Autotrader: Digital Business Management Report Analysis

This report provides an in-depth analysis of Autotrader's digital business management, focusing on its e-business model, competitive and digital strategies, and digital marketing approaches. It examines Autotrader's brokerage e-business model, which connects buyers and sellers of new and used cars. The report also explores the company's competitive strategies, including its cost leadership approach and the use of artificial intelligence for market analysis. Furthermore, it delves into Autotrader's digital marketing strategies, customer traffic data, e-CRM practices, and cyber security measures. The report highlights the importance of strong passwords, security software, controlled access, firewalls, and frequent program updates for protecting sensitive data. Overall, the report concludes that digital business management is crucial for expanding business opportunities, and that Autotrader effectively leverages digital technologies to enhance its operations and customer engagement.

Digital business management and
emerging technologies
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INTRODUCTION
Digital business management is a process of pursuing business activities on various
digital platforms. It is consist of digital activities with the help of various technologies in a
business. It involves management of business with consideration of various digital platforms
through internet. It is planning, organising and directing business activities with online and
offline channels. With introduction of advance technologies and digitalisation of businesses has
helped in acquisition of customers from distant places. It has helped businesses to operate
activities on electronic media such as social media, websites, emails and other offline channels.
It resulted in e-commerce which is a platform for conducting selling and purchasing transactions.
Thus, with the help of emerging technologies it leads to introduction of various business
opportunities and ease in conducting business. Autotrader is a fast growing leader in automotive
industry which is conducted on digital platforms or E-commerce. In this report includes e-
business model and business strategy that company follows. Also, it includes company's e-CRM
and social network channels and measures for cyber security for company's website.
Main Body
E- business model
Business model is an architecture for product, service and information supplier with
description of various business factors and their roles performed in conducting business. This
provides an overview of all the leading business actors which helps in conducting business. It
helps in finding sources of revenue and potential benefits from business actors through statistics.
This further helps in aggregating and maintaining control on customer traffic with keeping track .
Company pursues brokerage e-business model which helps in finding sellers and buyers with an
intermediary third party known as broker. This person helps in bringing together both the parties
by charging a nominal fee from one party involved in transaction. Online marketplace involved
with various transactions for conducting business. Company undertakes automotive business in
which it act as third party for bringing together sellers and buyers for new, used and certified
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second hand cars. Company associates with dealers and private sellers which helps in linking
sellers or dealers of cars with prospective customers. This model helps company website in
achieving sales targets with usage of technology to determine customer characteristics and
gaining valuable insights. However, this model leads to less number of customers due to lack of
tangibility and cohesiveness between the parties. It may hampers company's image due to
involvement of B2C, C2C transactions. Sellers and buyers may be inefficient and ineffective in
conducting business transactions.
Competitive and digital business strategy
Company undertakes various competitive and digital business strategies which helps in
conducting business aligned with vision and long term objectives. It indulges in analysing market
trends with the help of digital technologies and tools. UK automotive industry is highly
competitive sector leading company to utilise cost leadership strategy. Autotrader as market
leader of automotive industry depends on artificial intelligence for monitoring market conditions
and consumer behaviour. These insights helps in leveraging information in building bidding
strategies and spending expenditure on core areas for achieving key performing areas. Thus,
company undertakes cost leadership strategy effectively to gain market share in digital business.
It is recommended to improve its supply chain as they posses high power on company's
business model. In digital business with brokerage model, it plays third party role for combining
sellers and buyers on one platform. Therefore it is recommended to enhance and build strong
relationship with suppliers or other parties of business such as car dealers, sellers and others.
Digital marketing strategies
Company uses digital marketing areas effectively for achieving benefits of ad strategy. It
uses various strategies for monitoring and covering trends by tracking target marketplace. It
utilises various tools and methods for understanding existing market conditions. These are based
on impressions and click share data gathered on daily and weekly basis. Company uses ad
strategy by following market trends with segmenting and analysing different sources and
elements such as device, channel of digital advertising and type of ads. This help in gaining in
depth understanding of different ad strategies such as pay per click, desktop websites, mobile
apps and content advertising or google ads etc. Thus, company uses digital marketing strategies
for combating threats from competitors and tapping opportunities available in the market.
