meljun cortes research jru project paper on line shopping web site final

8/17/2019 MELJUN CORTES RESEARCH JRU Project PAPER on Line Shopping Web Site Final

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JOSE RIZAL UNIVERSITY80 SHAW BOULEVARD, MANDALUYONG CITY

SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

MASTER IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

A Project Paper:Crafting an Online Business Strategic Plan

For the Partial FulfillmentOf the Requirements in Electronic Commerce (GS 304)

For the Degree ofMaster in Business Administration

Submitted by:

Mr. Raymond L. BariaMr. Frederick F. FestinMs. Theolyn R. Flores

Ms. Anne Dzanelle F. JavierMr. Rommel C. MatutinoMs. Reichelle M. Orinday

September 16, 2008

Submitted to:Dr. Nelly D. De Leon


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The Convenience of ShoppingThe Convenience of ShoppingThe Convenience of ShoppingThe Convenience of Shopping Seat… Surf… Shop… Seat… Surf… Shop… Seat… Surf… Shop… Seat… Surf… Shop…


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Topics Pages

I. How to Create a Home Page …………………………………………………. 1

A. Web Design ………………………………………………………………....1

1. Decide scope of Features

2. Decide Page Layout & Navigation Scheme

3. Determine Keywords

4. Draft the Content

5. Decide Artistic Enhancement

B. Bandwidth and Web Space Requirements……………………………….6

1. Web Space Requirements

2. Web Traffic

3. Code it Yourself

C. Domain Name Registration ………………………………………………11

D. Web Hosting ……………………………………………………………….11

1. Define your Web Hosting Criteria2. Criteria Driven Search

3. Narrow it Down

E. Web Development and HTML Code …………………………………….13

1. Create Web Pages

2. Upload the Web Site to your Host

3. Validate the HTML code

4. Verify Browser Compatibility

5. Validate Style Sheets

6. Testing your Site’s Performance

7. Compress Images to Improve Performance if Necessary


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Topics Pages

II. S-cube E-Shopping Mall …………………………………………………..16

A. Business Background …………………………………………………..16

B. Vision and Mission Statements……………………………………..….17

C. Business Strengths and Services Offered……………….……………18

D. Location…………………………………………………………………..19

E. Authorized Centers……………………………………………………...19

F. Contact Persons……………………………………………………...….19

III. How to Upload a Webpage…………………………………………...……21

A. Step 1: Open a Frontpage Website………………………………...…...21

B. Step 2: Go to Remote Website View…………………………………....22

C. Step 3: Remote Website Properties ..……………………………….....23

D. Step 4. Passive FTP …………………………….………………...…….24

E. Step 5: Publish Your Files ………………………….…………………....25

IV. Website (www.scube.com) ..................................................................27

A. About the Website ……………………………………………………....27

B. Wireframes ………………………………….……………………………28

C. Storyboards ………………………………………………………………32

V. Suggestions for Handling an Online Business ……………………..…44

A. Sincere Passion …………………………………………………………..45

B. Our Own Domain …………………………………………………………45

C. Professional Website …………………………………………………….45

D. Quality Content ……………………………………………………….…..46

E. Targeted Traffic ……………………………………………………………46

F. Your Own In-Demand Product …………………………………………..46

G. Killer Sales Copy …………………………………………………………46

H. Killer Marketing Strategy ……………………….……………………….47


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Topics Pages

I. Instant Product Delivery………………………………………………….47

J. Accept Credit Cards……………………………………………………...47

K. Merchant Accounts……………………………………………………...48

L. Credibility………………………………………………………………….50

M. Detailed Product Information…………………………………………...50

VI. Suggestions for Marketing Strategies Over the Web………………..51

A. Why the Golden Rule Should Be Your Weapon of Choice………..…51

B. Product Images Is An Important Factor in Making A Sale…………...52

C. Tips on Choosing the Right Products to Sell Online………………....54

D. Create a Newsletter…………………………………………….………..55

E. Email Marketing to Existing Customers…………………….………….56

F. Competitive Pricing……………………………………………………….59

G. Catalog Flexibility and Online Fast Updating………………………….60

H. Website Promotion Overview…………………………………………...61

I. Market Segmentation……………………………………………………..64

VII. Recommendations………………………………………………………..65

VIII. E-Commerce Glossary…………………………………………………..69

Bibliography

Appendices


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Running a small business can be tough. You're running on a limited

budget and limited manpower. Most small businesses these days have

websites, as they are an essential tool in marketing and promoting a

business. Even so, learning how to make a website often isn't an option

for small business owners. It takes too much time, requires that you learn

specific skills and generally takes away from time spent on actually

running the company.

This is the 5-step method on how to create a homepage.

A. Web Design

Web site design concerns encompass a wide range of factors to be

considered and evaluated with regard to their effectiveness in supporting

your web sites objectives. These may include, but not limited to:

• Content – text, writing style, page layout, continuity of website,

navigation logic

• Artistic Effect – proper use of graphic images, psychology of colors,

photos, web site fonts and sounds

• Performance – page loading, browse compatibility


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Note: This is where you decide WHAT you want, not how you want it

done. It is important not to concern yourself with the implementation

details at this point including whether or not you will need to learn HTML.

But knowledge of HTML will not be necessary unless you decide to code

the web site yourself, and then only if you decide to use a non-WYSIWYG

editor. If you code it yourself with an ASCII or HTML (non-WYSIWYG)

editor you must learn basic HTML and probably, depending upon your

requirements, some CSS and JavaScript as well.

1. Decide scope of Features

Produce a checklist of web site features that you want your web site to

have. Visit web sites of similar purpose to generate ideas for your own.

Determine the degree of web site sophistication needed and the scope of

user interaction that will be provided, e.g., online credit card processing,

shopping carts, bulletin boards, chat rooms, site search, etc.

• The Three (3) Levels of Web Site Design Sophistication

Basic - All websites, whether Personal, Hobbyist, Organization or

Small Business, have some or all of the basic ingredients.

Database Driven - Websites can also have a backend database for

storing and dynamically displaying various types of data

Multimedia - Websites can also have a multimedia enhanced appeal.

This is entertaining but is not always effective, depending on your


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websites purpose. The user may not want to be bothered by a lot of

intrusive and time consuming flashiness.

2. Decide Page Layout & Navigation Scheme

Estimate the total number of web pages and name and define the

purpose for each one. Plan the positioning and contents of the pages

common areas - headers, footers and side links. Also, decide upon a

navigation scheme that will be consistent throughout the website. This

may be as simple as a static set of side links on every page or as

sophisticated as a pull down cascading menu system which becomes

more detailed as you go deeper into the site. Visit web sites of similar

purpose or surf the internet freely to generate ideas of your own and be

sure to consider the use of free web design templates.

3. Determine Keywords

Do your keyword analysis now to determine your most effective

primary and secondary keyword phrases with respect to search engine

positioning.

