Saudi Electronic University
College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
ECOM101 – E-commerce
Assignment 3
E-commerce Project
2020/2021_Summer Semester
Submission:
End of week 7, Saturday 31st of July 2021 15 Marks
Requirement:
In this project, you are required to evaluate one of the websites below based on what you learn
from this course and your perspective. The evaluation will cover the different aspects of ECommerce such as business idea, website design, marketing, security … etc.
You will need to analyze the business and provide suggestions to improve the current business
situation.
Current e-commerce businesses:
1. www.etarstore.com/
The following questions require critical thinking to be answered successfully. The answers to
these questions will drive the ways of improvement of the current e-commerce business.
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1. Know the business 3.5 marks
What is the business? (your choice)
What is the idea? (the visioning process)
• Introduce the e-commerce business you have chosen.
o Provide an overview of the business idea
• Product and type of services.
o What are the different types of products? Explain
o What kinds of services does the online store provide? [ customer service,
exchange and return, delivery, and payment options] Explain
• Business statement.
• Business vision.
• Business objective.
Where is the money?
o What is the company’s business model?
o What is the revenue model? Give a general idea of how the business generates
revenues
Who and where is the target audience? Explain demographics, lifestyle, consumption
patterns, etc.
Characterize the marketplace.
o Size, growth, demographics, structure, competition
o Research the market and give an idea about each point
Describe the content of the business website
Conduct a SWOT analysis for the business (Explain each point)
o At least three points for each
Develop an e-commerce presence map.
o (For example: website, email … etc.)
o What activities does the company use these platforms for? (E.g. marketing, customer
service, news…etc.)
2. Explain the design of the system 1.5 marks
➢ Explain in detail the design of the system (business objectives, system functionality,
information provided)
Business Objective
System Functionality
Information provided
Ex: Display goods
Digital Catalog
Dynamic text and graphics catalog
•
What can be improved or added into the system design?
3. Explain the current business e-commerce features 1 mark
➢ What are the current website features?
➢ What types of these features can be annoying to customers? Provide pictures.
• What can you do to improve the current features on the website?
4. Explain the business e-commerce process 1 marks
➢ Explain in detail all the steps from the time user enters the website until the final user buys a
product.
• What can be improved in the process?
5. Site Design 1.5 marks
➢ Evaluate the website design focusing on the eight most important factors in successful ecommerce site design (ease of use, ease of purchase, simple graphics … etc.). You are
required to evaluate each factor.
o What can be improved in the site design to be one of the most successful e-commerce
websites?
6. Business software 1 marks
The development of an e-commerce website requires more interactive functionalities, such as the
ability to respond to user input (name and address forms), capturing customer orders for goods
and services, clearing credit card transactions on the fly, consolidating price and product
databases, and even adjusting advertising on the screen based on user characteristics.
➢ Explain the different types of software used on the website to perform the current
functionalities.
• What can be done to improve the software?
7. Payment and Security 1.5 marks
➢ What are the methods of payment available in the online store?
o What other methods can be added? Explain why?
➢ What are the technologies used on the website to secure the online transactions?
o What other technologies can be added? Explain why?
➢ What is the current privacy policy of the online store? Outline how the information is
collected and used?
o What can be added to the privacy policy? Explain why?
8. Categorize marketing and advertising strategy and method. 1 mark
➢ Explain the current online, offline, and social media marketing strategies of the e-commerce
business?
• What can be done to improve the marketing aspects of the business?
9. Know your competitors. 2 marks
➢ Choose a website of one competitor in the same industry (locally or globally) and compare it
with your chosen company’s site. Indicate why the competitor’s website is better or worse
than the chosen company’s website. Provide screenshots with explanation.
o What can be done by learning from your competitor’s experience?
10. Conclude your report. 1 mark
Summarize the above points and include your recommendation to improve the e-commerce
business.
Guidelines for the assignment:
✓ The answer sheet must include the following:
o Cover page
o Questions
o Answers
✓ Make sure to include the cover page with all information required. One mark will be
deducted if there is no cover page
✓ This is a group project (4-5 students), which is part of your course score. It requires
effort, research, and critical thinking.
