The level of integration within each of these competitors is readily apparent in their approach to developing e-commerce applications.
Proposal for Web Presence
The following is a proposal for a Web presence which will give PZE Puzzles competitive parity with each of the competitors profiled in this analysis in the short-term and provides the necessary foundation for surpassing these competitors in the long-term. Inherent in this proposal is the need for create a tight integration at the process and system level with catalog management, content management, order capture, order management and pricing systems, in addition to interprocess communication and collaboration across sales, service, and production departments as well. As a result of the high need for interprocess communication and collaboration, an Internet-based platform such as Microsoft SharePoint is highly recommended. By integrating all applications within the SharePoint platform PZE Puzzles will be able to rapidly scale across their many channels and also exceed Accolade Publishing's leadership in distributed order management processes.
Server Estimates
It is recommended that PZE Puzzles purchase a Dell PowerEdge T605 Tower Server in its minimum configuration at a price of £650. This server is based on the AMD Opteron processers and has the ability to be scaled up from single 2-core to 4-core functionality. Also included in this server are open management applications for managing the entire network of applications and also give PZE Puzzles the flexibility of managing their servers from remote locations.
Server software needs to include Microsoft Windows XP Server at a cost of £1,200 and SharePoint Server, for £400, specifically for supporting the collaborative workflows critical for the success of this e-commerce strategy.
Internet Connections
Given the critical need for a T1 line, it is advisable for PZE Puzzles to budget an estimated £950 per month for this service. The inbound speeds of a T1 line are critical for supporting the depth and navigational aspects of the e-commerce website on the Dell PowerEdge T605 Tower Server. A Cisco router Model 8201 will be used for multiplexing the inbound T1 line to the Dell PowerEdge T605 Tower Server and on to wireless access points to support WiFi access throughout the company as well.
Database Technologies
The use of Microsoft SQL Server is highly recommended in this configuration as it has the necessary support from an XML and Active Service Pages (ASP) programming standpoint to support a more dynamic development environment, which will allow for greater levels of customization to the website later on.
Microsoft SQL Server for a single license, according to the Microsoft UK website, is £1,100.
Personnel Requirements
In the initial stages of this project there will not be enough work to be done to have a dedicated staff member manage it full-time. It is recommended that a member of the it staff be assigned to the project of keeping the e-commerce applications running efficiently until there is the need to have someone dedicated full-time.
There is also the need for custom application development and the internal development of integration points throughout the company was well. The following is an estimate of the application development and professional services necessary to create these applications and integrate them into the existing internal systems and processes within PZE Puzzles.
Cost Components
Pricing
Application Development
Professional Services
Total Costs
Applications (%)
Marketing and Promotion Strategy for Proposed PZE Puzzles Website
It is critical for PZE Puzzles to aggressively pursue promotional strategies online, concentrating on building excitement and enthusiasm for their new website and its products online. It is recommended that a thorough Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program be put into place to maximize the company's rankings within Google organic search results, and also create a series of AdWords-based advertisements to drive traffic to the site through paid search. These strategies can be completed using keywords analysis and keywords placement in the new site. Second, the company is strongly advised to consider all aspects of social media, specifically social networking applications. These applications are based on Web 2.0-based applications which are discussed in Appendix I: Web 2.0 Applications. The use of Friendfeed, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace for example could aid significantly in driving up the use of the website for ordering. As part of this social networking strategy the company must also concentrate on creating blogs and consumer-generated content to further drive up visits to their website as well. Third, the company must create a unified and coordinated Link Exchange strategy by prioritizing which specific partners to share links with first, and second, setting up analytics applications to track these links over time. This is critical from the standpoint of evaluating how link sharing is contributing to overall traffic growth. Fourth, the coordinating of content and links with Web portals focused on games and puzzles including Suduko are essential for the company to gain visibility...
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