• Most Effective Keyword Phrases for your Website - Select the

most popular, yet relevant, user keyword phrases as the main

keyword phrases of your web page(s). Do this analysis for every

page that you consider important and unique enough to warrant

submission to the search engines.


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4. Draft the Content

Produce the text content that will appear on each page. Review the

rules for incorporating keyword phrases into page content and the specific

concerns relative to writing for the internet before beginning.

• Rules for Incorporating Keyword Phrases into Page Content -

Think of one or two main keywords for your site, and make them

appear 5-6 times each on your front page. Some search engines

will look for 'keyword density', meaning how far apart the keywords

appear. Some will only look at the first 200 characters of your site,

and count the number of times the keyword appears. Others will

index a bit from the top, middle, and bottom parts of your website,

and search them for keywords. Generally keyword density should

be in the 2-3% range.

• Web Design Writing Styles - There is more to writing than putting

words next to each other, and there is more to writing hypertext

than throwing together a bunch of links. When writing text, I have

certain goals; when I come across text I dislike, there are certain

reasons why I do not like it. You're about to read an attempt to

describe these reasons and goals; it is incomplete, subjective, and

honest.


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5. Decide Artistic Enhancement

Plan the artistic aspects; graphics, animations and text appearances.

• Psychology of Colors - Color should be one of your first concerns

when it comes time to start your web site design. If you don't pay

close attention to the colors you chose, your site you will end up

either plain and boring or so chaotic it's hard to look at. The color

you use should only be chosen after careful consideration. Pure

yellow strains your eye more than any other color because of that, it

is the first color your eye will fix on. Using these colors for banners

and advertisements will receive more attention from the viewer's

eye. Once the visitor comes to your site there is really no reason

you should irritate the visitor with bright colors. You have done a

good job if they are viewing your site.

• Selecting Fonts - most Web pages have large amounts of text.

When you're thinking of design, you need to think about how the

text looks on a micro-level as well as the macro-level.

• Graphics and Images - Graphics are a great way to add interest

and excitement to your Web pages. As the saying goes "a picture is

worth 1,000 words" and that's also true in Web design. Nearly

every Web site has some photos on it, and a photo can do more to

improve your site than the fanciest design. But the inverse is also

true. If you have a bad photo or image on your site, especially if it's


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the logo or a product photo, you can damage your site's credibility

and lose customers and sales.

•

Web Layout Basics - There are many common elements on a

Web page, such as headlines, navigation, images, textual content,

and administrative. Knowing what an element is helps determine

where it should be placed on the page. Knowing your goals and the

goals for the page are key to placement. That's why ads are found

in similar places on Web pages. If the goal is to get people to click

on them or notice them, then placing them in locations where

historically people look and click helps them to meet their goals. By

just making a couple small changes to the position of the elements

and the margins around the image, the resulting layout is more

visually appealing and the eye is drawn from the headline, through

the photo, to the caption.

B. Bandwidth and Web Space Requirements

Bandwidth allowance and host web space requirements must be

determined before you can correctly select your host.

It is also necessary to determine what web development software will be

used to create the site and whether or not it will require any special host

accommodation.


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1. Web Space Requirements

It is necessary to know the amount of web space, in megabytes of

disk space, that you will need from a host to house your web site. This

must be enough to accommodate your web pages. For web sites without

server side (a.k.a. backend) databases the formula is as follows:

WEB SPACE REQUIRED =

(SITE SIZE IN PAGES) *

(AVG. PAGE SIZE) *

(3)

where the parameters are defined as:

SITE SIZE INPAGES

Estimate the maximum number of pagesyou'll need to build or ultimately expandyour web site.

AVG. PAGESIZE

The experts suggest a 60 Kb limit on pagesize but this can vary depending on the sizeof images, animations, etc. The larger thepage is the slower it loads. See OptimalPage Sizes for the experts opinions.

3 It is necessary to triple your exactestimates: once for the accumulated pagetotal, once for miscellaneous overhead (logfiles, mail, etc.), and once for safe measureand room to grow.


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2. Web Traffic

It is also necessary to know the amount of web traffic in gigabytes

per month that you will require from a host. This is based on the

anticipated number of monthly page views; every page view increases the

monthly running total by the pages' size.

The formula is as follows:

WEB TRAFFIC REQUIRED =

(MONTHLY PAGEVIEWS ANTICIPATED) *

(AVG. PAGE SIZE) *

(2)

where the parameters are defined as:

MONTHLYPAGEVIEWS

ANTICIPATED

Estimate the number of page views youexpect each month.

AVG. PAGESIZE

The experts suggest a 60 Kb limit onpage size but this can vary depending onthe size of images, animations, etc. Thelarger the page is the slower it loads. SeeOptimal Page Sizes for the expertsopinions.

2 Double this exact estimate for safemeasure.


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3. Code it Yourself - Three (3) coding methods are available.

1. ASCII editor (e.g., Notepad)

Pros:

a. No purchase required

b. No software learning curve

c. No limits to code sophistication or customization.

Cons:

a. Most time consuming

b. Requires programming knowledge of basic HTML (and usually

some CSS and JavaScript depending on features desired).

c. Not developer friendly in terms of project management.

2. HTML editor

Pros:

a. Some are FREE (e.g. we use 1st Page 2000)

b. No limits to code sophistication or customization

c. Many developer friendly project management features.

Cons:

a. Software learning curve

b. Web development still takes time as you need to involve

yourself with the HTML details


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c. Requires programming knowledge of basic HTML and usually

some CSS and JavaScript depending on features desired.

3. WYSIWYG editor (e.g., FrontPage 2000)

Pros:

a. Development is fast

b. Does not require actual knowledge of HTML (or CSS,

JavaScript, etc).

c. Developer friendly project management

Cons:

a. None are FREE

b. Software learning curve

c. Possible limitations on ability to enhance or customize

underlying code.

Note: Expert knowledge of HTML etc. is not required if you choose

option 3 - WYSIWYG editor. This is good news. The converse, though, is

also true that if you choose the ASCII or HTML editor options then you

must learn basic HTML and most likely some CSS and JavaScript at a

minimum.


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C. Domain Name Registration

Registering a domain name is the very first step to creating a web

site. A domain name is simply the address of your web site and can end in

.com, .net, .org, etc. it can also include hyphens and as a character limit of

63.

All web sites have an internet "address" in the form of either a

DOMAIN NAME or SUBDOMAIN NAME. FREE web sites usually limit you

to a sub domain name, however, some free web site providers allow you

to obtain your own fully registered domain name. Fee hosted web sites

generally require a fully registered domain name.

D. Web Hosting

Web hosting refers to the process of publishing a web site so that it

is available to the world on the Web. Paid web hosting also involves

getting a domain name and not having forced ads displayed on your site.