✓ You are required to choose one current business from the list.
✓ Each website can be chosen by one group only.
✓ Use font Times New Roman, 12 font size
✓ Use 1.5 line spacing with adjust to all paragraphs (alignment).
✓ Use the footer function to insert page number.
✓ Ensure that you follow the APA style in your project and references.
✓ The minimum number of required references is 5 references using APA style.
✓ Your whole project report length should be between 2200 to 2800 words.
✓ You must check the spelling and grammar mistakes before submitting the assignment.
✓ Up to 20% of the total grade will be deducted for providing a poor structure of
assignment. Structure includes these elements paper style, free of spelling and grammar
mistakes, referencing and word count.
✓ Your file should be saved as Word Doc. [Example]: Your name_CRN_ECOM101_
Project Assignment
Saudi Electronic University
College of Administrative and Financial Sciences
E-commerce Department
Student Name:
Student ID: BLUE 72
Course Title: E-commerce
Course Code: ECOM101
Academic Year/ Semester:
CRN:
Instructor Name:
Student Grade:
Grade Level:
analyze the business and
provide suggestions
improve
the
to
current
business situation.
Current
e-commerce
businesses:
www.karazlinen.com/
E-commerce
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➢ Introduction:
As known, and with the rapid development of technology; E-commerce is considering one of the
most influencer in people’s lifestyle. They started to buy everything standard and accessories from
online store. They believe in the power of e-commerce. Therefore, this project is going to describe
the main perspective of e-commerce and the power of online store focusing on Karaz.com as one
of the nice and interesting online stores. This paper will be able to describe the business objectives,
goals, and vision and shed the light on the marketplace as one of the most important characteristics
to help to improve the business size, growth, and structure. In addition, the online store will be
illustrated using the SWOT analysis to understand the business and fill in the gaps. After that, we
will develop an online business presence map that will represent the activities of the store. The
design of the online store will be able to state the system functionality, and features. All these
elements and much more will be discussed under the light of e-commerce and Karazlnn.com as an
online store.
➢ About the business:
Karazlnn.com is an online platform store which allow people to find the best bedding materials
with high quality. They are very selective regarding them.
products and they are working very hard to gain customer satisfaction. In fact, the online store is
interesting to serve all customer within the country (Saudi Arabia) and will always try hard to
deliver the order within the time.
The idea of the business is coming from looking for something very comfortable in order to sleep
and get rest. Providing good quality and nice products are Karaz.com experts’ perspective.
Meanwhile, this paper is going to examine the online store under many factors.
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➢ The idea of the business:
Providing high quality bedding is the main idea of the business. As sleeping is one of the essential
parts in people’s life; finding the best bedding must be one of their concern. Karazlinen.com is one
of the optimal choices of online store that may help people in order to find their inspiration.
-Product and type of services:
Karazlinen.com is an online store that main goal is to provide the best high-quality bedding for the
customers. In fact, there are many products that the online store is aiming to provide. Here are
some of them:
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Bath and bedding.
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Pillows.
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International brands.
Regarding their services, they are the following:
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Free shipment to all cities.
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Pay using Mada, Visa or Mastercard.
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Quick delivery.
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Offers
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24/7 customers’ services.
➢ Business statement:
The essential goal of the business is to provide comfortable bedding and provide a perfect service
that will help people to increase their loyalty to the online store. Their aim to help people to
improve their lifestyle by providing cozy and comfortable bedding which help them to start their
day correctly.
➢ Business vision:
Serving all segments of society and achieving consumer satisfaction by developing a long-term
strategy and “High quality- comfortable bedding only!”
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➢ Business objectives:
Karazlinen.com is an online store which aim to serve people in Saudi Arabia by providing the best
quality bedding and different kind of comfortable and luxury.
brand and products. The establishing of the online store has many objectives that need to be
fulfilling in order to meet the customers’ and the owner expectation.
