The Start E-Business for Childrens Clothing - Research Paper Example

?Introduction Starting and running a successful e-business is a process which requires concerted efforts in order achieve the desired goals. There are mainly eight steps that need to be carefully implemented in order to be successful in this business venture. Therefore, this paper seeks to evaluate the major steps involved in starting and running a successful e-business website that specializes in selling baby/kids/children clothes. The paper is divided into eight sections and each section clearly states the elements involved at that stage in starting a business. The paper will also deal with issues related to the questions of how to buy a domain, how to trademark and protect logo. Step 1 Identify the problem that needs to be solved or opportunity that needs to be developed Essentially, any new business venture is mainly aimed at recognizing and creating an opportunity in the market (Nieman, 2003. In this case, the internet has brought about an opportunity that can makes it possible to market any product since it is a widely used channel of communication during the contemporary period given that it can reach a lot of people from different geographical locations. In terms of clothing, it can be seen that there are no large chain stores in different regions that specialize in selling baby/kids/children clothes. These products can be found in large conventional clothing shops that also sell clothes for adults. Therefore, it can be seen that there is a gap which exists in the market in terms of marketing and selling children’s clothes since some of the consumer needs that are not adequately satisfied. In order to solve this problem, it is wise to start an e-business website that specializes in selling children’s clothes. This strategy is likely to be very effective in filling the gap that has been identified in this case. In other words, this business venture is likely to add value in the market if the following factors are carefully taken into consideration. Product identified and clearly defined- an assortment of children’s clothing would be sold online. The new e-business venture will specialize in selling these products to different customers in different areas. All business can be carried through the use of the internet and the products purchased can be delivered to the customers. Reason for product- there is a gap in the market where it can be seen that there are few actors in this sector who specialize in selling products that are specifically meant for children. Children’s clothes are often found in conventional clothing shops and this business is likely to be very convenient to many shoppers since they can get exactly what they would be looking for. STEP 2: Select a general topic area related to the problem or opportunity to research The general topic related to the problem or opportunity identified is concerned about the aspect of how to start a business. In this case, an opportunity has arisen and it can be seen that starting an online business to sell children’s clothes can be the best solution to address this issue. According to the Wall Street Journal (2012), there are different steps that ought to be taken into consideration when starting up a business. Starting a new business venture requires proper preparation and an entrepreneur should first decide if he or she is suitable to run that kind of business. This is very important since starting a business venture is not an overnight event. Entrepreneurship is about identifying opportunities that exist in the market and then measure are put in place in order to utilize the opportunity that exists at that particular moment in the market. The other important element to consider is about how to register a trademark for a company name. This element is very important since it helps to distinguish one company from the other. Whilst there are many companies that specialize in offering different products, they must be distinguished. According to the Wall Street Journal, this process can be done online and the company can also get the legal right to protect its logo. There are different measures that ought to be taken so as to ensure that a unique company is created such that it can be differentiated from the other companies that may also be operating in the same sector. A company’s trademark can also help it to attract customers if it is designed in an attractive manner. This topic is relevant to the identified opportunity above since it entails that the next thing is to start up an online business. As noted, the opportunity in the market is related to marketing children’s clothes since there are very few companies that specialize in this particular business. Therefore, the next step is to consider the aspects that can be taken into consideration in order to start up a business. The success of a business mainly depends with the plans as well of level of preparedness by the entrepreneur to undertake that kind of business venture. Therefore, this topic is closely related to the identified opportunity above. STEP 3: Set specific goals The main goal of this particular project is to establish an online business that will target people intending to buy children’s clothes from any part of the globe. Indeed, the company will procure these goods and keep them in its warehouses and it will also be responsible for distributing these products to the customers. Of notable concern is the fact that all business will be carried out through the internet. Therefore, the major goal of the project is to design a website that can facilitate this kind of business. The company has to buy a domain name so that it can hire designers to develop its own website in order to be in a better position to attract more customers. The target is to reach as many people as possible through the use of the internet. Due Date Since all the ground work has been done, it is anticipated that the task of creating and launching a new website will take