The vast majority of web sites today, from personal pages to small

business e-commerce, rely on the shared web site hosting option. There

are many free shared web hosting services available that may or may not

meet your needs. Typically, shared web hosts offer package plans that are

an assortment of storage space, traffic allowances, server side software

capabilities and management tools. This makes it imperative that you


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define your web hosting requirements before you begin the selection

process.

1. Define your Web Hosting Criteria

Your host requirements analysis should include the disk space and

monthly traffic requirements, software accommodation, database

accommodation, traffic statistics tool, control panel, and the host OS

(platform).

2. Criteria Driven Search

Select three (3) or four (4) hosts that satisfy your defined

requirements. These sites will let you search for a list of hosts which meet

these criteria. Notice that these searchable host databases all claim to

perform the same service but don't always give the same results.

3. Narrow it Down

Evaluate each web hosting preliminary selection to make a final

decision. Once you have narrowed your web host choices to several firms,

you'll need to take a more in-depth look at them before choosing which

one you should go with. Click on the name of each host you consider to

get a quick summary of their offerings. Next, you should visit hosts' web

sites. Look at hosts' plans pages to see if all the data you have checks

out. See if there are any promotions or discounts available. If you have


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any questions regarding features offered by your potential hosts, you

shouldn't hesitate to email them with your pre-sales questions. This is a

good strategy to check hosts' support quality. Before signing up with any

host, you should carefully read their Terms of Use and Acceptable Use

Policies. Often, some crucial information that you should know before

making your decision can be found there. Use a search engine on an

independent message board to see what people are saying about your

potential host. After that, use a search engine to look for any other info on

that host that might be available somewhere on the web.

E. Web Development and HTML Code

1. Create Web Pages

The method for making the web pages was chosen in step2.

Basically, you have decided to either use a WYSIWIG editor or an HTML

editor.

2. Upload the Web Site to your Host

You will need to download and install an FTP program to

accomplish this. Once installed, contact your host for the connection

details. Remember, everything gets uploaded into your WWW folder or

one of it's subfolders.


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3. Verify Browser Compatibility

There are two basic problems when it comes to dealing with

browser compatibility issues: they're boring and they're complicated. But

for designers, developers, and managers alike, it's essential to grasp

these fundamental problems that we face when putting web pages on the

Internet.

4. Validate Style Sheets

This is accomplished by going to CSS Check which is cascading

style sheets lint, or to CSS W3C Validation Service.

5. Testing your Site’s Performance

A survey suggests an "8 second download rule" - the average

surfer gets bored if he/she has to wait much longer than that for a page to

open up, and of course e-commerce sites therefore lose business if

visitors are too impatient and go elsewhere. One research company

estimates that online businesses lose a lot of money because visitors

won’t wait for heavy pages to load. Keeping your site small is good as it

means that your site will be quicker to view for your visitors. It is

recommended that the average size of the web pages on your site should

be no more than 50k each. So as a rough idea of how much web space

you will require - multiply the number of pages you want on your site by


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about 50k then add on the size of any downloadable files you want to

serve - that will give you your total.

6. Compress Images to Improve Performance if Necessary

Large images are the leading cause of slow loading web pages.

There is a need to compress these images so that the site would open up

at a faster rate.


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A. Business Background

The concept of our business is relatively not new during its initial

conceptualization. First semester of school year 2008-2009, six MBA

students of Jose Rizal University formed a group and tasked to develop an

on-line shopping business as part of their requirements in E-Commerce

subject. The Company was named S3 or simply read as S-Cube. S3 stands

for Sit, Surf and Shop, the main working components while doing on-line

shopping.

We have identified that customer in today’s marketplace want

quality products and information in a quick and easy manner. The

internet’s main benefit is that of speed and convenience. Therefore e-

commerce, which uses the internet as the core for business dealings, can

help make a company more customer-friendly in addition to many other

things, such as creating a more efficient exchange of information and/or

products and services.

It was a bright day of August 12, 2008, www.scube.com portal

official operates for business. This portal has come up with numerous

solutions to provide worldwide exposure for Philippine products.

Scube.com gives Filipino manufacturers a place of their own where they


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can display their products and all the relevant information needed by the

buyer to make a sound business decision. Scube.com is a cheaper and

easier option for Philippine companies because, instead of setting up their

own websites, they can use the portal to display and promote their

products as well as maximize its interactive tools to transact business in

new markets. The website offers diverse product lines from clothing,

accessories and shoes that are proudly Philippine Made. SCUBE’s partner

brands are Bench, Penshoppe, Human, Bayo, Folded and Hung and

many more. The portal aims to promote Philippine apparels by stepping

forward and uplifting the industry into a global market, thus service millions

of Filipinos worldwide.

B. Vision and Mission Statements

Vision

To be the best electronic shopping company that delivers trendy

products and superior services to satisfy the needs of all Filipinos

worldwide

Mission

We will build a unique portfolio of clothes and related brands, striving

to surpass our competitors in quality, innovation and value, and

elevating our image. We will become the web destination store for all

ages, offering the convenience of multiple brands and channels, and


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providing a personal high tech shopping experience that helps create

lifelong customer relationships.

C. Business Strengths/Services Offered

Because we deliver. S3 adherence to the principle of time-sensitive

service has been unwavering. Every transaction is seen as an honored

contract and commitment to be fulfilled as promised.

Because we have the network. Our major partnered brands are backed

by an unsurpassed quality of goods and immortal designs that delivers

unparallel value and price, covering practically every segments of market

and diversity of Filipino individualities.

Because we innovate. Our phenomenal growth has always been

propelled by our sensitivity and quick response to the evolving needs of

the customers. S3 has always employed cutting-edge technology to

improve its services and delivery and to create new services for a

changing market.

Because we value our customers. The S3 team is comprised of a

talented group of individuals who are all committed to the practice of

customer satisfaction. At S3, customers are not seen as transactions, but

as human beings with needs to be served at the soonest time. S3 believes

in keeping the best relations possible with its valued customers by coming

up with services and programs attuned to their needs.


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Because we value our community. S3 believes that it operates its

business not in a market but in a community. Thus, S3 does its part in

building the community through S3 Foundation and its weekly e-

newsletter, and partnerships with organizations and other sectors in the

community.

D. Location

The Corporate Headquarters of S-cube is located at Unit 401 – 405

Plaz@ Building B 6530 Northgate Avenue, Filinvest Corporate City,

Alabang Muntinlupa City, Philippines.

E. Authorized Centers

S-Cube will forge a partnership with TFC offices worldwide to

facilitate the distribution and coordination of its products and services.

For more information further details about their contact, it can be best

viewed online thru TFC Global websites.