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It is recommended to improve its services offered rather than focusing on sales of
product. It should understand the core needs of customer which helps in increasing customer
satisfaction and engagement with business websites.
Customer traffic data
Autotrader has been conducting its digital business on both desktop and mobile
web. This helps in reaching customers with different needs and sources available to them. It has
recorded customer traffic on its website with different social media sources such as facebook,
youtube, reddit and twitter and types such as display ads, mails, searches, referrals, and direct
channels etc. Customer traffic has been recorded with the help of similar web for the company.
Following are the data gathered from analysis of various digital marketing platforms for
autotrader:
Traffic overview
 Website Engagement-
◦ Total visits- 23.82Millions with bounce rate of 44.46%
 Keyword Searches
◦ Total traffic- 52.73% of which 92.72% are organic searches and 7.28% are
paid searches.
 Social media
◦ Total traffic- 1.65% of which Facebook and Youtube are major sources
 Refferals
◦ Total traffic- 1.16%
Thus, company utilises various channels and digital sources which helps in enhancing
and engaging customers with company's digital business. It leads to increase customer traffic
base on various social media platforms and company website. It involves various digital
marketing strategies and tools for maintaining audience base.
E-CRM and social network channels
E-CRM is a customer service, sales and marketing platform which helps in channelising
transactions of buying and selling of new, used and second hand cars between parties. It is a
source for building customer unique experience journey in buying cars. It is essential for
company to build loyalty and handle customers problems with effective customer service.
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Automotive CRMs are build to integrate existing suppliers with which helps in recording and
storing customer data. It helps in eliminating redundancy in storing data by organising and
managing data with tools and techniques.
Cyber security measures
Cyber security is important for protecting digital data from website attacks. It helps in
preventing risk of damage or unauthorised access to company's authentic data. It refers to various
processes, technologies and practices framed to protect programs, networks and business data
from attack or unauthorised indulgence. It is the security of sensitive data including intellectual
property, financial information and other personal information. Following are the measures
company should undertake-
 Using strong passwords- Strong passwords are important for building online security in
businesses. It involves various key points such as updating passwords, using combination
of letters, numbers and symbols, utilising two factor authentication etc.
 Using security software- It involves installation of security software such as anti- virus,
anti- spyware and other security programs. It helps in detecting and identifying viruses,
spams and other attacks. It removes codes which leads to interference with software and
company's websites, mails and other crucial information.
 Controlling and monitoring- In this security measure information is accessed to only
authorised individuals by controlling access points. It ensures data is accessed adequately
to customers for initiating transactions and accessing required information. It helps in
establishing limits for accessing information such as restricting copied data from system
and other authorising information. Also, monitoring system for identifying detectors
which helps in suspecting illegal intrusion and potential threat. In the time of breach it
generates alarm such as various alert messages for website, emails etc.
 Using firewall- This helps in building gatekeepers for accessing information between
device and internet. It act as an obstacle or barrier in preventing increase of cyber threats
such as viruses in programs and other social media platforms.
 Updating programs frequently- It is one of the common measure in protecting data and
preventing cyber attacks. It includes regular updates with upgrading vital security and
unusual network activity. It helps in protecting data against known bugs and
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vulnerabilities. It ensures up dating of software and devices which helps in avoiding prey
to potential crimes.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it can be concluded that digital business management has become
essential for increasing business opportunities. With the introduction of advance technologies
and increase in use of social media platforms, it leads to increase digital business management. It
helps in developing new customers base by reaching people all across the world through internet.
Digital technologies has boom business for various industries with spreading of information
among customers. Thus, digital business management with emerging technologies has
transformed the business operations. It leads to increase business opportunities
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