Therefore, here is some of the business objectives:
1- The interfaces of the online store are simple, unique, and interesting. It helps the client to
explore the store as visitors. Therefore, the online store must be flexible enough to present
the goods and products and encourage the user to register and check out.
2- Allow the visitors to add on the carts and then kindly asked them to register if they want to
check out.
3- Provide understandable categories that allow the client to filter the products accordingly.
4- Provide a secure platform that help the customer’s to safely add their payment method.
5- Using social media accounts in order directly interact with the customers and understand
their expectation and provide the latest offer.
6- Allow the customer to contact with the system in case of any problem.
7- The client must be able to access to the online store authorized area only.
8- Provide high quality products with quick delivering to the customer.
➢ Where is the money? What is the company’s business model?
Business Model definition is a detailed scheme for the company of how to earn money,
which is through its products, customers, product, and service provided by the company,
(Kriss, 2021) how to market its products or services, and the type of expenses faced by it.
It is necessary to know how the company will earn money after knowing the expenses,
costs, and profits. The company combines direct selling, retail via the Internet, and
traditional stores.
Business Model of Karaz Linen is divided into.
1-The suggested value or offer offered.
Karaz Line n offer value Ease of obtaining the product for the spread and availability of
distribution channels and the spread of its branches throughout the Kingdom.
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2-Who are the customer segmentation?
The company provides its services to several different segments of society at the local
and regional level (men, women, adults, children, hotels, companies, private sectors).
Where the company directs its activities in the entire market in the field of providing
products bedding materials with high quality. It also meets the needs of several different
segments of customers by diversifying its products and services, and this is one of the
most important business models, as the company is interested in after-sales service.
By making questionnaires to find out customer satisfaction and providing maintenance
for its products after sales. Relationship with clients through personal relationship and
personal communication or via means of communication with each customer (customer
service). Self-service is also provided by providing immediate conversations to
communicate with customers, solve problems and respond to inquiries.
Have Karaz Linen used social networks as a business model?
Yes, you used it and did not ignore it, so it can never be dispensed with for the speed of
communication with customers. As she has accounts on all social networking sites,
whether on Instagram and Facebook, Snapchat, and others.
The last business model is revenue stream.
The main source for a company is by selling products and providing services for a set
price, in addition to ads on its web page, which is considered an additional income for it.
➢ What is the Revenue model?
Defining it is a process in which you define a business planning strategy for the goal of making
money (profit) while establishing future income projections by defining the company's financial
schedule in the short and long term.
Revenue sources (revenue models and types)
Firstly, the ads raise the percentage of the company's revenue by displaying it on the website or
the store directly when other companies display their ads at (Karaz Linen) as these ads contribute
to an increase in income and the flow of revenue.
Licensing the intellectual property of other companies for use by the company (KarazLinen)
Secondly
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and making use of it to reap profits for the company.
Third, the brand is one of the types of revenue models and contributes to the profit by imposing a
percentage of the original value to reap the profit that the company wants to achieve, and this is its
achievement (KarazLinen) as the brand had a significant impact on its good revenues by covering
expenses and paying employees' wages.
There are also variants of revenue modeling by paying the user per user and only for the content
they use.
Every time the customer uses the service, the company earns money and thus generates high
revenues for it.
Type of Revenue Model
Advertising
Model
Ecommerc
e Model
Production
Model
Commission
Model
Free for
service
Licensing
Model
Rental
Model
Markup
Model
Transaction
Enabler
Data Sales
Model
Marketplace
Model
Auctions
Model
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Figure of Type of Revenue Model
➢ How can make revenue model for Karzlinen.com?
Karazlinen.com is an online store which strongly need the subscriber and their subscription to
improve the business. Therefore, the customer must be able to provide valid email in order to
deliver the best offers. The online store in addition is dependent on the sale revenue model were
The customers can find their products quickly regardless the sales traffic. Moreover, advertising
revenue model is their method in order to gain more money from their online store.
It is important to the success of the business and its direct impact on it, evident through profit
growth, as it has a link with marketing.