F. Contact Persons

S-Cube will have a trunkline number which is connecting to all

departments. For overseas calls, a toll free phone number will also

be made available for clients and suppliers. Online, they can reach

our helpdesk thru [email protected]


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The Management Team

President: Mr. Raymond Baria

VP Marketing: Ms. Theolyn Flores

VP Operation: Mr. Frederick Festin

VP Finance: Ms. Reichelle Orinday

VP Legal: Mr. Rommel Matutino

VP Internal Affairs: Ms. Anne Dzanelle Javier


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A. Uploading Website Using Microsoft Frontpage 2003.

STEP 1: Open a Front Page Website

Figure 1

The publishing features of FrontPage will not be available unless you open

a FrontPage Web site first. Before you try publishing, you need to make sure you

open a FrontPage Web site first. If you don't have a FrontPage Web site open

(that is, you just have an individual Web page open), FrontPage publishing

features will not be available.

A FrontPage Web site is a site created or opened in FrontPage that

supports FrontPage-specific functionality. In this case, the supported functionality

is the ability to publish.


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STEP 2: Go to Remote Website View

Figure 2

Click the Web Site tab.

Click the Remote Web site button at the bottom of the window.

Then, click Remote Web Site Properties to set up your connection to the

server.

Remote Web site view is the place to go whenever you need to publish

your site. To go there, you would click the Web Site tab, and then the Remote

Web site button at the bottom of the window.


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On first use, Remote Web site view will look rather bare. Never fear:

Clicking Remote Web Site Properties in the upper-right corner will fix that. This

allows you to set up the connection to the Web server.

STEP 3: Remote Website Properties

Figure 3

Now you'd set up the remote Web site properties so that you could connect to the

server, and then eventually publish.

First, you select FTP as the remote Web server.

In the Remote Web site location box, type your host name. Note that you'll

often repeat "ftp" twice, as in "ftp://ftp.example.com".


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The server makes the second connection between it and FrontPage. This

is the connection that is used to actually publish files in either direction. However,

many firewalls do not like outside servers to establish that second connection.

After all, the purpose of a firewall is to protect you from possible outside harm.

If this is the case, you may need to select the Use Passive FTP check

box. With it selected, the server will not attempt to make the second connection.

Instead, FrontPage will establish the second connection, and the publishing

process can continue from there.

STEP 5: Publish Your Files

Figure 5


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Here's the moment of truth: You review which files you want to publish,

and then you publish them. We'll explain the details of this during the practice

session that's coming up. But here's the main idea:

The Local Web site is on the left side of the window. The Remote Web

site is on the right. The remote site is the publishing destination for your

files.

Files with arrows are new and haven't been published yet.

Files with question marks (?) are files in conflict. This sounds a little

dramatic, but it just means that the file has been modified in both locations

since the last time it was published. It could also mean that the file was

published with another application besides FrontPage.

When you're ready, you can publish all files by clicking the Publish Web

Site button in the lower-right corner of the window. Or, you can publish individual

files. The way to do this is to select a file in the local site, and then click the Local

to Remote button .


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(

A. About the Website

S3 website was created using MS Frontpage 2003 Application

Software. Primarily, its purpose is an online shopping store of all popular

Filipino brands and targeting young, hip, and trendy Filipinos – here and

abroad. This concept is the major basis of color combination for the

website which is strong, dynamic and high contrast to signify youth

attitude and powerful character.

The logo represents Filipino characteristics and shopping

technology. It looks like “bayong” or shopping basket, or sometimes a

‘padlock” in other view. Meaning, secured shopping when it is being

viewed with general perception. The color also creates individualistic and

uniqueness of the store. The logo is painted with the color combination of

our Philippine Flag to represent nationalism, and green color to emphasize

the company’s awareness for the protection of Mother Nature.

Technically, S3 website can be best viewed to a 1024 x 768 screen

resolution. The contents are also adjustable to adapt on the resolution of

user’s monitor or screen. Since it is a dynamic website with Flash Movie

content, it is recommended to view this website using a computer with that

kind of plug-in, otherwise the Flash Movie will not be displayed properly.


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Bandwidth requirement is at minimum of 56kbps using any type of

browser such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape, etc. There

are several fonts used in making the S3 website. Verdana was used for

the buttons while Tahoma was assigned for the body of contents. The

buttons also used a mouse over effect which turns green and sinks or

underline once hit by user’s mouse.

The pages are not linear in terms of interactivity. The buttons

should be clicked to enter on another page. The user must scroll down the

pages in order to navigate on page’s other contents. In determining the

organizational structure, it has no prescribed sequential structure. It also

uses an internal search engine to directly view the preferred topics, ideas

or items.

B. Wireframes

Wireframes are basic visual guides used in web design to suggest

the layout of fundamental elements in the interface. Because of this, they

are often completed before any artwork is developed. When completed

correctly, they will provide a visual reference upon which to structure each

page. Wireframes also allow for the development of variations of layout to

maintain design consistency throughout the site. This is an important part

of the initial development stage because it creates user expectations and

helps to develop an awareness of and familiarity with the site.


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The skeletal structure of every “click-through-possibility” (link) in S3

website is itemized on the next pages.

REGISTRATION

New Member

Register to Buy

Confirm Registration

PRODUCT DEPARTMENTS

Men’s Clothing

o Denims

o Shirts

o Underwear

o Shorts

Women’s Fashion

o Jeans

o Blouse

o Tops

o Undergarments

o Skirts


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Men’s Accessories

o Socks

o Caps

o Belts

o Hankies

Women’s Accessories

o Belts

o

Socks

o Hankies

o Jewelries

Shoes and Bags

o Men’s Shoes

o Ladies’ Shoes

o Sandals

o Flip-flops

Teen’s Wear

o Dress

o Jeans

o Shirts

o Uniform


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Kid’s Corner

o Kid’s Wear

o Toys

Infants and Toddlers

o 0 – 1 year old

o 1 – 2 years old

Sporting Apparel

Customized Clothing

PROFILES

History/About Us

Philosophy

Community

o Feedback

o News

o Jobs

o Store Policy

o Help Desk

o Global Network

o Downloads

Contact Us


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BUYING

Item/s Confirmation

Payment

o Mode of Payment

o Validation

Delivery Instructions

C. Storyboards

Storyboards are graphic organizers such as a series of illustrations or

images in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing website interactivity. The

following pages show the storyboard of S3 website.


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Figure 6


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Figure 7


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Figure 8


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Figure 9


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Figure 10


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Figure 11


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Figure 12


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Figure 13


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Figure 14


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Figure 15


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Figure 16


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E-business Strategic Planning in recent years, the Internet has

presented a wealth of opportunities for conducting commerce on a global

scale. As a result, there has been a significant increase in both the

number of start-up businesses in the e-commerce field. This planning

involves the development of a solid and concise business plan, and a

focused marketing plan well before a website is created. An e-business

plan must have clearly defined goals as it is difficult for any business

organization to stay on track if there are no goals in place for guidance.