approximately 24hours before the company goes live online. This work is anticipated to be commenced on November 20, 2012 at midnight and it is expected to be complete the following day, November 21, 2012 at midnight again. It has been noted that twenty four hours is enough for this task since it involves creating a new website and testing it before it goes live. Once fully operational, this website can be accessed from any part of the globe as long as there is internet access. Cost The cost of the system (including all associated software, storage and backup unit) is estimated to be $4 500. The cost for buying the domain from GoDaddy.com is just $2.95. However, the expert designers to perform this task charge an hourly rate of $150. These people also have knowledge in creating and designing websites that are attractive to many customers. This will help business to grow if it is in a position to attract many customers. Since this project is anticipated to be carried out in 24 hours, we also assume that the total labour cost will be $3 600. So altogether, the costs are expected to be about $8, 102.95 to launch online business that specializes in selling children’s clothes. STEP 4: Identify resources that will help develop the identified product According to Timons (2000), resources required for a project are divided into various categories such as human, financial, physical resources such as infrastructure as well as equipment that can be used in carrying out the project. For this project, there are mainly three different categories of the resources that are required in order to help develop the identified product. These include: human resources, IT infrastructure and financial resources. This project can be executed by executed by six people only. Three members drawn from the company to run the project while the other three are web designers hired to carry out the task of designing the website that is meant for marketing clothes for children. As noted above, the financial resources needed to cover this project amounts to about $8,000. Any project that lacks sufficient financial resources is doomed to fail and this may not be a desirable element when establishing a new business. A new business should start on a high note. This will also help it to create a formidable position in the market if it gets adequate funding. The funding is mainly required for paying the costs likely to be incurred when procuring the system needed to operate and online business. Financial resources may also be required for training the people who will operate and maintain the website so that they gain the much needed knowledge that can help them to diligently serve the customer interests IT infrastructure such as computers, software and telecommunications connection is required for carrying out this project. In order to successfully implement an internet based business, it is imperative to procure components that can be used to enhance connectivity with the new system. The designers should also ensure that their system is connected to the server so as to ensure centralization of data processing in this kind of business. Indeed, the customers need to access the website but security measures should be put in place so as to ensure that data is protected. Special software is required for this project in order to protect the interests of the customers as well as the company. STEP 5: Review sources in writing and generate insights about the product and/or how to create the product The main insight of the company is to develop an e-Business system that would help it to collect marketing data and to provide a more personal customer service to various clients who will use this particular service. This would increase efficiency in gathering data about the clients (Post & Anderson, 2003). The other advantage of this system is that it can handle large volumes of data and process information about any transaction in a fast and efficient way compared to other forms of gathering data about the clients. The other insight of the system is that the online ordering system can facilitate business for 24 hours every day. Customers can carry out their business at any time of the day and they do this in the comfort of their homes. It is anticipated that this system will help to reduce hassles on behalf of the customers in as far as shopping of children’s clothes is concerned. This system is convenient and it is likely to appeal to the interests of as many people as possible since they can get a variety of products. This also helps the company to improve its profitability. The other envisaged insight is related to improved online marketing system. According to Haaget al (2000), an online marketing allows the customers to access information about any product and it improves the company’s ability to gather and process information through the use of specially designed websites. This system also makes it possible for the customers to interact with the marketers of various products. This can significantly stimulate business. This entails that the company is also in a better position to increase its chances of profitability. If the online company has many customers, it can sustain its operations for a long period of time. STEP 6: Develop a concrete action plan to accomplish the set goals The action plan for the development of the e-Business system for this venture is developed through the use of a systems development life cycle (SDLC) which is a step by step process designed to develop systems that are specifically meant to separate tasks between knowledge workers as well as IT specialists (Haag, 2000). Thus, the concrete action plan to accomplish the set goals identified above which involve the establishment of online business through creating a specially designed website mainly depends on the following development package: information gathering and system development, system installation and implementation. Prior to installation of the system, relevant information to the project will be