Assignment: Case Study: Second Hand Car Mart

You are an e-commerce consultant and have been approached by a local publishing business. They currently publish a magazine called Second Hand Car Mart that offers second hand cars for sale. The cars are advertised by both individuals and companies looking to sell them. The magazine is published monthly and has a selling price of Rs. 200. It currently sells around 3,000 copies per issue.

Due to the economic downturn the sales of new cars have dropped significantly. This has resulted in an increased demand for second hand cars and the publishers are keen to exploit this. They would like to launch an e-business site that advertises second hand cars for sale on the Internet. The intention is that prospective buyers will contact the car sellers and make their own arrangements to evaluate and purchase the cars. The site will not be involved in the actual purchasing process, but will simply act as a marketplace through which buyers and sellers can meet.

The publishers have asked you to assist them in developing the initial plan for the site. They would like you to focus upon a number of critical elements as far as the new e-commerce site is concerned.

As part of the practical, you have been asked to undertake the following activities:

1. Explain various revenue models for selling over the web. Provide a short report that will summarize your thoughts on the most suitable revenue model that should be adopted by the e-commerce site, together with your reasons for making this decision.

2. Develop an outline marketing plan that will help to ensure that the usage of the site is high and generates the required levels of revenue.

3. Identify three potential domain names for the new site.

4. Produce a list of the key security concerns associated with the use of the e-commerce site and the appropriate countermeasures that can be adopted.

5. Explain how websites can provide techniques to protect the user's privacy?