Strategic planning determines where an organization is headed

over the next year or more, how it's going to get there and how it will know

if the results are successful. There are a variety of perspectives, models

and approaches used in strategic planning. The way that a strategic plan

is developed is dependent on the nature of the organization's leadership,

culture of the organization, size of the organization, complexity of the

organization's environment and expertise of planners. Goals-based

planning is perhaps the most common strategic planning model and

begins with focus on the organization's mission and vision and strategies

to achieve these goals.


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A. Sincere Passion

In order to be successful, we must be completely passionate about our

business and our success. If we don’t have a “sincere” passion, we won’t

have the necessary personal drive that it takes to succeed.

B. Our Own Domain

A business hosted on a free server is not taken seriously and is

generally considered to be unprofessional. If a company doesn’t care

enough about its business to get its own domain name, potential

customers may not feel comfortable doing business with them. A company

with its own domain name and a professional looking website will have a

much higher rate of success when compared with most business sites

hosted on free servers.

C. Professional Website

Your website is a direct reflection of you and your business. Creating a

professional website designed to sell will take a great deal of time and

effort, as there is much more to take into consideration than design. You

must look at a much broader picture and specifically designed your

website to sell.


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D. Quality Content

In order to create a steady stream of traffic to your website, you

must give visitors a reason to visit and continue to visit in the future. You

must provide your visitors with fresh content on a continual basis.

E. Targeted Traffic

No matter how great your website is, unless you’re receiving

quality, targeted traffic, it will be useless. Your website may receive

hundreds of visitors each day. However, if they aren’t interested in the

products or services you’re offering, your web traffic won’t mean a thing.

You must drive continuous stream of targeted traffic to your website.

F. Your Own In-Demand Product

Although marketing affiliate programs can provide you with a nice

income, true Internet profits come from marketing your own in-demand

product.

G. Killer Sales Copy

Your words are the entire foundation of your business. Your

product, website and marketing strategies all depend upon your words.

You must learn how to write persuasive words specifically written for your

targeted customers.


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H. Killer Marketing Strategy

Developing a successful marketing strategy is an essential part of

your online success. In order to succeed, you must develop and

implement a strategic plan that includes all of the following:

- A great product

- A website specifically designed to sell

- A killer marketing strategy

Each step plays an important role in your overall strategy and must

be developed to its fullest potential. If even one step fails, your chances of

success will be minimal.

I. Instant Product Delivery

Internet users are starving for information, as that is what the

internet is all about. They have a sincere desire to learn and want the

information they desire right now.

J. Accept Credit Cards

If you’re doing business on the internet, accepting credit cards is an

absolute must. You must provide your visitors with an easy online ordering

process and the ability to pay for their order right online.


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K. Merchant Accounts: accepting payments on ecommerce

site

Merchants have three major options for accepting payments online:

• linking your site to a payment service like PayPal or Google Checkout,

• setting up a payment gateway and a merchant account,

• or offering both.

1. Linking your site to a payment service like Paypal or Google

Checkout

Pros: Can be set up in less than one day, no setup cost, no monthly fee

Cons: Takes transaction off site, order information either doesn’t feed into

your admin area at all or may have issues updating in real time.

Bottom Line: Linking to PayPal or Google Checkout is cheap and easy,

but taking all your transactions off your site can cost sales and prevent

you from maximizing the benefits of our software.

PayPal and Google Checkout do not charge a setup or a monthly

fee to accept payments online. Currently, Google Checkout does not

charge transaction fees until 2008. If margins are slim for your site or if

you don’t take too many orders each month, this is a very attractive offer.


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When a customer places an order on your site using a payment

processor like PayPal or Google Checkout, the transaction is temporarily

taken off your site. A customer then inputs their billing, shipping and credit

card information on PayPal or Google Checkout’s site, and then the

customer is taken back to your store. This can take some time and doesn’t

quite have the professional look that can be achieved by using a one-page

checkout.

2. Setting up a payment gateway and merchant account

Pros: Allows customer to complete transaction on your site, order

information is updated real time

Cons: Requires monthly fee, could require setup fee

Bottom Line: Although the overall costs of setting up a gateway and a

merchant account can cut into profits, the legitimacy of accepting

transactions directly on your site should make it well worth the expense.

Most ecommerce software providers do not include an account for

collecting payment in their services. This is because merchants have

different needs for their gateways and merchant accounts, and should be

able to choose the best one to suit these needs.


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L. Credibility

As an internet entrepreneur, it is your personal responsibility to

ensure that your visitors feel very comfortable with you and your website.

In order to gain your visitor’s trust and confidence, you must build your

credibility.

M. Detailed product information may help make online

business the one stop shop

Provide as much information as possible on your site to help turn

these researchers into your future customers. Give details and information

regarding every item that you sell- even if it’s one that people have

obviously seen before. Provide detailed text descriptions and pictures,

color swatches if applicable and alternate views. Show the researcher that

your online store is just as good, if not better than any physical store If you

provide the customer with all the detailed information they need, it will

make your site more likable and just may make the difference between

looking for more info and looking no further.


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A. Why the golden rule should be your weapon of choice

Marketing on the web can be very overwhelming. With so many

websites out there, it seems impossible to get your name out there to

everyone. There are entire books dedicated towards managing your

reputation online. You can check Google alerts on your company

constantly. You can be in every forum and at every conference. If your

customers don’t like you, they will spread the word about your lack of care

well beyond your own control.

Why is abiding by the Golden Rule more important than ever?

• A company specializing in the advantages of interaction, the average

dissatisfied customer tells twice as many people about his or her

negative experience than a happy one. This perhaps is not fair, but it is

the unfortunate reality.

• There are also more means for merchants to express their

dissatisfaction than ever before. If a customer had a negative

experience in your store prior to the internet, he or she just told friends

how bad it was. Now, customers can write blogs, talk in forums, join

social networks, or microblog using services like Twitter. The marketer


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can interact with customers more than ever before, but so now can

other consumers. If you offer amazing service, praises of you could

spread before you can even build the infrastructure to support it. If you

aren’t paying attention, words of your misdeeds or even perceived

misdeeds could be all over the internet before you know it.

• Employees are also enabled by the social web. Are you fair and honest

with your customers? Do you treat employees well and give them the

tools they need to succeed? Short from legal means, there is no

means to control what your employees say and do not say about your

company.

B. Product images are an important factor in making a sale

Unfortunately “what you see is what you get” is not always the case

when purchasing items online. You don’t ever want your online business

to falsely represent an item it’s selling. This will only mislead customers,

often leading to a disgruntled return and the elimination of a return

customer for that matter.

Take product pictures yourself or hire someone else to do so. You

can either use an editing program, such as Photoshop, to make the

pictures look more attractive or even the ‘ol fashioned white sheet behind

the product will do. Any type of valid physical representation of the item

will help increase customer confidence in following through with a


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purchase. Show several photos of each product if applicable and in

different colors/designs. Use alternate views and a larger view of the

photo to show the item in more detail.

