Sainsbury's E-Commerce Strategy and Implementation Report

This report delves into the e-commerce strategy of Sainsbury's, a major grocery retailer. It explores various e-commerce strategies, including defining the sales cycle, optimizing the checkout process, providing clear product descriptions, displaying shipping costs, and offering multiple payment options. The report then focuses on an e-commerce solution for Sainsbury's, detailing steps such as using website builders, testing tools, choosing the right plan, registering a domain name, selecting and customizing website templates, adding products, setting up payment and shipping methods, and configuring store settings. Furthermore, the report includes a SWOT analysis of the e-commerce implementation and evaluates the overall success of the strategy, providing a comprehensive overview of Sainsbury's approach to online retail and its key considerations for maximizing revenue and customer satisfaction. The report is structured around key tasks, including an analysis of factors and resources, types of payment systems, appraising the design and functionality of an e-commerce solution, implementing the e-commerce solution, and evaluating its success.

E-Commerce & Strategy

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................1
P3: E-commerce strategies...........................................................................................................1
P4: E-commerce solution.............................................................................................................3
M3: Analysis of factors and resources.........................................................................................5
M4: Types of payment systems...................................................................................................5
D3: Appraising the design and functionality of an e-commerce solution...................................5
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................6
P5: Implementation of e-commerce solution...............................................................................6
M5: SWOT analysis.....................................................................................................................7
D4: Evaluation of success of e-commerce implementation.........................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
E-Commerce refers to the buying and selling of the goods online which ensures that an
organization is able to make sales online and can generate its revenues effectively and efficiently
(Broome, 2016). It is an useful strategy for the organizations to consider in which they are able
to ensure that they can achieve their business goals and objectives and can target a wider range
of different customers. By making its use the companies are able to achieve a higher growth rate
in their level of profits in the right manner. This report is based on Sainsbury's. It is a company
which deals in groceries and other related products by providing them to the various types of
customers in the market. In this report, detailed focus will be made on designing of an e-
commerce strategy. Additionally, focus will be made on the implementation of the e-commerce
strategy as a part of this project.
TASK 3
P3: E-commerce strategies
E-commerce strategies are used by the organizations so that they are able to ensure that
they can enhance their overall level of revenues highly effectively and efficiently and maximize
their level of profits (Cao and Peng, 2016). The use of the following strategies can be made by
Sainsbury's for this purpose-
 Defining of sales cycle- It is crucial for the businesses to be able to determine their sales
cycle (Cui and et.al., 2017). When the businesses are able to determine their sales cycle
they can ensure that the marketing strategies which are used for e-commerce can be used
in the right manner. In the context of Sainsbury's it therefore becomes quite important
that it can determine the sales cycle appropriately so that its different types of e-
commerce strategies are successful.
 Checkout process- The businesses are required to ensure that the checkout process at
their websites are effective and provide a seamless experience to the customers. For this
purpose the businesses are required to optimize their requirements clearly and make sure
that the checkout process can be very helpful for the different customers. In Sainsbury's,
the requirement is to help the customers by creating an integrated experience which can
be helpful for the customers. If they get a good experience from the start till the end then
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they will be able to make their purchases and thus the sales and profits of the company
will increase.
 Easy checkout- The checkout process of the organizations in their websites should be
easy (Evans and Basole, 2016). This is important due to the reason that the customers
will be able to get a good experience in this manner. If the management of Sainsbury's
makes their checkout process easy then in this way it will be able to attract more
customers and the sales and the level of profits will be enhanced.
 Right product descriptions- The products of the organizations have to be displayed with
the appropriate description so that the customers can get all the required information
easily by making their right use. In the context of Sainsbury's, it becomes quite important
that it is able to frame appropriate product descriptions for its products which will be
helpful in enhancing revenues and profits. They must get to know more about the
products and the various features which are offered by them. Also the price at which the
product will be made available to the customers should be displayed to them so that they
can get to know about the goods which they are purchasing. Thus in this way it can be
said that by making the use of appropriate product descriptions the company is able to
achieve its specific goals and objectives without facing problems and issues. This will
help it to be able to attain the profitability level which it desires.
 Display of shipping costs- The firms can implement this particular strategy which can be
very useful in ensuring that shipping costs are identified. Therefore, In this manner
Sainsbury's will be able to ensure that the shipping costs of the various products are
displayed which will thus be quite useful in being very transparent to the customers.
