Maplin
Current status of e-business in the sector
The current status of e-business is transforming the way firms are operating. This is taking place through many companies offering increasing amounts of products at lower costs. In the electronics sector, these changes are creating shifts in the mindset of consumers with them demanding more. The result is that most firms are able to offer them with lower costs. Yet, at the same time, this is creating intense competition. This is taking place, with these organizations realizing an increase in sales of the 30% or £103 billion annually. [footnoteRef:1] [1: Paul Timmers, Electronics Commerce (Hoboken, Wiley, 2011), 53 — 78.]
In the case of Maplin, the company aggressively started to peruse its online strategies in 1999. It has transformed itself into a way of reaching out to international customers and offering them with more. These shifts are in response to the increased amounts of competition the company is facing inside the marketplace. To achieve these objectives, the firm has rolled out a number of programs for online customers.[footnoteRef:2] The most notable include: [2: “Maplin,” Maplin, last modified 2013 http://www.maplin.co.uk/]
Price matching: Maplin is matching the prices of local retailers in close proximity to their stores. This is using the Internet to attract more customers and offer them with something more by encouraging customers to go into their different locations.
365 day no hassle returns: At their retail stores, the firm will allow cliental to return their merchandise and offer them with the ability to easily make exchanges / returns.
Free delivery: This service is provided to people who purchase a host of products at their retail locations. [footnoteRef:3] [3: “Maplin,” Maplin, last modified 2013 http://www.maplin.co.uk/]
The combination of these factors is showing how the company is using e-commerce as a way to remain competitive. While at the same time, they are establishing stores to support the needs of customers in different regions. As a result, the status of the e-business sector is to address the needs of consumers and offer them with competitive prices. This is being combined with the physical location to become more responsive to them. [footnoteRef:4] [4: “Maplin,” Maplin, last modified 2013 http://www.maplin.co.uk/]
2.1 Current or potential involvement in the electronic business
The different companies that were examined include Argos and Curry’s. Argos was considered to be performing better followed by Curry’s. This is because both firms are using social networking to offer specials and promotions to cliental. What they do better is to utilize the Internet to effectively reach out to customers. The way that Maplin and other firms could improve their sites is to offer cliental with an integrated platform. [footnoteRef:5] [5: Stuart Barnes, E-Commerce (New York, Routledge, 2013), 158 — 169.]
The basic steps they should follow in the process; are to become more aggressive in their strategy for e — commerce. In the case of Maplin, they could take the price match guarantee and expand it to meet the specifications of cliental. This requires integrating their solutions together in order to more effectively reach out to everyone. [footnoteRef:6] [6: Stuart Barnes, E-Commerce (New York, Routledge, 2013), 158 — 169.]
The main reason why some companies perform better is to develop sites which are more user friendly and they connect with cliental from different backgrounds (utilizing a variety of applications / platforms). There are different strategies they will use in reaching out to customers internationally. This is taking place by integrating various solutions together and adapting them to specific cultures. [footnoteRef:7] [7: Stuart Barnes, E-Commerce (New York, Routledge, 2013), 158 — 169.]
2.2 E-Business Model Adopted
The e-business applications are designed to integrate consumer and business applications together. The various actors involved in the organization include the CEO, President, Vice Presidents of the divisions and supervisors. These individuals work to run the organization and the different segments. [footnoteRef:8] [footnoteRef:9] [8: Stuart Barnes, E-Commerce (New York, Routledge, 2013), 158 — 169.] [9: “Capturing the Tech Consumers Attention,” Media Measurement, last modified 2013 http://www.mediameasurement.com/tech-retailer-social-media/]
The present factors with are impacting the organization include the ability to integrate e-commerce solutions. In the case of industrial, these elements are influencing the profitability of the firm with companies such as Argos and Curry’s taking the lead in these areas. Society is experiencing a shift with less people visiting physical locations. Instead, they are choosing to make their purchases online. [footnoteRef:10] [footnoteRef:11] [10: Stuart Barnes, E-Commerce (New York, Routledge, 2013), 158 — 169.] [11: “Capturing the Tech Consumers Attention,” Media Measurement, last modified 2013 http://www.mediameasurement.com/tech-retailer-social-media/]
The impact this is having on Malpin, is to create confusion within the organization. This is causing more cliental to visit competitors for addressing their electronics needs. These factors are negatively influencing the firm, with managers unable to address critical changes and quickly evolve.[footnoteRef:12] [footnoteRef:13] [12: Stuart Barnes, E-Commerce (New York, Routledge, 2013), 158 — 169.] [13: “Capturing the Tech Consumers Attention,” Media Measurement, last modified 2013 http://www.mediameasurement.com/tech-retailer-social-media/]
2.3 Summary
