Launching an Online Retail Store: Business Information System

This essay offers comprehensive suggestions for launching an online retail store, specifically tailored for a business selling cat-related merchandise. It begins with an overview of e-commerce, detailing the necessary technological infrastructure, including web servers, database systems, and networking protocols. The essay then delves into digital marketing strategies crucial for online retailers, covering SEO, SEM, email marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, mobile marketing, and affiliate marketing. Furthermore, it addresses the critical aspect of information privacy, outlining steps such as data privacy audits, data security measures, and the importance of a privacy policy, along with a discussion of GDPR compliance. The essay emphasizes the need for a well-planned business model and the importance of product selection for long-term success in the competitive e-commerce market.

Running head: BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEM
BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEM
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author Note:

1BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEM
Introduction
The following essay is all about providing suggestion for launching online retail store.
The owner of the shop is completely involved in selling cat-related garments and merchandise
to various cat lovers (Fiarni, Maharani and Pratama 2016). Due to advancement in the digital
age that is from daily shopping to cash payment has completely moved to online platform. It
aims to provide the capability of providing service that is as per the need much similar to the
retail store. In order to work with the current trend, various retailers are moving forward to online
business platform (Chakraborty et al. 2016). The overall success of e-commerce business can
be considered to be best ingredient.
In the coming pages of the report an idea has been provided with respect to e-
commerce and related technological infrastructure. After that, an overview has been provided
with respect to digital marketing, which is important for online retailers like Lara. The next
section of the report deals with privacy issues with respect to information.
E-commerce
At present, there is large number of tools and technologies needed for building e-
commerce store and its successful operation (Peltola, Vainio and Nieminen 2015). Lara needs
to understand that both hardware and software based technologies are completely included in
the business plan.
Web Server: It is mainly needed for proper hosting of an e-commerce website. There is
large number of files like Html and PHP files needed for making up the whole website that is
stored in the server (Bilgihan 2016). Web server aims to run on Linux operating system. Proper
management of web server is very much important.
Server Software: A user can easily visit any website that is available on the web
browser. Web server aims to request some of the specific information. It mainly corrects proper
request and server that aims to correct the files to the client (Bilgihan and Bujisic 2015). After
that, web server mainly displays the correct file to the customer.

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Web tools: Web authoring tool is mainly needed for building front end of the website. It
is merely available from some of basic editors to complex tool of graphics (Pauwels et al.
2016). HTML files are mainly built by the help of Dreamweaver and CSS (Cascading style
sheet) that improves the visual appearance of the website.
Database System: It is known to be an integral part of any e-commerce website.
Database is needed for storing all the required details of cat products and related service of this
website. It merely comprises of image, sales, pricing, and lastly description (Hübner, Wollenburg
and Holzapfel 2016). Along with these, the details of customer of this online store are also
stored in the database.
Networking: Two protocols that are TCP and IP helps in connecting system with each
other by the help of internet and their method of sharing information. Some of the well-known
protocols are HTTP and FTP (Schu, Morschett and Swoboda 2016). Protocol is mainly needed
for accessing website without realizing it. For this e-commerce website, two protocol that is SSL
and TSL are associated with overall trust and security of e-commerce website.
Browser Compatibility: Web browser can be stated as a software application which is
needed for locating, receiving, and providing received content that is available for web server
(Karimi, Papamichail and Holland 2015). Some of the well-known browsers is Google Chrome
and Safari.
Digital Marketing
The biggest point behind the overall success of e-commerce is all about understanding
how they will incorporate all the required channel in the marketing strategy (Vonkeman,
Verhagen, and Van Dolen 2017). At present, Lara can make use of number of ecommerce
marketing channel for its cat products.
Search engine optimizing (SEO): At present, most of the customers begin their journey
on the platform of Google search. Lara needs to assure that its ecommerce store is completely