gathered and this will help to develop the system used in the creation of the website. This stage is carried separately from the final implementation stages of the system. The bulk of the information gathered will be related to customer needs and interests. This will also allow the designers to be in a position to carefully design a website that is user friendly since all business will be carried online. After the system has been designed, the next stage in the action plan is related to implementation of that system. This is quite a simple and straight forward activity but it requires special care to be taken as well. This is meant to ensure that the system will work perfectly well so that it does not give complications to the customers. When the system has been installed, it has to be pretested to see if it is functioning properly. This allows the designers of this particular system to make necessary changes before it is rolled out for use. When the designers of the system are satisfied with its performance, they can implement it. STEP 7: Implement the action plan This action plan has to be implemented on the envisaged day when the system is expected to be rolled out. As noted, this project is expected to take approximately 24hours before the company goes live online and the work starts on November 20, 2012 at midnight and it is expected to be complete the following day, November 21, 2012 at 12 PM. Implementation of a project is the last but very important stage in undertaking this initiative since it is anticipated that this business will attract as many customers as possible. When this system is being implemented, the project owners will get feedback from the system developers who are responsible for implementing this program. Expert feedback is very important when this kind of project is being implemented given that it helps all the people involved in the program to have mutual understanding towards the desired objectives. It is also important for the management in the company to make efforts to get feedback from the targeted customers. The input from the customers is very important since it shows their needs. Essentially, the aim of this kind of business is to satisfy the needs of the customers hence their ideas need to be taken into consideration when this program is being carried out. The other important step that has to be taken into consideration when implementing the action plan is related to monitoring. It is very important for the people responsible for carrying out this project to monitor all stages in order to ensure that all steps mentioned in the plan are properly implemented. This also helps the project leaders to ensure that they obtain the desired goals. Monitoring the project is also very important since it helps the responsible people implementing it to make necessary adjustments in the event of certain weaknesses being experienced. STEP 8: Next Step In to continue the professional gain from the action plan, it is imperative to plan in detail the action that has to be taken in order to make sure that the business venture continues to thrive well after it has been implemented. The people responsible for running this online business need to continue carrying out market research since this can help them to constantly improve their business. This comes against the backdrop of the fact that businesses operate in dynamic environment that is characterized by constant changes. In order to keep pace with the changes in the environment, it is imperative to put measures that are designed to help the organisation to quickly adapt to this changing business environment. It is also important for the responsible authorities to provide ongoing support so as to ensure that they maintain the new system in a sound working order. Basically, it can be observed that designing a system for the company is not an end in itself but it should be regarded as a means of achieving higher goals. This can only be achieved through concerted efforts. In order to maintain this new business venture, it is also imperative to offer constant monitoring and support in order to ensure that all the goals of the organization are achieved. This kind of business is specifically meant for customers who are interested in buying clothing for children. Therefore, it is important for the management to put measures in place that are meant to obtain feedback from different people who are interested in this kind of business. This also helps the marketers of clothes for children to keep pace with the real situation obtaining on the ground. This strategy is also meant to create loyalty among the customers. if their needs and interests are taken into consideration, the customers are likely to develop a positive sense of belonging to the company. Over and above, it can be noted that there are eight steps that are involved in staring and running an e-business that specializes in marketing children’s clothes. All these steps need to be carefully taken into consideration since they have a bearing on the success or failure of the envisaged business venture. Once the business has been implemented, it needs to be constantly monitored in order to improve the system. This can also help the company to attract many customers if they are aware that their interests will be fulfilled. References Go Daddy, Website builder. Viewed from: http://www.godaddy.com/hosting/website-builder.aspx?ci=76392 Haag, H. et al (2000), Management Information Systems: For the information age, 2nd Edition, Irwin McGraw Hill The Wall Street Journal (2012). Starting a business. Viewed from: http://guides.wsj.com/small-business/category/starting-a-business/ Nieman, G. (2003). (ED). Entrepreneurship. Pretoria: Van Schaick Publishers. Post, G.V. & Anderson D.L. (2003), Management Information Systems: Solving Business Problems with information technology, 3rd Edition, NY: McGraw Hill. Timons, J.A .(2000). New venture creation: entrepreneurship for the 21st century. 5th edition, Burr Ridge: Irwin. Read More