Website Structure Design and Concepts - Essay Example

? E-Business Contents Introduction 3 Website Structure Design and Concepts 4 Branding Activities of Thorpe Park 6 Social Networking Functions of Thorpe Park 7 Mass Customization Activities and Thorpe Park 11 Product 11 Price 11 Place 12 Promotion 12 Process 13 Recommendations 13 References 15 Introduction The expansion of activities pertaining to the domain of electronic business is found to render increasing amount of pressure on the web developers. The developers of the websites are required to render much focus on innovation and sophistication to help the website reach larger number of people. Expansion of business activities along the online sphere requires the developers to design some complex set of business application models which would facilitate the end business objectives (Sullivan, 2000, p.34). Moreover the designing of the websites should also focus on meeting the objectives behind promoting the brand attributes for a product or service advertised by the product and service developers through the online portal (Qirim, 2006, p.44-45). Similarly the websites are also being developed by the companies to gain increased access to large number of customers through the incorporation of social networking tools. Through such developments companies are endeavouring to interact with the customers in an enhanced manner wherein they can generate potential views and suggestions (Nahari & Krutz, 2011). Focusing on the above discussion the case of Thorpe Park Website can be studied which generates potential information to attract large number of consumers. Thorpe Park through the online portal reflects the different set of events and other potential information related to prices and offers rendered through the website created. Further the website created also renders potential access to social interaction sites like Facebook and Twitter where visitors can exchange their views about the quality and pattern of services generated. The website developed also renders space for downloading of certain applications and also encourages the customers to share potential views through electronic mails. Thus high amount of sophistication is rendered in the Thorpe Park website to gain huge customer attraction (Thorpe Park, 2011). Website Structure Design and Concepts The development of the websites is conducted to suit separate business needs pertaining to online applications. The website developers plan out the structural patterns of the website through maintaining a collaborative interaction with other potential departments of the company pertaining to the marketing, sales and operational sectors. Designing of the websites is done to help the business achieve both short and long term business goals through the optimum utilisation of the existing organisational resources. Again in terms of development of the website content the developers are required to have an open eye to the change dynamics in both the external and internal business sphere. This focusing on the change aspects helps the developers in continuously updating the contents posted to help in generating potential information to the large range of customers. Designing of website structures and contents also requires the web developers to conduct a total survey of external market conditions so as to render attractive features in the page developed. Innovation and sophistication enabled in the webpage developed helps the products and services of the business concern to stand apart from its potential competitors in drawing more number of consumers. The codes developed for designing the websites thus must be continuously reviewed against the changes made in business policies and objectives to render enhanced productivity in such. Through working in a collaborative business sphere with large number of market research and business expert large amounts of potential data can also be collected to evaluate the potential of rendering such changes in the web portal (Taylor, Parish & Fiden, 2007,p.63-64). Development of the contents of the website to satisfy the needs of electronic commerce is done based on some salient points. Firstly the contents of the website can be developed to highlight certain new and sophisticated functions which the business can render to the customers by acting through the virtual sphere. It helps in navigating the site visitors to achieve key objectives for which they have paid visit to the online site. Secondly the website developers produce the website contents focusing on changes in the external business environment and change in mindsets of the principal stakeholders. In this regard the content developers act as trend or change setters in the websites developed. Thirdly effective planning is also required in regards to the content developments for meeting the business objectives like gaining a larger market share and increase in sales revenues. The web contents must be so developed so as to meet the expectations of the different stakeholders of the business concern. Development of the contents should be potentially tested by rendering quality checks to test its feasibility in the long run. Development of attractive contents helps the business organisation to gain the views of large number of consumers who would become potential visitors to such sites. (Rayport, 2003, p.309). In addition to the above salient features the websites can also be developed to incorporate additional features like helping the site visitors to generate potential reviews about the different products and services offered by the producer. The websites are developed to generate forums whereby the online visitors can render potential testimonials and discussions about their experiences regarding the product or service. A successful website thus not only generates adequate product information to help the customer judge the feasibility of the prices and facilities rendered but also in helping them to interact with others before finally availing such product or service (Turban, 2010, p.721). The website in discussion of Thorpe Park is found to contain the features enlisted above to turn into a potential business site for the company. This website presents to the use potential and updated information pertaining to the different products, services and offers which are rendered from time to time. This set of updated information helps the visitors to gain an instant understanding of the quality of services rendered. The website also generates a platform wherein these people can interact with each other and share common experiences about the services offered by Thorpe Park. Branding Activities of Thorpe Park The structure of the website along with presentation of the design and the development of the concepts is conducted to successfully highlight the brand image of the company. Generally the website is designed by using vibrant colours to attract the customers to the company