E-commerce notes

  • Introduction to E-commerce and Online Business Fundamentals

  • Building and Launching Your Online Store

  • Digital Marketing and Growth Strategies

  • Scaling, Automation and Customer Retention

What is E-commerce?

  • Buying and selling goods/services via the Internet, since the 1960s, expanded in the 1990s.

History and Evolution of Sales

  • Barter System

  • Traditional Marketplace

  • Seller’s Marketplace: (18th - 19th century)

  • Conventional Mass Media Marketing: (20th century)

  • New Age Marketing: (21st century)

  • Innovative Internet-Based Business Models: (Today)

History and Evolution of E-commerce

  • Early EDI systems

  • Michael Aldrich invents teleshopping

  • Minitel in France

  • Amazon.com launched

  • eBay founded

  • PayPal created

  • Rise of m-commerce and social networks

  • Acceleration due to COVID-19, new technologies (AI, VR)

  • Expansion with improved web technologies and online security

Web History and Evolution

  • Web 1.0 (1990-2003): Search engines and file transfer.

  • Web 2.0 (2004-2008): Social media, blogging.

  • Web 3.0 (From 2009): Inter-connectivity, IoT, mobility.

Goals of E-commerce

  • Increase Sales and Revenue

  • Expand Market Reach

  • Reduce Operational Costs

  • Improve Customer Experience

  • Collect Data for Business Insights

  • Increase Brand Awareness and Loyalty

  • Streamline Business Operations

  • Enable Mobile Commerce

Core Activities of E-commerce

  • Buying and selling products

  • Shipping products

  • Producing financial statements

Functions of E-commerce

  • Facilitating online transactions

  • Promoting products through digital channels

  • Handling secure transactions

  • Managing stock levels and tracking orders

  • Providing assistance to improve user satisfaction

  • Offering detailed product descriptions and reviews

  • Coordinating shipping and delivery of goods

  • Ensuring safe handling of personal and financial information

E-commerce Business Models

  • Define how online businesses operate and generate revenue.

Types of E-commerce Business Models

  • B2C (e.g., Amazon)

  • B2B (e.g., Alibaba)

  • C2C (e.g., eBay)

  • C2B (e.g., Fiverr)

  • D2C (e.g., Tesla)

  • Subscription-Based (e.g., Netflix)

  • Dropshipping

  • Print-on-Demand (POD)

E-commerce Advantages

  • Personalization

  • Global Reach

  • Accessibility 24/7

  • Cost Reduction

  • Product Variety

  • Scaling

  • Data Analysis

E-commerce Challenges

  • Difficult to recreate Customer Experience

  • Client Support

  • Consumer Loyalty

  • Logistics and Supply Chain

  • Fierce Competition

  • Security and Confidentiality

  • Regulations

  • Technological Evolution

Online Consumer Behavior

  • The study between e-consumers and online businesses.

Key E-consumer Behavior Statistics

  • Visual appearance matters.

  • Video increases conversions.

  • Hassle-free returns increase shopping.

  • Mobile-responsive sites are favored.

  • Free shipping is a must.

  • Social media influences product discovery.

  • Social/environmental dedication matters.

Technical Components of E-Commerce

  • Website/Online Store

  • Product Catalog

  • Shopping Cart

  • Checkout and Payment Processing

  • Payment Gateway

  • Security Measures

  • Inventory Management

  • Shipping and Fulfillment

  • Customer Accounts

  • Customer Support

  • Reviews and Ratings

  • Marketing and Promotion

  • Analytics and Reporting

  • Mobile Optimization

  • Returns and Refunds

  • Legal and Compliance

Current E-commerce Trends

  • M-commerce

  • Social commerce

  • Voice commerce

  • AI and machine learning

Marketing definition

  • A system oriented to satisfy the needs of customers while remaining profitable.

Marketing approach

  • Knowledge - Reflection - Action - Control.

Steps

  • Market Knowledge

  • Reflection

  • Action (4P): Product, Price, Place, Promotion

  • Control: Compare objectives to achievements.

Digital Marketing Definition

  • Using digital media to sell or promote products to consumers (B2C) and businesses (B2B).

The 5S of Digital Marketing

  • SELL

  • SERVE

  • SPEAK

  • SAVE

  • SIZZLE

Concepts and Definitions

  • SEO and SEM

  • SMM and Display Marketing

  • E-mailing and Content Marketing

-SEO Search Engine Optimization is for search engines.

-SEM Search Engine Marketing: A synonym for paid SEO

Differences between traditional marketing and digital

Appearance Uniform, structured, clear Varied, extensive, diffuse

Communication Unilateral (one to many) Bilateral (many to many)

Programming Long term Spontaneous

Customer relationship Well thought out and considered with precision Fast and public

Availability During working hours only Permanent

Expression Formal, politically correct : convenient marketing language Authentic, direct: short and personalized responses

People involved in the company Marketing service : PR department, external agencies, sales team Marketing service specialized in new channels : social media team, and all employees

Digital Marketing Strategy

  • Understand digital marketing.

  • Learn about digital marketing channels.

  • Build a digital marketing plan.

  • Contributions from going digital: The reach, The engagement of online users, Better communication and transparency .

Digital Marketing Channels

SEO: Optimize website for search engine results.

SEM: Payment for advertising in search engine results.

SMM: Use social media for traffic, attention, and reach.

Display Marketing: Internet advertising in the form of banners.

E-mail Marketing: Collect and use email addresses for communication.

Content Marketing: Create and share content to generate traffic and improve brand awareness.

  • The 6 steps to implement a digital marketing strategy

Business goals and objectives

Budget and ressources

Audience

Decide on channels

Plan your activity

Measure SMART

Crafting a Digital Marketing Strategy

Ø What is the context in which you are operating (PESTEL factors) and how is this likely to change in the future?

Ø Who are you, why does your brand matter and what makes your brand useful and valuable?

Ø Who are your customers, and what needs, wants and desires do they have?

Ø Who are your competitors? These may extend beyond organizations that compete with you on the basis of price and product and could also be competition in the form of abstracts such as time and mindshare.

Thorough market research, managers reveal the answers to these questions.

Objectives need to be SMART

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Time-bound

Tactics and Evaluation
Many digital tools and tactics are available once you have defined your digital marketing objectives.

Digital Marketing Audit- Check website accessibility and compliance using free online solutions.- Check whether the website is equipped with optimization tools such as Hotjar, Crazy Egg, Mouseflow and so on.

If so, a wealth of information such as heat maps, click maps and scroll maps can be extracted -

  • useful for identifying potential UX problems.

Talk to customers to know what they think about the website