1. Product photos: Tips on creating clear and relevant images

Photos sell products. Whether viewers are on your home page or

on your product pages, showing clear, attractive pictures of your products

converts visitors into customers.

a) Product photos should be clear, appropriately lit, and white

balanced.

If you cannot afford to rent or do not know how to use professional

lighting equipment, use natural lighting if at all possible. Using a basic

tripod can ensure that these photos come out crisp every time.

If a flash is necessary, be sure to diffuse the light. There are

professional diffusers, but even covering your flash with a coffee filter will

diffuse some light. If you can take your flash off your camera, you can

even bounce the light off a wall or the ceiling. Using any one of these

options will ensure that sections of your picture are not washed out.

b) Try to put your products in context.

Setting a good stage for your products can lead customers to take

ownership of your product. Ideally, you want a customer to think of that


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3. Easy to Ship

The product or products you offer will need to be shipped to the

buyer. Look for items that are non-perishable light, and sturdy.

D. Create a newsletter: three reasons why they work

1. Loyalty

When consumers look for a particular product or service, they

probably have only a few options. But online, every option in the country

crowds onto their PC monitors. E-shoppers are sometimes overwhelmed

by the wealth of choices. Unfortunately, this means that plenty of your

customers will forget you, even if they don’t intend to. But they won’t forget

to check their e-mail. A regular newsletter serves as a reminder for

customers who want one. When you regularly inform them of your

developments, you’re modeling the behavior of a friend catching them up

on life. And the longer this relationship lasts, the stronger it will become.

Customers will feel involved in the progress of your company, and this will

give you an advantage over your more anonymous competitors.


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2. Distinction

A consistently-delivered newsletter reminds subscribers that your

small business isn’t nearly so unstable or insignificant. It is changing,

growing, and surviving. Every month you stay in business is another

month you’re outperforming a certain percentage of the competition. And if

your mere existence isn’t enough to make you stand out, your persistence

and/or growth may be.

3. Promotion

A newsletter significantly reduces your marketing efforts by self-

assembling a pond full of your target fish just waiting for you to cast your

line. Just be certain to provide the option to unsubscribe, otherwise you

run the risk of torturing those people whose tastes have changed over

time. Remember: they came to you voluntarily, so let them leave if they

like, otherwise your newsletter will be no more enticing.

E. Email marketing to existing customers: six reasons why it works

E-mail marketing is one of those online marketing techniques that

can go either way- some people love it, while others do not. It has its

admirers and it has its critics. The one thing that is certain throughout is

that it arouses comments from everyone within the field. Anyone educated

in the Internet marketing world is well aware of the benefits of e-mail

marketing, spending considerable time and effort exploring the various

options available.


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Considering the popularity of e-mail marketing, it is hardly

surprising that it is used to communicate with new and old customers.

Consider this fact: It is far cheaper to retain an existing customer than

acquire a new one. This is a well established concept within the Internet

and e-mail marketing circles. Given this information it would be plain silly,

if not positively foolish, for any business to ignore its existing customer

base. And if this wasn’t reason enough, here are some more reasons why

e-mail marketing to existing customers is the best and most cost effective

method of increasing online revenues.

1. E-mail marketing helps increase the “eyeball to sales” ratio.

Research indicates that repeat visits are the key to converting visitors to

buyers. It takes the average customer nine visits before he or she finally

makes a purchase. E-mail marketing allows you to keep in touch with

customers who are interested in buying the product. It gives you the

perfect opportunity to nudge them in the right direction – your website.

2. E-mail marketing helps increase repeat sales.

It costs almost 6 - 12 times more to acquire a new customer, rather than

sell to an old one. With existing customers, you don’t have to spend

money educating them about your website and various offers. They have

already shopped there before and are comfortable with the store. An

effective e-mail marketing campaign can garner major sales when sent to

the existing customer database.


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3. E-mail marketing can be used to up-sell and cross-sell products.

Amazon.com found that they could increase sales by a whopping 30% by

up-selling and cross-selling products. A customer who buys a book on

parenting is immediately sent e-mails offering discounts and other

promotions on books, magazines and products related to parenting.

4. E-mail marketing allows you to track the success of your campaign.

This is one of the biggest edges that online marketing has over offline

marketing. With e-mail marketing campaigns, clients can immediately

track the leads generated and the sales made from a particular campaign.

Another major benefit of e-mail marketing is that it allows the client to

make immediate adjustments and corrections within the campaign based

on customer feedback and reviews. If a campaign is spread over two

months and a glaring error or change is required to be made after the first

two weeks, it can be done- saving the remaining six weeks from this error.

5. E-mail marketing sells to ‘interested’ customers.

When e-mails are sent to existing customers you are marketing to

‘interested’ customers. The fact that they have already shown an interest

in your products and services makes them more likely to buy from you

again. These existing interested customers are also more likely to pay

attention to offers and promotions within the e-mails. It is thus far easier

and more effective to market to interested customers, rather than finding

those that may be interested.


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6. E-mail marketing can be used to encourage offline sales.

Research shows that 50% of all people are driven to making an offline

purchase after receiving an e-mail promoting that particular product. The

power of e-mail marketing cannot be denied. Your existing customers

have already indicated a high interest in your products and services. An e-

mail marketing campaign can provide the impetus required to drive these

customers to make offline purchases as well.

F. Competitive Pricing

To determine whether or not your items are priced too high, do the

same thing your potential customers are doing- search the web and

compare costs. Take a product you sell, perhaps one you’d like to sell

more of, and compare its cost against others. An exact search with price

or compare prices after the product name may help to pull up the best

results

Here are a few ways to differentiate your products from the

competition in order to convince the customer to buy from your site.

1. Lower your Costs.

Find the lowest price for the item you sell and ask yourself if your cost

could be lower. The lowered cost should help increase purchases made at

your site, making up the difference for the price cut.


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2. Guarantee a Price Match.

Assure the customer that you will match any price and that you will not be

undersold. Chances are the competition is still gaining a profit at their cost,

so you should be able to afford the price match.

3. Offer Free Shipping.

If your item costs more than the competition, offer an incentive to your

customers. Free shipping is always an added bonus to purchasers. Those

two words can make a huge difference in whether or not you make the

sale. If your product costs more than the competitor’s, free shipping may

give your product the lowest cost at checkout.

G. Catalog flexibility and Online fast updating

• Direct "link" capabilities to content information and visual displays

already existing on other client web site. You can update your E-

Catalog anytime, whether it's adding new products, or adjusting prices,

without the expense and time of a traditional print catalog.

• Extensive search capabilities by item, corporate name, division name,

location, manufacturer, partner, price or any other specified need.