brand and logo. Usage of colours helps create an emotional contact with the target groups of the company or the product or service and thereby endeavours to create a space of the brand image in their mind. (Diffily, 2006, p.143). The development of internet activities has helped the product and service companies to enhance their brand image and thereby gaining a large chunk of customers from newer market areas. Development of internet technology has helped in enhancing the brand image of the company through the creation of some additional facilities like rendering online customer support services tom address their queries and problems. Further the websites are developed to help the customer gain access to new launches and similar other confidential product and service information. Consumers through the online sphere can also gain fast access to products and services through transactions via the online sphere. The above features help the company to enhance its brand image by interacting with customers through the internet medium. Brand loyalty of the customers through the enhanced use of internet technology has transformed into electronic loyalty which strongly focuses on the parameters of logistic and customer servicing. Again the customers are also found to have developed a strong liking for certain websites owing to their display and content style. Thus the product or service companies tend to render huge amount of attractive features to the websites to satisfy the above cause. (Gommans, Krishnan, & Scheffold, p.41, 59). The website of Thorpe Park is also designed using vibrant colours to grab the attention of the visitors. Similarly the website is also made to highlight special packages and events which are organised by the company in order to gain the attention of the customers. The website also bears a tag line ‘The Nation’s Thrill Capital’ to reflect the features of its brand imagery. Brand loyalty of the company and services is further enhanced by rendering several additional facilities to help the users plan their tours. The company also renders specialized services for the different consumer groups pertaining to educational institutions and corporate sectors. Website of Thorpe Park also renders specialized pricing schemes to attract different ranges of people and also helps the people to transact online in order to make reservations by procuring online tickets. The website is uniquely designed to reflect images of the different types of events and galas held by the company in order to gain the attention of the people. These activities enlisted above enhance the image of the brand of the services and entertainment offered by the company to the consumers. Special imagery is created by the website developers to give a feeling to the visitors about the mega events held by the entertainment park. Thorpe Park thus successfully enhances the brand image by targeting the mindset of the different target groups. (Thorpe Park, 2011). Social Networking Functions of Thorpe Park Marketing organizations have largely realised the importance of marketing communications toward generating competitive advantage. The main essence of marketing communication strategies involves communicating and reaching out to the existing as well as new prospective customers. This involves selecting a marketing communications channel that essentially reaches out to a large number of such targeted customers. The increase in internet usage has rendered it as one of the channels where a firm can actually reach out to a large number of target audiences with comparatively smaller revenue expenditure. The advent of online social networking sites like facebook, twitter and orkut have also opened up a plethora of opportunities for business organizations to reach out to their customers (Clow & Baack, 2011, p.462). The importance of social networking can be analysed from the fact that there is a large scale possibility that the ad spending towards online social networking w would increase by about 200 percent by the end of 2011 in US alone. A research report states that more than 80 percent of the customers rely on information from social networking and peers for making a purchase decision. The online channel also gives an option to firms to reach out directly to their customers without having any intermediary. This flow of communication largely helps in generating greater trust and confidence among individuals which lead to repeat purchase and generation of customer loyalty. Organizations like Toyota, P&G, Burger King and Unilever have leveraged this tool to improve relationships with the customers by inducing greater interactions, promotion of issues that generate concern among the members of the society, promotion of products and services at relatively cheaper rates and finally to enhance the brand proposition and brand image of the organization. Social networking provides an option for marketers to reach out to customer segments that include affluent individuals, teenagers and younger generation as well as mothers and women who essentially form an important customer base for almost every business organization. The growth of the online marketing communications channel has been largely fuelled by two factors. Firstly, there has been a heavy growth of internet users in the world that has been fuelled due to the technological advances of internet technology. Secondly the highly popular nature of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter that enables individuals to keep in touch with their friends and relatives and finally the large scale spending by business organizations towards development of marketing communication via online social networking so as to generate sustainable competitive advantage and to reach out to new customers. The figure below shows the largest categories or segments that have largely been associated with online marketing across the globe (Corporate Executive Board, 2008, p.1-5). Figure 1: Top five growing online business categories (Source: Corporate Executive Board, 2008, p.2) Social marketing has also been largely associated with inducing a form of viral marketing. The figure shown below depicts the relationship between viral marketing and the aspctes o social networking. Figure 2: Viral Marketing and Social Networking (Source: Abedniya & Mahmouei, 2010, p.142) The figure clearly shows how different components associated with social marketing largely help induce viral marketing in business organizations. The analysis of the Website of Thorpe Park shows that the firm has used social networking as an integral part of its business and marketing communication strategy. The website has links that enable visitors to share the information regarding the amusement park. This sharing enables the spread of information to a large number of individuals though social networking linkage. Visitors also have an option to publicly post comments regarding the services offered