Further, the manner in which the products can be shipped should be displayed to the
customers.
 Displaying forms of payments accepted- The organizations are required to ensure that
they can display the various forms of payments which they are accepting as a part of their
e-commerce strategy (Giuffrida and et.al., 2016). Thus, In the context of Sainsbury's it is
important that the forms of payments which are accepted by it must be displayed. This
will thus be quite helpful in ensuring that the customers get to know more about the
payment modes which can be used by them effectively and efficiently.
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 Updating the website- The firms are required to make sure that they keep updating their
website regularly as a part of their e-commerce strategy. New content and information
therefore has to be added to the website. Thus, In the context of Sainsbury's it is highly
important that the website is updated quite regularly and made more interactive which
will help a lot in attracting the customers to purchase the products and avail the services
of the company thereby raising the level of revenues and enhancing the overall level of
profits.
P4: E-commerce solution
The specific requirement which is present with Sainsbury's is Right product descriptions.
This is also a strategy which the company will adopt because by providing accurate description
about the products and services which are offered by it it will be able to ensure that it can attain
the desired goals and objectives without facing problems and issues. Thus Sainsbury's is looking
forward towards framing an E-commerce solution which will help it a lot in the achievement of
goals and objectives. For this it will make its website even more interactive. There will be use of
different steps for this purpose. The steps which will be taken are explained as follows-
 Using website builder- A Website builder can be highly helpful for the different types of
companies because by making its use they will be able to ensure that they can build the
websites in an appropriate way without facing problems and issues (Janjevic, Winkenbac
and Merchán, 2019). Thus in this way a company like Sainsbury's can make sure that by
making the use of Website builder it is able to create a specific website for the purpose of
targeting the different types of customers without problems and issues.
 Testing of tool- When a website or a suitable e-commerce platform is selected it is also
important for the companies to test the tool. For this a trial run of the e-commerce
website should be made to identify if it working properly. Therefore for Sainsbury's it is
crucial that the tool is tested which will be quite helpful in ensuring that the company is
able to target the customers clearly and target the enhancement of revenues and profits. It
has to also ensure that in testing the tool the right product description is displayed which
will therefore help in the attainment of goals and objectives.
 Buying the right plan- It is required that a right plan is used so that the e-commerce
strategy is made successful (Johansson and Kask, 2017). Thus, In the context of
Sainsbury's it becomes crucial that it chooses the appropriate plan whether free or paid
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for its products and services. In selecting the plan it needs to ensure that the right product
description is displayed. Also the company will be required to ensure that its different
staff members are able to work in a right manner which will be quite helpful for it in
ensuring that it can attain its specific goals and objectives without facing problems and
issues. This will be helpful for it in ensuring that the company's managers are able to
make the right use of efficiency and effectiveness.
 Registering for a domain name- A company can register for a particular domain name
which will be used by it exclusively. Therefore for Sainsbury's it becomes important that
it registers a domain name which can be highly useful for it in setting its unique identity
in front of the customers. This will help in attracting the customers and will lead towards
more sales for the organization.
 Picking a website template- A company can make sure that a website template can be
used by it to frame and design a website. In the context of Sainsbury's, it becomes very
important that a right website template is framed by it in which all the required features
are added which can meet the needs and requirements of the customers effectively and
efficiently. For this the company is required to make sure that it is able to identify a
specific template on which it can work in a proper manner and thus is able to ensure that
a right website is created for the purpose of attracting the customers. This will be helpful
in ensuring that the attainment of specific goals and objectives can be made easily.
 Customization of template- The template which has been framed by the organization
can be customized (LI and WU, 2017). Sainsbury's can customize it and make sure that it
adds relevant details accordingly which will thus be quite useful in attracting the
customers. The interface can be made attractive, navigation of the website can be made
smooth so that it is easier for the customers to use the website.
 Adding of the products- The products can be added once the template has been
customized and finalized by the company (Maika and Kautsar, 2019). In the context of
Sainsbury's it crucial that it identifies the products which it wants to sell on e-commerce
website and adds them to the website. Different categories of the products can be made so
that the customers are able to find out the product which is required by them quickly and
thus this can raise the overall level of revenues effectively and efficiently.
