EBAY Website Analysis - Essay Example

EBAY Website Analysis Introduction The online auction business is one of the cores of e-commerce ventures. The development of the systems allows for buyers to have access to almost an unlimited number of goods and sellers to an unlimited market. Most online auctions are usually based on the English system where price is increased by interested buyers unlike the Dutch system ("Online auction business model", 2007). Online auction are not only interesting in terms of their commercial purpose but also provide interesting insights to people. Cohen (2003) believes that online auctions are a good example of the objectives of globalization and the internet. The most popular website offering online auction services is undoubtedly Ebay. It is not just a pioneer of the market but it can also be considered as a model of e-business. Together with he payment system Paypal, it has revolutionized commerce and has paved the way for other business, particularly retail and trading. However, together with the success that Ebay has been able to achieve is the realization that it needs to stay competitive and anticipate developments. In the last few years, there has been an abundance of other similar services on the internet, some even being sponsored by industry leaders such as MSN and Yahoo!. To be able to accomplish this, Ebay must be able to offer not only quality services but develop new ones based on the needs of its patrons. The purpose of this paper is to study Ebay and the current features and functionality of its auction website to learn its competencies and deficiencies. In doing so, the paper will be able to present ways to improve services or features that can enhance the experience of website users. The features recommended will be assessed considering their requirements for operation and the possible partners that the company can have to provide the services. Businesses Challenges for eBay Businesses on the web it is important that there is a thorough understanding of how buyers are motivated to buy. eBay's competitors such as those Figure 1 all have their specializations. Overstock, based in Cottonwood Heights, Utah that sells surpluses; uBid is a identical service with eBay selling directly by companies and those sold by pre-approved Certified Merchants; Oztion is an Australian version of eBay; and eBid is a online auction that has its own payment service called PPPay which is similar to eBay's PayPal. Consumers will consider status, security, comfort and quality to be the essential requirements of selecting a product or service and their perception of this is influenced by factors such as culture, politics, technology and economy. Buying decisions are motivated on maximizing profitability, reducing costs and enhancing productivity (Johansson, 2001). Business should offer products and services concentrate on marketing programs and materials that offer target markets what they need to be able to achieve their individual objectives. It is important to understand what motivates, perceptions and emotions of your buyers and in the case of eBay this entails providing them services and products they most want and need. eBay can accomplish this by developing materials that build awareness, convenience, and service. Goals of Ebay Ebay, Inc., owner of the eBay online auction website Marketplace and services states that their goal is "to pioneer new communities around the world built on commerce, sustained by trust, and inspired by opportunity". The company's eBay Marketplace serves to fulfill this objective by providing the a marketplace for the all internet users. Furthermore, they say that the eBay Marketplace "exists as an online trading platform that enables a global community of buyers and sellers to interact and trade" where the company has the objective to "create, maintain, and expand the functionality, safety, ease-of-use, and reliability of our trading platform while, at the same time, supporting the growth and success of our community of users". Content The company's development of the website concentrates of its role as a trading platform, as a community for users, in developing a competitive format, developing support market services and providing customer service. The website contents are developed by the company itself and the infrastructure is connected with payment and logistic services either with the site's sister company, Paypal or other credit financial services and support for the computation of payments, transfers and shipping. Platform The company wants to maintain a platform that is fully automated, responsive to customer needs, user-friendly and available 24/7. At the same time the site provides software tools such as Turbo Lister, Seller's Assistant, Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro, Picture Services, Shipping Calculator, Shipping Labels for U.S. Postal Service postage and UPS services and Shipment Tracking (eBay, 2004). The company is also providing site independent services in the form of the eBay toolbar which is supposed to help users to tune in to eBay services such as alerts without being actually on the site. In addition , the platform of the site also provided database functions such as eBay Sales Reports and eBay Sales Reports Plus. The site is also has a direct interface with PayPal for exchange of funds. Community To maintain its network of users, the company would like to maintain the highest conversion rate possible. One of the primary concerns is to maintain the security of the interface while providing the greatest options in terms of products and services for users. The company wants to provide maximum information and interaction for users through announcements, bulletin boards, and customer support boards, personal web pages for users or members based on topics. Alerts are designed to keep inactive users in the updated with eBay. The application of standardized policies serves as primary guidelines for users and mimics a real marketplace. At the same time, there is an objective to access broader markets while maintaining the same trade conditions for businesses and customers alike. The community should build on a value proposition emphasizing the strategic market competencies provided by the site regardless of the size of customers and buyers. Format The company is trying to expand the site's format to accommodate the interaction of users. The company wants to maintain the standard format of the site since the beginning to afford its most loyal customer the same touch and fell of the eBay site. But at the same time, the company has made considerable efforts to make the site support client needs. The Buy Now function of site is an example of this response after sellers' posts reflected their desire for such a function to facilitate sales when they felt that they had already achieved a good price for items. The company also is now providing an alternative bidding format utilizing the Dutch auction systems to enhance multiple sale of items. In 2004, the company launched mobile eBay services in Germany, the Netherlands. Investment options are also now structures in classiNeed facilitating trading and sales. One of the most recent features in their format is Rent.com which is an expansion to online housing and apartment rentals. Marketplace Services The company provides marketplace services to enhance selling activities. These include trust and safety programs which include feedback forums, SafeHarbor programs and eBay Standard Purchase Protection Programs. These services are user independent and are considered as site services. The services are accessible by all users and can serve as basis for credentials for sellers and buyers. The feedback forums provide information on the experience of deling with specific users. The site tries to controls content and discourages users of the services form inappropriate behavior but at the same time encourages complete disclosure