The biggest factors which are impacting the firm are its inability to integrate e-commerce solutions with its retail outlets. This has resulted in Malpin’s losing customers and their inability to address a host of challenges. However, the firm has been working to offer cliental with better service using their locations to exchange products, receive support and address any issues they have. When this is integrated with the online solutions, these areas are enabling them to provide something that Argos and Curry’s cannot deliver. [footnoteRef:14] [footnoteRef:15] [footnoteRef:16] [14: “Capturing the Tech Consumers Attention,” Media Measurement, last modified 2013 http://www.mediameasurement.com/tech-retailer-social-media/] [15: Stuart Barnes, E-Commerce (New York, Routledge, 2013), 158 — 169.] [16: “Maplin,” Maplin, last modified 2013 http://www.maplin.co.uk/]
3.0 Developing Your E- Business
The e-business will be developed using various applications and solutions to reach out to customers. This will be achieved by mirroring some of the ideas that are used by competitors. Then, they are augmenting it with the firm’s ability to offer consumers with some kind of guarantees. If this can occur, it will enhance Malpin’s brand image and offer clients with something more.[footnoteRef:17] [footnoteRef:18] [17: “Capturing the Tech Consumers Attention,” Media Measurement, last modified 2013 http://www.mediameasurement.com/tech-retailer-social-media/] [18: “Maplin,” Maplin, last modified 2013 http://www.maplin.co.uk/]
3.1 Brief Description of the Envisioned Website
In the case of Malpin, the website will be tailored to the consumer electronics industry. This means that it will offer cliental with the ability to shop and learn about how the company’s products / services are superior to competitors. At the same time, a series of integrated platforms will be utilized. This involves utilizing various social networking sites, mobile applications and online strategies to reach out to consumers. [footnoteRef:19] [footnoteRef:20] [19: “Apple Store,” I Tunes, last modified 2013 https://iTunes.apple.com/us/app/apple-store/id375380948?mt=8] [20: Ian Daniel, E-Commerce Get It Right (Staten Island, Neuro Digital, 2012), 65-144]
They will be directed to a landing page where they can learn about special offers. These insights will help them to see how Malpin is providing them with more. This will be achieved through integrating the e-commerce structure with the firm’s ability to service them in different stores. These types of strategies have been used by some of the most successful firms (i.e. Apple) to effectively combine a physical and online presence together. [footnoteRef:21] [footnoteRef:22] [footnoteRef:23] [21: “Apple Store,” I Tunes, last modified 2013 https://iTunes.apple.com/us/app/apple-store/id375380948?mt=8] [22: Ian Daniel, E-Commerce Get It Right (Staten Island, Neuro Digital, 2012), 65-144] [23: Ian Daniel, E-Commerce Get It Right (Staten Island, Neuro Digital, 2012), 65-144]
3.2 Explain the Technologies Involved
The product management will use existing retailers to ship it to customers nearby or have them come to the location to pick it up. This will be achieved through their using supply chain management software in meeting these objectives. The payment management system is focusing on offering clients with a number of avenues for paying for their merchandise. At the same time, they will know that they can receive service at any of the company’s stores within their area. The advertising will concentrate on reaching out to cliental at different websites and offering them with incentives for shopping. The order management system will emphasize quick and accurate checkout through encrypted software. The sales analysis will take place by seeing the effects of these changes on the firm and if they are helping the organization over the long-term. [footnoteRef:24] [footnoteRef:25] [24: “Maplin,” Maplin, last modified 2013 http://www.maplin.co.uk/] [25: Ian Daniel, E-Commerce Get It Right (Staten Island, Neuro Digital, 2012), 65-144]
3.3 Discuss Usability Methods for Evaluating the Website
The basic method for using the website is consumers can go to specific landing pages to learn about deals and anything that is of interest to them. In the event they need support, there will be a box which pops up on the screen and lets them know how they can seek this out online or at the actual location. The combination of these tools will show what the organization is about, its services and the way they are supporting the needs of customers. This is something many firms do not have. As they are either concentrating on one aspect of the business and ignoring the other. If Maplin can achieve these objectives, they will be more effective in connecting with them. [footnoteRef:26] [footnoteRef:27] [26: “Maplin,” Maplin, last modified 2013 http://www.maplin.co.uk/] [27: Ian Daniel, E-Commerce Get It Right (Staten Island, Neuro Digital, 2012), 65-144]
3.4 Explain the Critical Success Factors for Your Overall Plan to Work in Practice
In order for the basic strategy to be successful, requires a commitment from the management to provide the necessary resources. This means that they will be improving the brand image of the firm utilizing online media sources. At the same time, there will be a focus on offer customers with more choices, lower prices and better quality.[footnoteRef:28] [footnoteRef:29] The way that these objectives will be achieved requires focusing on a number of factors to include: [28: Ian Daniel, E-Commerce Get It Right (Staten Island, Neuro Digital, 2012), 65 — 144] [29: “Maplin,” Maplin, last modified 2013 http://www.maplin.co.uk/]
An increase in the total amounts of unique visitors and online orders.