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H. Web Site Promotion Overview

Web site promotion by way of proper search engine submission is

essential for most types of web sites, but not all. The different methods of

website promotion are:

• Major search engines and directories

• Specialized search engines and directories

(regional or topic specific)

• Special announcements

• Advertising externally

• Banner ads

When first introduced on the Internet, banner ads changed the face of

advertising. While most marketing companies were thinking in terms of

print ads, the concept of banner ads, with their limited space, visibility and

size, was revolutionary. Marketers were forced to think out of the box and

craft new designs within new boundaries.

Here are a few tips to help create banner ads that will work to your site’s

advantage.

1. Do your research. You simply cannot compete without knowing your

competition. Logon to popular websites, related to your industry, and

scan the hundreds of banner ads on display. Compare the ones you

like to ones you don’t, and see if any common factors jump out at you.


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2. Keep it simple. The second rule of creating effective banner ads is to

keep it short and simple. Banner ads are displayed amongst a large

amount of other information, competing with several other factors on

the page for the user’s attention. Unlike print media, where an

advertisement can grab the entire page or appear as a two-page

spread, banner ads get limited display area. So it is imperative to keep

the banner ads simple, easy to understand and to the point. Brief is

good. Clutter is not.

3. Weave magic with words. Less is more in the case of banner ads.

Use larger fonts and lesser words. People simply don’t have the time

or the patience to read long-winded messages in tiny text to figure out

what you are selling. Make an impact by using keywords relevant to

information found on the site the potential clicker is on.

4. Keep the file size low. About 45-70kb is typically a good size for a

banner ad. Most websites you advertise on will have limitations

regarding the size, so those numbers will often be given to you.

However, in cases where there is no limitation, it benefits to have fast

loading banner ads to appeal to all audience groups, so steer clear of

making the file size too large. A good rule of thumb is to examine your

target market when determining the file size.

5. Choose colors in context. Too many businesses make the mistake of

using the same banner ads for campaigns run on different websites.

Always design the banner ads while keeping in mind the context in


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which it will be displayed. While the message can be the same across

different websites, try to choose your colors based on the background

of the website on which the ad is to be displayed. Also, check out the

other banner ads on the website to ensure that your ad uses colors

that stand out from the crowd.

6. Follow up banner ads with action on the website. The worst thing

that could happen to your banner ad campaign is that you get a great

click through rate, only to realize that your website is failing to cash in

on the visitors. Banner ads are only effective if they are supported by

rock solid backend programming that converts eyeballs to sales. Also

find a way to track your clicks to help improve your ads in the future.

7. Choose the right place to display your banner ads. You can create

a fantastic banner ad with crisp copy and appealing graphics and still

find that it is failing miserably. Check to see if you are targeting the

right audience Study the audience on the website where you intend to

display the banner ads to determine if that audience is right for the

products you are looking to advertise.


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I. Market Segmentation

We have segmented our consumers based on demographic,

psychographic and behavioral characteristics of our consumers.

DEMOGRAPHIC SEGMENTATION

Age 0 – 50 years oldGender Male and femaleProfession Students, young professionals, businessmenIncome/allowance P500 and aboveGeographic location Anywhere in the world who has access to the

webNationality Filipino and other nationalities interested in

Filipino branded clothes and accessories

PSYCHOGRAPHIC SEGMENTATIONPersonality Hip, trendy, and fashionable individuals who

also give regards to quality and priceLifestyle Young, well-educated, up and comers, living in

urban environmentsValues and beliefs Competent and empowered individuals,

respects individuality, seeks quality andinnovativeness, enjoys life and have fun

Attitudes Towards purchasing: they will spend their

money for the best goods with value for moneyat the most convenient way of shopping

BEHAVIORAL SEGMENTATIONProduct usage They use apparels and/or accessories daily

while at school, at work, or even at homeBrand loyalty Strong commitment to the brand and is

demonstrated by repeated buying of the productor word of mouth

Readiness to buy They are willing to buy when they feel a need of

a product and there are good deals in exchangefor their hard earned money

Benefits sought Convenience of indoor shopping of consumers’favorite Filipino brands of apparels andaccessories

Purpose To obtain a product of choice from plenty ofalternatives without the hassles of going to themall


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A global market is booming and local companies have a chance to

get on board--and with good reason. The Philippines takes pride in its

products, making sure that they are truly world-class and are made of the

best materials to ensure high quality. As a result, many local exporters

have been able to successfully market their merchandise to international

companies. Many foreign companies source their products and materials

from beyond their shores, and the Philippines is at the top of the list of

these countries which provide them with what they need.

Yet the road to exporting one's products wasn't always easy. In the past, it

used to be a gruelling, time-consuming, and above all, expensive process

for exporters to establish partnerships with foreign buyers.

Nowadays, with the advent of the Internet as well as faster ways of

communicating, it's more important than ever to be able to compete and

be able to provide quick responses to customer issues as well as services

in real-time. The Internet makes it easier for foreign companies to search

for people who can provide their needs and makes communication faster

as well. Web portals are just one tool to make such transactions easier. It

helps connect Philippine Suppliers to Global Buyers by offering them a

venue to showcase their products and enable the buyers to locate the


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exact kind of products they need. Scube.com is open to users all over the

globe and includes features that allow users to transact online, track the

status of orders, and update buyers.

. Through this course, we were able to identify some of the

advantages and benefits of having ecommerce as an effective tool in

business.

First, E commerce removes location and availability restrictions.

Users need not be in the same physical location as an e-business and the

exchange of information and transactions may take place at any given

time, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and from any location in

the world with Internet access. A physical location is restricted by size and

limited to only those customers that can get there, while an online store

has a global marketplace with customers and information seekers already

waiting in line.

Second, E commerce reduces time and money spent. There is

often a reduction in costs required to complete traditional business

procedures. Many of those same traditional business approaches can be

eliminated and replaced with electronic means, which are often easier to

carry out as well as easier on the pocketbook. For example, compare the

cost of sending out 100 direct mailings (paper, postage, staff and all), to

sending out a bulk e-mail. Also think about the cost of paying rent at a

physical location opposed to the cost of maintaining an online site.


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Third, it heightens customer service. With e-commerce customers

receive highly customizable service, and communication is often more

effective. There is far more flexibility, availability and faster response times

with online support. For example, think about the speed of e-mail inquiries

and live chat as opposed to getting on the phone, especially when that

business is closed for the day. There is also a faster delivery cycle with

online sales, helping strengthen the customer/business relationship. The

internet is a powerful channel for reaching new markets and

communicating information to customers and partners. Having a better

understanding of your customers will help to improve customer

satisfaction.

And Lastly, It will also give www.scube.com a competitive

advantage. The internet opens up a brand new marketplace to businesses

moving online. Competition via the internet is growing as the internet itself

grows and waiting too long to move online may cause you to lose your

place in line entirely. Easy access to real time information is a primary

benefit of the internet, enabling a company to give more efficient and valid

information and helping to gain the competitive advantage over those that

are not online.

