well
does the
website
address legal
issues
associated
with the use
of the site or
engagement
in
transactions?
includes
privacy
policy,
copyright
How well
does the
website
provide for
the
accessibility
needs of
users?
Users can
access
required
services
How well
does the
website
address the
language or
cultural needs
of users?
Clear English
Does the
website
contain all the
product
information
that users
could
reasonably
require?
Yes

Does the
website allow
all the
customization
that a user
could
reasonably
expect?
Yes
How well
does the
website
personalize
the
experience of
users?
Creation of
user accounts
Does the
website
identity
sufficient
channels for
user service
and support?
Yes, phone
number
How easy is it
to find any
information
on the
website about
the
organization,
their products
or services?
Very easy
How easy is
the
information
on the
website to
read? Is the
information
in appropriate
language and
does it have
Very easy

sufficient
details for
most users?
Is the website
easy to
navigate
when trying
to find
information
on products
or services
and perform
transactions
for users?
Yes, has clear
pages and
links
How
appropriate
are the
website
aesthetics
such as
colors, layout,
imagery and
fonts for the
targeted
audience?
Good
web
design
How well
does the
website foster
community
amongst
users?
unclear
How quickly
does the
website load
into your
browser and
do all website
features, link
and
embedded
objects such
Quick
response

as files or
applets work
as intended?
How well
does the
website
support
different web
browsers or
platforms
including
mobile phone
access?
All browsers
are supported
Does the
website
provide
sufficient
range of
payment
options as
could be
reasonably
expected?
Yes
Does the
website
provide a
sufficient
range of
delivery
options as
could be
reasonably
expected?
Yes
Task F: Most Successful Website
For a website to be successful, it has to have a user friendly design, have the right controls for
functions including feedback and user support. For example, if users are supposed to submit

some information, a good site should allow then to do that using a ‘submit button’ control.
Additionally, a good website should have an easy to use interface. From the home page, a good
site should direct and include links to other important pages. Also, it should have a contact page
that users should use to make further contact with users. Both of these sites (LTN accounting and
financial services and H and R block tax block accountants) have high chances of doing well as
they have user friendly interfaces and designs. When a user visits the platform, they get all the
information they require and can call for any additional information they want. LTN Accounting
and Financial Services specializes in support small and medium businesses and hence can do
very well if they get such clients. H and R Block Tax Accountants can also be very successful as
they have stated they are professional accountants. In my opinion, the two models are the same
and their differentiating success factor could be their marketing as well as customer satisfaction.
Bibliography

Business Insider Intelligence. “E-commerce growth has hit a two-year high”, August 17, 2016,
http://www.businessinsider.com/e-commerce-growth-has-hit-a-two-year-high-2016-8?
IR=T
Camhi, Jonathan. “Southeast Asia's set for explosive e-commerce growth”, May 16 2017,
http://www.businessinsider.com/southeast-asias-set-for-explosive-e-commerce-growth-
2017-5?IR=T
Cudjoe Dan, Consumer-To-Consumer (C2C) Electronic Commerce: The Recent
Picture, International Journal of Networks and Communications, Vol. 4 No. 2, 2014, pp.
29-32. doi: 10.5923/j.ijnc.20140402.01.
Joseph, Chris. "Types of eCommerce Business Models" accessed May 09, 2018.
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/types-ecommerce-business-models-2447.html
Linton, Ian. “Differences Between B2C & B2B in Business Systems”, March 26 2018,
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-between-b2c-b2b-business-systems-
39922.html
LTN Accounting and financial services Australia. May 2018. http://www.ltn.com.au/
H and R block tax accountants Australia. May 2018. https://www.hrblock.com.au/