So, in any way if the company is applied Revenue Model, it will achieve high profitability.
Therefore, we will make hypotheticals income statement and show the state of KarazLinen
company through the statement of profits and expenses and is it achieving high profits or achieving
a loss?
➢ Target audience:
Karazlinen.com has various kind of target audiences. They are from different age, gender, level,
and kind of living. Almost everyone who need a comfortable and good sleeping will be the target
audience. Moreover, the people who want to furnish their new home, the old man who need special
care, the newly marriage people, the children, teens, men, and women. So, all of us need to own a
good bedding. Therefore, regarding the price of the products, it will be able to afford the products
to the middle people and to the rich one. Therefore, it is good for everyone.
➢ The marketplace:
The owner of the business must be able understand all the requirements, capacities, competitors,
customers’ expectation, understand the SWOT analysis and build the business accordingly.
Therefore, the owner of the online store must be able to study and analyze the marketplace in order
to come up with the final result. Therefore, he must be able to ask himself the following questions:
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1- Why should I build this business?
2- Do they need my products?
3- When should I start?
4- Who are my target audience?
After analyzing all these aspects, the owner of the business decides whether to build the online
store or not. Regarding KARAZLINEN.com; the marketplace is absolutely needing this store since
it provides high quality products. Therefore, the owner must be able to find the target audience
quickly and gain their loyalty.
In my view, the company does not have a market share relative to its competitors in a market that
depends on full competition, whether in products and multiple competitors such as Center Point,
Home Center and others.
➢ The content of the website:
The content of the website is gathering between the dynamic and statics form. In fact, there are
images, description boxes, videos, details about the products and different items. In the other hand,
there is also social media accounts that help the customers to interact with the business. These
social media accounts will also help to find their new products and buy from the online store.
➢ SWOT analysis:
Strength
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Weakness
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Providing high and good quality
The online store tends to buy products that
products with different brands that
people will not change it frequently like
allow the customer to select their best
clothes or have to buy it again and again
choice.
like food. Instead, they are providing
Providing the customers’ expectation
products that most of the customer will buy
regarding
twice a year. This will affect the sales.
the
quality,
and
the
-
delivery time of the products.
The cost of some products are they are
international brand are so high. Therefore,
this will affect the sales.
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-
-
Provide secure transaction method to
help the customer to provide their
The online store is serving the customers
from KSA only.
payment methods.
Opportunity
-
Threats
-
Expand the business to reach the gulf
and international.
-
authorized area.
-
Insisting on providing the highquality products will help to improve
The online store is strongly depended in the
number of suppliers.
-
the business.
-
The strangers may try to access to un-
The
natural
emergency
environment
Focusing on customers’ services and
“Pandemic for example” could end the
change the language of the online
business
store.
➢ E-commerce presence map:
Type of presence:
-
-
Platform
Activities:
Website on online
-
PCs.
-
view.
store. Using
-
Mobile.
-
Select.
Sahabah.store.com
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Tablet
-
Add to the cart.
Application.
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iPad.
-
Edit the cart.
-
Deliver.
-
Feedback
-
Track
2- Explain the design of the system?
➢ The design of the system:
Business Objective
System Functionality
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Information provided
The interfaces of the online
Smart choice of colors, simple
Dynamic text and graphics
store are simple, unique, and
understandable categories.
catalog
add on the carts
Digital cart available
Simple access to the carts
secure platform
Method
interesting.
social media accounts
of
encryption
and
Visa – Mastercard secure
decryption
payment
Connection with social media
Icons to easily access to the
social media accounts
high quality products
Interaction with reliable supplier
Good brand with guarantee
Fast delivery
Interaction with more than one
Deliver the order quickly to the
contracts
customers.
➢ Suggestions to improve the system:
-
Provide language options.
-
Provide different methods for payments.
-
Allow the customers to cancel their order within 24 hours.
3-Explain current website features?
➢ Current business E-commerce features:
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The online store is providing clear and understandable interfaces that allow the customers
to choose their targets.
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The categories are represented according to their importance.