regarding transactions. The SafeHarbor feature provides the site guidelines for trading, information for resolution of disputes and coordinates action for reported misuse of eBay services. The eBay Standard Purchase Protection Programs provide support when disputes can not be settled between sellers and buyers. Part of the service is in the coordination with PayPal for a Buyer Protection Program that extends protection for purchases up to $1,000. Customer Support The site provides "pre-trade'' and "post-trade'' services for the user experience. The services include support for he listing of items that include photo hosting, authentication services and productivity software. For post-trade, the site support for insurance, processing, escrow, shipping vehicle inspections and postage. To create an environment that supports the idea of actual market, the company also provides support for users in creating their own websites via the site. The service allows users to build online stores and to connect the personal websites to all other services and functions of the site. As an additional service, the company also provide "About Me" website that provides users a venue to upload personal information, interests and profiles. Site Assessment The site is very functional and it is easy to learn to navigate around it. The mentioned content provides both function and support for users to maximize the use of the site. The use of pictures to highlight items for items about to end their auction attracts last minute bidders effectively. The site is also effective in highlighting its other services. Services are grouped together according to their functions and they are arranged according to the estimated needs of users. Categories of items are featured in a list but the feature also offers most items in category on the right hand site of the site that is supported by pictures of the popular items. Though all functions are listed, users need to sign in into their accounts for most of them to function. Users do not have to scroll down the page to see all of it. The site uses Arial fonts and uses font styling to imply hierarchy of sections. The also is a high use of color, primarily using the logo colors of the company, on the site. This is to motivate buyers to purchase as much as it is for aesthetic reasons. The site is supported in all popular web browsers and has made an effort to support open source technologies. Suggestions The suggestions for the website involve suggestions to increase its functionality and ability to cater to a global market. The development of the suggestions is based on the consideration of the influences on buying behavior as illustrated in Figure 2. The suggestions were developed considering the manner by which online auction services are expected to develop in the future. The suggestions should be able to provide the company greater sensitivity for the developing needs of the users. The development of the suggestions is based on the consideration of the influences on buying behavior as illustrated in Figure 2. Accessibility As more computer are being designed to cater to persons with disabilities, the site can offer accessibility options parallel to those provided by standard operating systems of computers. The accessibility options should be placed on the home site of eBay and should be supported in all other user pages. On Appendix A, the suggested location for the service is illustrated. However, the provision of the services entails a significant development of the interface since the contents of the website are not limited and depend on independent users unlike in an OS where features and contents are relatively more controlled. The accessibility options may be developed first by just one service. The probable easiest service to develop would be in providing magnification options of the content. The company can utilize Java technologies for the said feature to afford its universal application on all browsers and OS. Since Java is already one of the partners of the company, Disclaimers may be needed to cover concerns regarding the security of information as well as that the limitation of the information accessed using accessibility options. Language Considering the recent surge in non-English speaking internet users, the site can provide language options for the site. Though localized sites are available, some users my still encounter difficulties particularly if their first language is not written in Roman scripts. The language options can be further enhanced if they were also enhanced by accessibility options. These options should also be placed on the home site of the service. The service will need the coordination with interpretation services. The site will also have to develop features that will serve as verification of the correct translation of headings. The service can be started by eliciting the help of existing users to create a database for the interpretation of the site's contents. The participation of existing users is essential for the service to provide the services in the context of users. At the same time, visual support for the languages has to be developed at the same time. The language features should not require the installation of language support features aside form those provided by users' browser services. For the purpose of the development, eBay may have to consult with browser service language support programs. In the event that these supports are not enough, the company would also have to provide the language support necessary for the language options. Personalization Options To cater to customers individual preferences, the site can also provide options for personalizing their user pages by choosing themes or colors. These features can be coordinated with the company's promotional campaigns or with the campaign of other companies such as for film, books, celebrities or popular culture. The effort can provide the company with greater information about users and deeper insights into trends and preferences. At the same time, this option can be developed as new profit generating feature by providing promotional and advertising avenues. The color schemes may be hosted by eBay however the themes may be better supported by third parties. The development of the features will rely significantly on creative services. The options should be accessible on the main personal page of users. The selection of themes and color schemes will have to be supported either through a third party site so as not to affect the functionality of the site (see Appendix B for the placement of the feature). eBay can also accept suggestion on what themes an color schemes are to be featured Ebay can develop partnerships with advertising and promotion companies as well a directly with media companies are artists' publicists. Media companies and celebrities can be asked to pay to be featured by the site but at the same time can be invited by eBay to be features if users request for them. The themes and schemes should be hosted by the parties being featured and eBay will provide access to it on users' personal pages. References Cohen, Adam (2003). The Perfect Store. Boston : Back Bay Books Ebay (2004). Ebay Annual Report 2004. [Online]. San Jose, CA: eBay. Available from http://investor.ebay.com/common/download/download.cfmcompanyid=ebay&fileid=43789&filekey=B58F024C-11A6-409D-8194-449514084E3C&filename=AnnualReport2004.pdf [Accessed on March 7, 2007] Johansson, Johny K. (2001). Global Marketing: Foreign Entry, Local Marketing and Global Marketing, International edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education Nissanoff, Daniel (2006). FutureShop: How the New Auction Culture Will Revolutionize the Way We Buy, Sell and Get the Things We Really Want. The Penguin Press Online auction business model. [Online]. Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_auction_business_model [Accessed on March 7, 2007] Appendix A Appendix B Read More