E COMMERCE BIT100

Develop an ability to market and manage commercial transactions electronically, particularly via the internet

 While the course is concerned with marketing, management and processing; the primary concern is marketing.

 E-commerce is short for “electronic commerce”. It is anything concerned with doing business electronically. E-commerce includes commerce conducted over the internet, but also other forms of electronic commerce such as telephone banking, using a fax, or generating and managing accounting systems on a computer (without use of the internet). This course focuses on the internet; but covers other aspects of e commerce as well.

Is this course right for me?
This course is excellent for managers and marketing people who are good with general marketing but are not very sure about marketing on the web.

Become an Expert at Internet Marketing

E commerce also offers distinct advantages for both the buyer and the seller:

  • The seller has lower costs
  • Quicker and easier communication
  • The seller can change electronic details easier than details printed on paper (eg. if the cost of a service needs to be changed; you can do it easily and immediately on a web site: but cannot on a printed brochure)
  • The seller can reach the whole world as a market, through the internet
  • Immediate payment can be achieved at a distance electronically (with credit card or direct bank transfer, etc)
  • The buyer has greater bargaining power to purchase at a better price.
  • It becomes viable for smaller businesses to enter the market place; and that can result in some services or products becoming available, which might not normally be available through, for example, a traditional shop front.
  • The buyer can access a greater variety of suppliers easier
  • The buyer has the convenience of shopping from home 24/7
  • The buyer can shop around to get the best bargain in a fraction of the time than in the traditional way of shopping.
  • There is less stress involved in shopping online because there is no traffic to beat, no parking problems.
  • Online shopping offers a whole new world of shopping for people with disabilities, elderly and people with less mobility.
  • Establishing an ecommerce business requires a fraction of investment in comparison to a traditional brick and mortar business therefore enables many more individuals to establish their own business.

 

COURSE STRUCTURE

There are eight lessons in this module as follows:

  1. Introduction: What is e-commerce, scope of e commerce. E commerce problems & advantages, security, using the internet, contract law, How different electronic payment systems work (eg. credit card, bank transfer etc)
  2. Success & Failure: What makes a web site commercially successful? Relaxing with technology, what can go wrong, site visibility, interactivity of a site, etc
  3. Promotional Strategies: Internet differences; Internet code of conduct, marketing management, target marketing, categories of url's (search engines, ffa's, directories etc)
  4. Optimizing Web Site Potential: Monitoring visitors, Ground rules keep changing, Meta tags, Evaluation services, Submission services, etc
  5. Increasing Web Site Exposure: Developing a marketing plan, Promoting a site, Forms of advertising, Types of Marketing (Affiliate marketing; Free Content Marketing; Drive in Marketing, Buzz Marketing and User Group Marketing.)
  6. Automating Supply of Goods, Services and Cash flow: Ways to process payment; Ways to supply goods or services.
  7. Managing Constant Change: Ways to keep information up to date, Resource Planning, Information Currency vs Cash Currency, etc.
  8. Dealing with E Commerce Problems: Learning from mistakes (others & yours)

 

Duration: 100 hours

 

Aims

  • Recognise the nature and scope of e commerce
  • Differentiate between successful and unsuccessful e commerce operations, and identify key factors in their success or failure
  • Develop strategies for promotion of business activity using broad e commerce tools.
  • Monitor and adjust e commerce strategies on a web site in order to improve performance with respect to stated goals.
  • Develop strategies that will cause growth in Web Site exposure.
  • Distinguish between alternative e commerce tools for managing the supply of goods and services, and the flow of cash.
  • Develop methods for managing change within the e commerce context.
  • Manage risk within the e commerce context in order to minimise the impact of problems that emerge.

 

Tips on Where to Sell

  • Where we sell is obviously not such a simple thing today.  Any business must decide where they are going to sell their products.
  • Many businesses today exist only online. Some businesses may sell online products only, such as eBooks or apps or online games or digital versions of films. They do not need a physical premises as such.
  • Other businesses may operate online but require storerooms to store stock that needs to be dispatched. For example, an online bookstore may have no actual shop, but a warehouse where they post out books from.
  • Whilst other businesses may have an online presence and a physical presence, such as a warehouse or shop.  For example, a clothing store may sell clothes in shops and have a website that customers can order from.
  • When starting any business, it is important to consider where you operate:
  1. Do I need a website?
  2. Will I sell on a website?
  3. Do I need a warehouse or storage facility?
  4. Do I need a physical shop?

This is something that any business person needs to think carefully about. Renting or buying a physical premises can be expensive, but for some businesses, it will be essential. The business person will really need to consider the type of business they run, and the best way to sell their products.

When running both online and physical premises, it is important to be well organised and keep a good track of the products you are selling. When selling a product online, an additional delivery charge needs to added to the final price. This can put some customers off. So, a business person needs to decide if they charge postage and packing or do they offer free postage and packing. If so, do they include this cost in the cost of the product and so on?  It is important to calculate clearly how much it costs to deliver a product and how this is included in the cost or special offers of free delivery can mean a business makes no profit on a sale of a good.

So no matter where you sell, it is likely that most businesses today will have a website and an online presence. How you use that online presence will be determined by what product and services you are selling.  Any person setting up or maintaining their business will need to give careful consideration to where they sell their products.

There's more to e-commerce than just selling of course; but sales are the foundation of any business; and electronic sales have changed; and continue to change the face of commerce in a very big way. Getting familiar with  commerce is no longer something that any business can ignore.

 

Enrol or Contact us Today

Enrolling is easy - just choose your payment option and click on "Enrol Now" at the top of this page.

Or, get in touch with us now, by -

Phone: (UK) 01384 442752, (International) +44 (0) 1384 442752

or use our FREE COURSE COUNSELLING SERVICE