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The offers are clearly represented.
➢ Suggestions to improve the website features:
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Add language option.
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Add wishing list.
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Add more picture to describe the products.
4-Explant the business e-commerce process?
➢ E-commerce process:
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Write the name of the online store in Google (Arabic or English)
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Explore the online store.
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Filter your options.
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Add to the cart.
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Sign in or register if you don’t have an account.
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Provide your payment method.
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Choose whether you want the web to memorize it for the next time or not.
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Check out.
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Finally buy the products.
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What Suggestions to improve the process?
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Provide track your order options.
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Activate customer service, pay attention to complaints, solve problems, and follow up
with customers by contacting them.
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Contact with the customers to deliver the product faster.
5- How can evaluate the website design?
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➢ Site design:
➢ Suggestions to improve the site design:
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Hire more “IT” to deal with customer’s services.
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Provide methods to track the order.
-
Build a good database of customer to send future offers.
-It must support multiple browsers in addition to providing cookies to protect customer
information.
So how can evaluate sit design of Karaz Linen Company?
The website design is very excellent, simple, and easy to use for the customer, and psychologically
comfortable to provide high-resolution images that are acceptable to customers.
6-Business software:
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As shown, the online store is providing a lot of icons that catch the eyes from the first sights. There
are icons that help to understand “how can I order?” another one for searching engine, carts,
payment methods and social media accounts.
➢ What the Suggestions to improve the software?
-
Add posters, promotions, and banners to grasp customer’s attention.
-
Add some colors to the important things.
➢ Payment and security:
These are the payment methods
➢ The other method that can be added:
-
STC pay.
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Payment when delivered.
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PayPal.
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➢ Technologies to secure the online store transactions:
-
Customer has the option to save the card numbers or not.
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Send verification code before the check out.
➢ Other technologies:
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Focus on encryption and decryption transaction method.
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Do not accept the cookies.
➢ Privacy policy:
- The privacy policy on the Karaz Linen website is characterized by the confidentiality of
the
information that the customer records and is used to better meet the customer’s needs and serve
him. It is not sold to a third party for the purpose of marketing and advertising without the
customer’s prior consent.
-Personal information such as registration and entry information and credit data are protected
through the so-called (SSl)
- Cookies are used to enable customers to be identified, to complete shopping tasks and to save
their data
-
In case the customer did not receive the order, the money is returned.
-
In case there are mistakes in orders or damages, the customers may take his money back
-
It takes 7- 14 working days to return their money.
-
Exchange the damage product with new one within 24 hours.
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Exchange the order if they don’t open it yet.
-
Bath products are not included.
➢ Suggestions to improve the privacy:
-
Recheck the order with the customers in order to make sure of their needs.
-
Make sure to interact with good delivery company to deliver the product safe.
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➢ Marketing and ads strategies and method:
These are the social media accounts of the online store. It helps to improve the sales by providing
the latest offers in their page and interact with customer and inspire them to find their product.
This figure shows an example of social media accounts: Instagram.
➢ Suggestions to improve the market aspects:
-
Regularly provides posts and offers to the customers in the social media
-
Hire an expert to deal with social media and interact with the customers.
So, to evaluate the site from our point of view through what we learned during our study is that
the site contains all the elements of marketing and achieves its goal for the customer.
It displays the company's products easily targeting large segments of society in addition to its use
of social media to reach its marketing goals and thus reach the target customers and meet their
various needs and try to attract them through presenting offers and competitions and obtaining
valuable prizes.
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-Know the competitors:
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➢ What can we learn from the competitor?
-
They are strong competitors.
-
They are providing good products with affordable price.
-
Their interfaces are reliable.
-
They are providing offers.
-
They deal with the customers seriously.