A rise in profit margins from the online and traditional retail segments.
An improvement in market share and favorability of the firm.[footnoteRef:30] [footnoteRef:31] [30: Ian Daniel, E-Commerce Get It Right (Staten Island, Neuro Digital, 2012), 65 — 144] [31: “Maplin,” Maplin, last modified 2013 http://www.maplin.co.uk/]
The combination of these factors will make the organization more responsive to the needs of customers. When this happens, these success factors will decide if the strategy is working and the impact it is having in helping the organization to adjust with key challenges.[footnoteRef:32] [footnoteRef:33] [32: Ian Daniel, E-Commerce Get It Right (Staten Island, Neuro Digital, 2012), 65 — 144] [33: “Maplin,” Maplin, last modified 2013 http://www.maplin.co.uk/]
4.0 Conclusions
Clearly, Maplin needs to take a different approach when it comes to their online strategy. This is because the firm has lost its way and allowed competitors to become more dominate. The result is that the company is losing market share and they are having trouble adapting to the challenges it is facing. Over the course of time, these issues have led to the company being sold and unable to effectively compete. [footnoteRef:34] [34: “Maplin,” Maplin, last modified 2013 http://www.maplin.co.uk/]
4.1 Provide an Overview / Summary of the Overall Project and Your Findings
In response to the critical challenges it is facing, the company is aggressively concentrating on meeting the objectives of cliental through their retail locations. This strategy is connecting with the older segment of cliental in specific regions. However, it is also having a negative impact on the firm by losing more of customer base to competitors. [footnoteRef:35] [35: Ian Daniel, E-Commerce Get It Right (Staten Island, Neuro Digital, 2012), 65 — 144]
To address these issues, the new approach will allow them to save and receive service at their different locations. This will help the firm reach out to and offer cliental with something which is not available on the Internet. Over the course of time, this will lead to transformations in the kinds of strategies which are utilized. [footnoteRef:36] [36: Ian Daniel, E-Commerce Get It Right (Staten Island, Neuro Digital, 2012), 65 — 144]
4.2 Identify Areas for Improvement of the E-Business in the Sector You Investigated
Maplin needs to let customers know they are about service, quality and affordable prices. If this is integrated with an effective e-commerce model, it will allow the firm to reach out to variety of consumers. They can see how the company will offer them with something more before and after the sale. [footnoteRef:37] [37: Ian Daniel, E-Commerce Get It Right (Staten Island, Neuro Digital, 2012), 65 — 144]
Over the course of time, these views will lead to transformations in their image of the brand. This is the point they will be more inclined to shop at these locations from offering everyone with better products and services. These basic strategies have been utilized by some of the most successful firms to redefine who they are and what they stand for. [footnoteRef:38] [38: Ian Daniel, E-Commerce Get It Right (Staten Island, Neuro Digital, 2012), 65 — 144]
Bibliography
“Apple Store.” I Tunes. Last modified 2013 https://iTunes.apple.com/us/app/apple-store/id375380948?mt=8
“Capturing the Tech Consumers Attention.” Media Measurement. Last modified 2013 http://www.mediameasurement.com/tech-retailer-social-media/
“Maplin.” Maplin. Last modified 2013. http://www.maplin.co.uk/
Barnes, Stuart. E-Commerce. New York, Routledge, 2013.
Daniel, Ian, E-Commerce Get It Right. Staten Island, Neuro Digital, 2012.
Timmers, Paul. Electronics Commerce. Hoboken, Wiley, 2011.
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
GET A PERFECT SCORE!!! 
Delivering a high-quality product at a reasonable price is not enough anymore.
That’s why we have developed 5 beneficial guarantees that will make your experience with our service enjoyable, easy, and safe.
You have to be 100% sure of the quality of your product to give a money-back guarantee. This describes us perfectly. Make sure that this guarantee is totally transparent.
Read moreEach paper is composed from scratch, according to your instructions. It is then checked by our plagiarism-detection software. There is no gap where plagiarism could squeeze in.
Read moreThanks to our free revisions, there is no way for you to be unsatisfied. We will work on your paper until you are completely happy with the result.
Read moreYour email is safe, as we store it according to international data protection rules. Your bank details are secure, as we use only reliable payment systems.
Read moreBy sending us your money, you buy the service we provide. Check out our terms and conditions if you prefer business talks to be laid out in official language.
Read more