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 Payment methods- Once the products have been added the payment methods can be
identified. In Sainsbury's the requirement is to identify the payment methods which can
be provided by the company to the customers. Payment methods like Debit Card, Credit
Card and Net Banking can be used so that the customers are able to make the payment
easily.
 Shipping settings- The requirement from the organizations is that they identify the ways
they will ship their products to the customers. The process of shipping has to be
transparent and the customers must have knowledge about the shipping charges which are
being charged from them to receive the product. Thus Sainsbury's has to take care of this
while designing an e-commerce solution so that it is able to ship the desired products to
the customers in an effective manner. For this purpose the company will have their own
fulfilment processes which will thus be very helpful for them in ensuring that they are
able to ship their different types of products in a proper manner to the customers thereby
meeting their various sorts of needs as well as requirements.
 Settings for the store- The online platform which has been made has to be clearly set so
that it can work seamlessly in an integrated manner to ensure that the customers are given
a good experience. For this, Sainsbury's management needs to make the website better so
that the customers are provided with a good experience which can ensure that they give
positive feedback.
 Testing- The developed online platform can be tested effectively and efficiently by the
company before they are ready to finally launch it (Maryati, Purwandari and Solichah,
2018). Sainsbury's has to ensure that it tests the online platform which has been
developed by it before it can be launched. This will help the company to test the platform
and find out problems and issues with it so that they are resolved effectively before
launching the platform before the customers.
M3: Analysis of factors and resources
Factors like Size of the organization, Type of the organization, The Customer Base,
Products and Services have to be considered. Also the use of Physical, Human, Financial and
Intellectual Resources has to be made so that the organization is able to create an effective e-
commerce strategy. Therefore, Sainsbury's is required to make sure that all of them are
considered by it before it sets out to frame an e-commerce strategy. This will help it in
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effectively implementing the strategy and attaining the goals as well as objectives. For a
company like Sainsbury's the impact put by these factors is quite important because it will help a
lot in ensuring that they are able to attain their specific goals and objectives without problems
and issues. The resources which have been mentioned above are important for the company
because by analysing them the impact which they put on the customers can be identified and thus
the appropriate actions can be taken in such a case for making sure that the strategies and tactics
of the company are successful.
M4: Types of payment systems
The use of different payments systems are crucial for the success of e-commerce. Thus
the payments systems like Debit Card, Credit Card, Net Banking etc. are very important to be
considered by Sainsbury's so that its managers are able to make their payment system highly
seamless in nature and thus in this way they will be able to attract the customers and make the
entire process easier for them. Therefore in this manner the company will be able to attain its
goals and objectives effectively and efficiently. The differentiation between the various types of
payment systems can be done by Sainsbury's by offering a wide variety of systems to the
customers. Thus in this way it can be said that the company will be able to provide its customers
with a wide variety of options which can be quite helpful for them in the future.
D3: Appraising the design and functionality of an e-commerce solution
The e-commerce website or platform which has been developed by the companies can
help them a lot in making it more interactive and integrate it seamlessly so that the customers are
satisfied. In this way, the management of Sainsbury's can make sure that they identify the right
design for their website and make it functional so that the customers find it helpful and can
purchase more products of the company which will enhance their overall revenues and help in
maximization of profits.
TASK 4
P5: Implementation of e-commerce solution
After selecting the e-commerce solution it is required from the companies that they make
the use of appropriate strategy for ensuring its implementation. The implementation of the e-
commerce solution of Sainsbury's can be done in the following manner-
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 Proper planning- It is necessary for the companies to ensure that they create proper
plans so that they are able to implement the e-commerce solution (Sambhanthan and
Good, 2016). The firms are required to frame the plans for making its e-commerce
website successful so that it can attract the customers. It has to plan about the way the
website will be developed for the different customers taking care of their needs and
requirements. In the context of Sainsbury's it becomes quite important that it plans the
way in which it can design the website so that it can serve the customers effectively and
efficiently.
 Technological selection- For implementing the e-commerce solution it is important to
select the appropriate technology. The cost of technology and the other allied factors also
have to be considered by them. In the context of Sainsbury's it is necessary that for the e-
commerce website it adopts a technology like Website Builder which will help it in
launching the website successfully.