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optimized for the search keys (Albrecht 2016). Both onsite and offsite SEO efforts need to be
kept at proper place and need to be tweaked for algorithm of search.
Search engine marketing (SEM): If Lara does not wait for the overall result, then they
need to wait for the ranking of search engine. The best option is SEM or paid search, which is
the perfect result (Wachter, Mittelstadt and Russell 2017). Lara can easily go for Google
AdWords, which is the most suitable way for searching queries.
Email Market: Email can be stated as one of the effective channels of digital marketing
for retailers that want to deliver positive ROI. Email aims to play a key role in overall
improvement of shopping experience of cat products (Fiarni, Maharani and Pratama 2016). Lara
can put question-related to products and general information of cat.
Content marketing: One of the most suitable ways is all about providing details with
respect to customer so that they can easily make purchase. It is the zone where the content
marketing comes into play. The most suitable is all about nurturing and creating customer value,
which is needed for solving digital issues.
Social media marketing: Social media networks aim to consume overall user attention
(Chakraborty et al. 2016). Lara needs to post all the required details on platform like Facebook
or Instagram which is the only available solution. Professional of digital marketing includes
social media, which is a part of their strategy.
Mobile marketing: Internet browser is not only used like software for getting access to
the web. People are merely using application more than ever. By the help of mobile strategy,
Lara can keep track of application that is needed for socializing with friends. Mobile strategy is
the biggest issue till date (Peltola, Vainio and Nieminen 2015). User tends to behave differently
on smartphone and digital marketers, which is needed to be at the right time along with right
message for customers.

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Affiliated marketing: Lara needs to work with affiliates by providing them incentives for
sale so that they can bring online store (Bilgihan 2016). There is need for creating affiliated
market network that will merely help them in boasting the overall market campaign.
Information
Privacy is considered to be as one of the complex issues that are being by e-commerce
firms. There are many sites that collect all the personal information that can bring risk to this
online retail store (Bilgihan and Bujisic 2015). A majority of data is completely supplied by the
user of online retail store. Most of the ecommerce organization look for personal use of the
customer. Lara, owner of this online retail store, needs to take a list of steps like
Data Privacy Audit: The very first step of protecting the customer information is all
about conducting an audit on data privacy of customers (Pauwels et al. 2016). Most of the e-
commerce firm collect more data than they realize, so it becomes necessary to collect the vital
data.
Securing data: As Lara have to collected data need for the success of the business, so
it becomes important to protect all the required data (Hübner, Wollenburg and Holzapfel 2016).
The collected data can be easily stolen by hackers and can become a costly mistake for the
organization.
Privacy Policy: Lara needs to post security policy on the website, which will help in
verifying the overall consumer data (Schu, Morschett and Swoboda 2016). It is not only required
by law but will also help in any preventing any kind of future issues.
Security
GDPR is needed for controlling organization in the whole European Union so that they
can comply with some of the strict rules. It is concerning collection, storage and overall use of
customer data. It is mainly needed for placing forums of customer data like social media photos,
bank details, and identifying the numbers (Karimi, Papamichail and Holland 2015). All the
required data can be opted and stored in secure way and is needed for customer permission

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only. GDPR is applied to all the given sector like marketing, accounting, and database. This
online store needs to address the fact that business which provides goods or service that how
and why data is being used. It is mainly needed for safe storage and overall use of the given
data (Vonkeman, Verhagen and Van Dolen 2017). There is list of findings available from GDPR
statement that is
 Clear idea with respect to marketing
 Right to be forgotten
 Making response in case of immediate breach
 Increasing the fines for any breach and non-compliance
Conclusion
The above pages of the essay help us in concluding the fact that the essay is all about
suggesting Lara, who is planning to launch an online store. For setting up the store, a proper
kind of business model and its planning is needed for setting up e-commerce store. Without,
any kind of proper planning, there are chances of extreme failure. In the current competitive
market, Lara should not walk out unprepared as it is one of the biggest risks. Overall choice of
products is an important factor which helps in understanding the structure of business. Also, it
can bring long term success to the business. At present, there is large number of online tools
available like Kart Rocket that makes it easy for selling products on online platform. In the above
pages of the essay, Lara is looking for advice with respect to selling of cat-garment to cat lovers
on global platform.

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