The Karaz Linn company has many competitors at the local or global level, for example, Home
Center is a strong competitor to it at the local level, as Home Center is considered the best in the
field of selling products for the home and sleeping accessories due to the multiplicity of its products
and its location in the market and the purchasing share is greater for customers at Karaz Linen The
presence of Home Center in the market before it has a role in gaining a large customer base, which
makes it stronger than Karaz Linen ، but that does not make it less competitive with other
competitors because it has proven its presence in the market and perseveres until it continues and
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there is an opportunity to learn from competitors and avoid mistakes and develop its position better
by avoiding disadvantages and trying to devise methods of presentation The site attracts a large
customer base and tries to benefit from the ads by subscribing to ads on other sites so that the site
achieves a wide spread.
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➢ Conclusion:
E-commerce is considering one of the most influencer in people’s lifestyle. They started to buy
everything standard and accessories from online store. They believe in the power of e-commerce.
Therefore, this project is going to describe the main perspective of e-commerce and the power of
online store focusing on Karaz.com as one of the nice and interesting online stores. Karazlnn.com
is an online platform store which allows people to find the best bedding materials with high quality.
They are very selective regarding their products and they are working very hard in order to gain
customer satisfaction. In fact, the online store is interesting to serve all customers within the
country (Saudi Arabia) and will always try hard to deliver the order within the time.
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Among the recommendations that help in improving the site and its services is that the site is well
marketed through billboards on the streets, but in an innovative way, such as displaying products
in an attractive way to customers using one of its products and making live events and competitions
whose prize is its lowest-selling products in order to attract customers and achieve high rates
Profits and it understands people's tastes, so that it can provide high-quality products that achieve
customer satisfaction.
References:
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Linen.(2021).Retrieved10April2021,from
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QcNQIe8ZAEBloKes-5XOEdRxihO7hivPvhrVpjobPTL5VHBTD3l1jcaAkorEALw_wcB
*About Midori Nediger Midori spreads visual communication tricks and tips as an
InformationDesigner at Venngage. She’s particularly interested in helping people
communicate complex information. Connect with her on LinkedIn and on Twitter
@MNediger., & Nediger, A. (2020, September 25). 20+ SWOT Analysis Templates,
Examples & Best Practices. Retrieved March, 2, 2021 from https://venngage.com/blog/swotanalysis-templates/
*Demographic Marketplace - Consumer Demographic Data. (2020, March 18). Retrieved March,
2, 2021 from https://infutor.com/marketplaces/consumer-demographics/
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*The Mind Tools Content Team by the Mind Tools Content Team, Team, T., Wrote, B., & Wrote,
M. (n.d.). SWOT analysis: – how to develop a strategy for success. Retrieved March 08,
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*Zahorsky, D. (2019). 10 straightforward ways to improve your small business. Retrieved March
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*What Is Revenue Modeling? Types of Revenue Models and How to Use Them. (2021).
Retrieved 21 March 2021, from https://edwardlowe.org/
* What Is Revenue Modeling? Types of Revenue Models and How to Use Them. (2021). Retrieved
21 March 2021, from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/revenuemodeling
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* Kriss, R. (2021). What Is a Business Model? | The Different Types of Business Models
Explained. Retrieved 9 April 2021, from https://www.justbusiness.com/operations/what-isa-business-model
* AG, S. (2021). Business Models: Toolkit to Design a Disruptive Company. Retrieved 9 April
2021, from https://www.strategyzer.com/expertise/business-models
*center, H. (2021). online Home center. Retrieved 10 April 2021, from
https://www.homecentre.com/sa/en/?branchify_url=https%3A%2F%2Fhomecentre.app.link%2F
hJaPFGyaqW%3F%25243p%3Da_google_adwords%26%2524always_deeplink%3Dfalse%26gc
lid%3DCj0KCQjwmcWDBhCOARIsALgJ2QcyHn4_AiJaNwfNMBpnhzsJBlKIlO04NLFLtYfR
qHMv8qR66EmYFr8aArvEALw_wcB%26lpurl%3D%7Blpurl%7D%26~ad_set_id%3D%7Badgroupid%7D%26~campai
gn_id%3D%7Bcampaignid%7D%26~channel%3D%7Bnetwork%7D%26~keyword%3D%7Bke
yword%7D%26~placement%3D%7Bplacement%7D&
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