Although there are risks associating with e-commerce, as with most

business decisions, there is also the risk associated with the inability to


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adapt to the changing times. Change is inevitable in today’s marketplace

and should be embraced with open arms and open sites.


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Above the Fold

the portion of a Web page visible once the page has loaded and without scrolling,normally located at the very top section of a page; a key location on a website foradvertisements and banner ad placement

Affiliate Program

automated marketing program that allows you to pay others for referring trafficand sales to your website; when other websites place your banner ads or buttonson their site, receiving a referral fee in return when customers make a purchase

on your site due to that affiliate link

Bandwidth

the amount of data that can be transmitted through an Internet connection in afixed amount of time, or the rate at which the information can be passed (theconnection speed)

Banner Ad

a small, interactive ad placed on a web page acting as a hyperlink to an

advertiser’s website or another internal page within the same website; typicallyrectangular in shape and located above, below or on the sides of the website’smain content

Banner Rotator

a program that randomly rotates banner ads on a website, displaying a differentbanner ad each time the site is visited or refreshed (often cheaper than having astatic ad on a website)

Browser

a software program used to display web pages; needed in order to access theInternet(ex. Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape Navigator)

Click-and-Mortar

a store existing online and in the physical world as well


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Color Swatch

a representative portion of the color of a product; a smaller strip cut from a largerpiece of material

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

all aspects of interaction a business has with its customer, whether sales orservice related

Data Export

the ability of one application to format data for another application; when thesending application reformats the data for the receiving

Data Import

the ability of an application to read and use data produced by a differentapplication; when the receiving application does the reformatting

Digital Certificate

an attachment to an electronic message used for security purposes, mostcommonly used to verify that a user sending a message is who he or she claimsto be and to provide the receiver with the means to encode a reply

Domain Name

a name that distinguishes your business from others on the Internet, allowsInternet users to find your web site quickly and easily(ex. yourbusinessname.com, or .net, .org, .us, .info, .biz.)

Drop Shipping

the shipping of a product directly from the manufacturer to the customer (in thiscase the retailer does not carry inventory, making their profit on the differencebetween the wholesale and retail price)

Electronic Business (E-Business)

the process of conducting business electronically or over the internet

Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce)

one entity paying for goods or services from another entity via the internet, takingplace either between two businesses or between a business and a customer


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Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

the transfer of data between different companies using networks, such as VANsor the Internet; increasingly becoming an easy mechanism for companies to buy,sell, and trade information

E-mail Marketing

a form of direct marketing using electronic mail as a means of communicatingcommercial, informational or fundraising messages to a large audience

Encryption

the encryption of data for security purposes

Flash

a graphics animation computer software product

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

a commonly used method for sending files between two computers over theinternet

Hard Disk Storage

the amount of space available on your website to store files (such as images,

HTML, ASP files, etc.)

Hit

the retrieval of a web object, such as a page or a graphic, from a Web server(Number of hits= Number of times that particular object has been viewed ordownloaded)

Home Page

the main page of a Web site, usually the first page customers see

Hosting

provides storage of the user’s information, images, video or any contentaccessible via the Internet on the hosting provider’s server


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Hyperlink

an element in an electronic document that links to another place in that samedocument, or to an entirely different document

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)

language of the web; a set of tags used to define the content, layout and theformatting of the web document (web browsers use HTML tags to define how todisplay the text)

Keyword

a word or phrase used by a search engine to seek out relevant web information(see Search Engine)

Live Support (Live Chat)

a Web service allowing businesses to communicate, or chat, in real time withvisitors of their Web site, providing immediate customer support and informationto online clients and customers

Logo

a trademark designed for easy and specific recognition of a company

Merchant Account

allows a business to accept credit cards, debit cards, gift cards and other formsof electronic payment via the web(see also PayPal)

Meta Tags

a special HTML tag that provides information about a Web page (such as whichkeywords represent the page’s content), used by search engines when buildingtheir indexes (see Search Engine)

Newsletter

an informative letter e-mailed to subscribers


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Opt-in E-mails

promotional e-mails sent only to people who specifically request them, theopposite of SPAM promotional e-mails which are sent to a large list of recipientswithout regard to whether or not they actually want that information

Page Impression

the exact number of times a website has been visited (also referred to as “hits”)

Paid Inclusion

a search engine marketing model in which a website pays a fee to a searchengine that then guarantees that website will appear in the returned searchresults for specifically named search terms

PayPal

founded in 1998, PayPal, an eBay Company, is similar to an online bankingservice that enables any individual or business with an e-mail address tosecurely and quickly send and receive payments via the Internet

Point of Sale System (POS System)

allows you to quickly sell products to customers who are physically in your store,linking that transaction to your web database

Purchase Order (PO)

a commercial document issued by a buyer to a seller, indicating the products,quantities and agreed prices for products or services that the seller will provide tothe buyer (Usually contains: PO number, date, billing address, shipping address,requested terms and a list of products with quantities and prices)

Return on Investment (ROI) Tracking

tracks the return on investment for advertising and marketing efforts; shows howcustomers are getting to ones site via the internet

Search Engine

a computer program used to search and catalog (index) the millions of pages ofavailable information on the web(Ex. Google)


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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

a series of methods aimed at increasing the amount of visitors to a Web site byincreasing the site’s ranking in the search results of a search engine

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate

provides secure communications on the Internet, ensuring that private credit cardinformation sent via the web is safe and encrypted

Shopping Cart

the virtual cart in an online store; a user can put items in the “basket” or takethem out and then proceed to checkout when ready to purchase; shopping cartscan be sold as independent pieces of software or offered as part of an all-in-oneservice

Subdomain

a domain that is part of a larger domain name(Ex. shop.yoursitename.com)

Template

surrounds each page, standardizing and constraining the page’s commonelements; provides support for the navigation of a site and remains constantthroughout the site as you browse through the store

Traffic

the amount of activity over a communication system during a given period oftime; the measurement of the amount of visitors to a website

URL

an Internet address (for example, http://www.hmco.com/trade/), usuallyconsisting of the access protocol (http), the domain name (www.hmco.com), andoptionally the path to a file or resource residing on that server (trade)

User Session

the session of activity a user with a unique IP address spends on a websiteduring a specified amount of time, helps measure the amount of traffic to awebsite; begins when the user accesses the application and ends when the userquits the application


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Web Analytics

the study of the impact of a website on its users (ex. how many people visited asite, how they got there, what they searched for, etc.)

Wish List

a list of products one plans to purchase at a later time

XML (Extensible Markup Language)

a specification developed by the W3C; a pared-down version of SGML designedespecially for Web documents; allows designers to create their own customizedtags, enabling the definition, transmission, validation, and interpretation of databetween applications and between organizations


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