at the park. This gives the marketers of the theme park an option to convey these points and present them to a set of very large number of target market participants. Thorpe Park has its webpage linked with popular social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and flickr. This shows the nature of importance given to the aspect of online social marketing by the company strategists. However Thorpe Park must also exercise certain elements of caution that includes filtering the information to be published on the social networking sites. This is important because social networking sites have a huge reach and potential and can lead to drastic consequences in not handled in a proper manner. Proper monitoring and efficient service delivery would help the firm to harness the benefits of this channel so as to generate competitive advantage. Mass Customization Activities and Thorpe Park Mass customisation in the online channel mainly involves the elements of five elements of the service mix. These are product, price, place, promotions and process. The present section would analyse how the online channel of Thorpe Park can be used to affect these elements of the service mix. Product Products in this case would imply the set of goods and services that can be communicated to the customers using an online channel. The aspect of web content and design largely fall under this category. In case of Thorpe Park the mass customisation of its services would be highlighted through the effectiveness of this channel (Reimer & Totz, 2001, p.3-4). Price Pricing involves selecting a pricing strategy for products or services that are to be provided online. In case of Thorpe Park this would imply services like online entry ticket booking, locker booking through websites and online channel and the pricing strategy for the online channel (Reimer & Totz, 2001, p.4). Place This category would largely include the aspect of linking the segmented and targeted customer segments to the product mix of the organization. The management of distribution channels including facilitating delivery for delivery of services through the online channel would be included under this category (Reimer & Totz, 2001, p.4). In case of Thorpe Park in particular this would include channel management as well as the approach to be followed. The company must analyse whether it would follow a bricks and click model or a purely mortar based model for its online channel. Promotion This element of promotion and online channels with regards to mass communication lies mainly on the aspect of online marketing communications (Reimer & Totz, 2001, p.4). Thorpe Park can use this to promote its products to the targeted customer segments that can be used to initiate a one to one customer interaction. Apart from social networking sites other areas that can be used for mass customising include issue of newsletters, consultation with regards to after sales management, banners and spots. Another area that can be mass customised by Thorpe Park would be the area of handling customer grievances. Use of online channel to analyse and resolve consumer complaints can go about a long way in ensuring mass customisation of a critical aspect of after sales system as well as generating a good positioning for the firm in the minds of the target customers. Process This element would largely include effective management of the web page that would include ease of navigation, efficient design etc (Reimer & Totz, 2001, p.4). Thorpe Park can include aspects like increased security for web payments through secure payment gateway, ensuring the smooth flow of traffic to its web site, search engine optimisation techniques. Other aspects would include efficient management of back end processes like transport activity management and finally a web design that can make a long term impression on the minds of the visitors who are visiting the web page. This would generate mass customisation as well as improve the brand image of the organization in the minds of the customers Recommendations The analysis of the different dimensions of the online marketing communication channel as well as the web page of Thorpe Park leads to general conclusion that the marketers have paid significant focus towards this channel. In order to successfully reap the benefits of online channel the firm must encompass upon a strategy that would increase its focus upon leveraging the benefits of internet. The firm should try to issue spot banners as well as newsletters so as to reach out to customers in a better manner. The firm should also include certain aspects like online issue and delivery of entry tickets etc that would lead to greater customer satisfaction. Search engine optimization techniques must also be used that would help the firm to improve upon its page rankings in different search engines. Contents that are likely to generate customer attention must be put up on the web pages that would enable more traffic to the web page of the amusement park. Aspects efficient and secure payment gateway must be induced that would help in fostering trust and confidence among the customers. Online loyalty programs must also be initiated that would help the firm to generate greater popularity. The web content must also be periodically revised so as to help make it more attractive among the customers. Finally the firm must also take up steps so as to ensure that no misinformation is spread by the use of the online channel. This assumes significance considering the open nature of the internet as well as its huge reach among the target market segments. Adopting such strategies would not only generate mass customisation but would also ensure sustainable competitive advantage and brand positioning of the organization. References Sullivan, T. (2000). Developers adopt collaboration techniques. 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[Accessed on May 15, 2011]. Abedniya, A. & Mahmouei, S.S. (2010). The Impact of Social Networking Websites to Facilitate the Effectiveness of Viral Marketing. [Pdf]. Available at: http://thesai.org/Downloads/Volume1No6/Paper_21_The_Impact_of_Social_Networking_Websites_to_Facilitate_the_Effectiveness_of_Viral_Marketing.pdf [Accessed on May 14, 2011]. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, Vol. 1, No.6, December 2010. Clow, K.E. & Baack, D. (2011). Cases in Marketing Management. SAGE. Corporate Executive Board. (2008). Leveraging Social Networking Sites in Marketing Communications. [Pdf]. Available at: http://www.blueplanetstudio.com/images/Newsletter/Leveraging-Social-Media-Networking-Sites-in-Marketing-Communications.pdf [Accessed on May 14, 2011]. Reimer, K. & Totz, C. (2001). The many faces of personalization- An integrative economic overview of mass customization and personalization. [Pdf]. Available at: http://www.wi.uni-muenster.de/wi/forschen/veroeff/riemer_totz-personalization.pdf. [Accessed on May 14, 2011]. Read More