Task 1: Individual Report: Designing and implementing an online business

You are to identify small but growing online retailer company based in the UK with a profit of less than £2 million in 2013. As part of your first project , you have been asked to write a report on the following:

Part A:

How can social media be used as a marketing tool to promote product awareness ? You are required to identify the planning and implementation issues the organisation would need to consider to maximize product awareness

Part B:

What are the promotional strategies that you would consider to ensure the success of the organisation.

Some key aspects to consider are: Will customers benefit from the site? What will they need? How can the business be organised to respond to the demands that arise from an online presence? Does the organisation have the right resources, including staff and skills to implement this?

Background:

When a business wishes to open up a new online selling channel using a website, a major concern is how customers will pay. Many people visit online retail sites but do not make purchases because of issues in process and concerns over security problems and potentially losing money.

People hesitate to give their credit or debit card details because it means typing the numbers into the computer and sending these details over the web. They feel that not only can the number be stolen easily, but also that their identity and their cash will be stolen.

PayPal is an online secure payments service that is available for both private individuals and businesses that wish to buy and sell online. The PayPal website is www.paypal.com.

Presentation task:

• Prepare a 10 minute presentation that details:
• how the Paypal system works
• the benefits for an online retailer in using this kind of service
• Alternative payment services that exist online
• what a business could include on a website that might reassure potential customers about the use of Paypal to safely make payments via your site

To complete the presentation, please ensure you visit the Paypal website as outlined above and conduct your own further research into secure online payments