 Customer acquisition- It is necessary to acquire the customers so that the organizations
are able to enhance the level of profits (Wang, Zhang and Sun, 2017). In Sainsbury's, it
becomes important that the customers for its e-commerce platform are attracted by
making the use of appropriate marketing and promotional strategies. It needs to target
young customers who like to shop online. In this way it will be able to enhance the level
of revenues effectively and efficiently.
 Customer engagement- For the organizations it is crucial that the customers are engaged
correctly so that they can benefit it and can help in enhancing its revenues and profits .
For this purpose the use of strategies and tactics can be made by the organizations. They
have to make sure that the e-commerce platform which has been developed by them can
attract the customers. After designing an e-commerce website, Sainsbury's has to engage
the customers who can purchase its products online and can also publicize the strategies
and tactics.
 Optimization- The companies need to optimize the platform which has been developed
by them to ensure that it serves the customers in the right way (Zhang, Zuo and Zheng,
2016). If there are any problems which the customers are facing in the trial run then they
need to be removed so that they are provided a seamless experience. Unexpected errors
which are being faced by the customers can be optimized so that they are able to
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interactively use the website. Thus, Sainsbury's needs to make sure that it optimizes the
platform which has been developed by it so that it can match the metrics which have been
set for the successful e-commerce platforms.
 Business analysis and customer insights- The firms are required to analyse their
business properly and obtain the customer insights so that they can take correct decisions
for their e-commerce solution (Zhao, Zhou and Deng, 2020). From it the organizations
can get ideas about the way the e-commerce website can be made better to serve the
customers in a better manner by fulfilling their needs and requirements. In the context of
Sainsbury's it is very crucial that a proper Business analysis is done by it so that it can get
to know more about products and services which it is offering to the customers.
M5: SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis of e-commerce
Strengths Weaknesses
 Availability- E-commerce websites are
available for the customers 24 * 7
which allows in ensuring that they can
purchase their products anytime.
 Global access- E-commerce platforms
provide global access to the customers
which therefore can help them in
purchasing the global products sitting at
one location.
 Consumer mindset- The mindset of
certain consumers is still not in the
favour of purchasing the goods from
online websites.
 Cost- The cost of developing e-
commerce websites is too high which
can increase the expenditure for the
companies in developing it.
Opportunities Threats
 Market reach- E-commerce websites
have a wide market reach. This allows
them to make sure that they can reach
to a wide range of customers.
 Technological advancement- E-
commerce websites can benefit a lot
from the technological advancement
 Competition- The competition which
is prevailing in the market is quite high
which can affect the organizations.
 Digital frauds- There are digital frauds
which can regularly happen when the
consumers make the use of e-commerce
platforms which can impact the
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which helps them in ensuring that they
can target a wider section of the
customers.
companies. These types of frauds can
happen in the organizations which can
thus impact them and therefore it is
needed for a company like Sainsbury's
that it applies specific strategy in such a
case so that the impacts put by these
frauds can be reduced.
D4: Evaluation of success of e-commerce implementation
The e-commerce strategy which has been made by Sainsbury's can achieve the desired
success if it is proper. It has to be ensured by the managers of the organizations that they are able
to evaluate the success of these strategies. The company needs to identify the way it can satisfy
the needs and expectation of the various types of customers. The specific requirements of the
customers can be also identified and thus in this way the planning can be done properly to attain
the strategic advantage effectively and efficiently. Certain factors like use of analytics to measure
consumer traffic, average sales per visit can be made so that the customers are able to ensure that
the e-commerce strategy can be implemented effectively and efficiently. This will help
Sainsbury's to be able to achieve its short-term, medium-term and long-term goals as well as
objectives in the future. Thus it can be said that these particular factors are quite important for e-
commerce strategy implementation. Therefore, it can be helpful for the organizations to consider
making the use of a good e-commerce strategy.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that e-commerce is an attractive platform
which provides more access to the different types of customers. An appropriate strategy can be
prepared by the firms so that they are able to target the customers effectively and efficiently.
Thus in this way it can make sure that the companies can offer their products to the customers on
a platform which can be accessed by them anytime and can allow them to target global
customers. There are different types of e-commerce strategies which are available for the
organizations. An e-commerce solution can be framed on the basis of a specific requirement of
the company. Also, the implementation of the strategy can be made when certain steps are taken.
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