E-Commerce Part 1

Part A – Ecommerce purchase

Assume that you are considering an online purchase.  Decide on ONE item that you would be willing to purchase online.  For this item, investigate two websites that you can buy the same product from.   Using the customer information on the sites, answer the following questions for each site:

1. Identify what type of ecommerce business are you using? B2C or C2C etc.

I am using (C2B) consumer to business websites.

2. What platform or marketplace are you using?

Both sites I am using are Ecommerce Marketplace sites.

3. What item are you buying? What are the two sites you are buying from and what is the price on each site? Provide screenshots.

The product I am looking at for this exercise is the Fender Player Stratocaster HSS with a Maple Fingerboard. It’s an electric guitar. The two sites I am using are https://www.guitarcenter.com/, Guitar Center, and https://www.musiciansfriend.com/, Musicians Friend. Each site has it listed for the same price, $829.99. Both sites offer 10% off if you create an account with them. This would bring the price to $746.99.

4. What do you do if you have to return or exchange the item? What is the return or exchange policy? Is there a time limit? How do you do this? Are there any fees/charges that the customer must pay?

Both Sites offer a 45 Day return policy on most items when they are in “Original Condition”, and they both exclude the shipping and handling charges. The buyer would still be on the hook to pay them. Musician’s Friend charges a 15% restocking fee if the item is found to not be in “Original Condition”. This guitar does fits into the 45 Day return policy for both sites and is not excluded. For a Guitar Center return you can ship it back. You will have to either call them at 1-866-498-7882 or e-mail them at service@guitarcenter.com first to receive a return authorization code. Guitar Center also has brick and mortar stores where you can bring the item in for a return. There is no shipping and handling fee to pay for this option. For a Musician’s Friend return you will also first have to contact them to get an RA# (Return Authorization Number). Then create a label for your return. It will look like this: Returns Musician’s Friend (Your RA#) 4005 N. NORFLEET Kansas City, MO 64161-9231 Then you will need to repackage it and ship it back. There are no brick and mortar stores to return it to.

5. What forms of payment are accepted?

Guitar Center Accepts PayPal, and Credit/Debit Cards. Musician’s Friend Accepts PayPal, Debit/Credit Cards, and Klarna.

6. Are there any shipping costs? How much are they?

Both sites offer free shipping on this item with Standard Ground Shipping in the lower 48 states of the United States. 2 Day Express shipping costs $15.44 for both sites. Next-Day Shipping costs $35.42 at Guitar Center and $35.41 at Musician’s Friend.

7. Are there any taxes? How much are they?

You do have to pay tax. The Minnesota tax is $73.66. This brings the total at checkout, without the 10% off, to $903.65. It is the same on both sites.

8. Are there any other fees on online purchases from international companies (i.e. outside of North America)? Describe.

I was only able to find shipping fees for international purchases for both sites. The amount depended on which country it was being shipped to. Both sites FAQ page for international shipping came up with a 404 Error.

9. Are there any hidden costs that you discovered? Explain them.

I did not find any hidden cost. Although, Guitar Center does try to sell you an insurance plan: 60-Months coverage for $244.99 36-Month coverage for $154.99 24-Month coverage for $199.99 This is a one-time payment, not a monthly charge. They also offer to round the cents up to the nearest dollar to go towards “Music Charity”. This can be avoided by not checking the box next to it.

10. What security measures are used to ensure that the information of the customer is protected?

Both Sites use https, the secure protocol. Here is a copy titled “Security” that I found on both Musician’s Friend’s website and Guitar Center’s website. Both sites were written exactly the same way and they both read: Security The security of your personal information is important to us. We have put in place safeguards to protect the personal information we protect from unauthorized access, use and disclosure. However, we cannot guarantee that unauthorized access, hacking, data loss, or other breaches will never occur. We urge you to take steps to keep your personal information safe, such as choosing a strong password and logging out of your User account and closing your web browser when finished using the Services. Both Sites offed a Do Not Sell or Share My Information form you could fill out.

Part B – Visiting Sites

Visit the websites listed in E-commerce Part 1 Module. List your top ten questions and your own answers about starting an ecommerce site. Write your answers using content chunking techniques we discussed last semester.

1. How do you ensure a transaction is secure?

• By using a trusted Plugins Like WooCommerce and WordFence.

2. How would I start an Ecommerce business

• Follow these 5 steps
  1. Know what you want to sell
  2. Build a Business Plan (Know Your Competition)
  3. Use an Eye-Catching logo and name.
  4. Know how to deliver your product to your customers.
  5. Start Your Business!!

3. Who is my target audience?

• Know the people who are most interested in your product.

4. How will my transitions be handled?

• Again, Use a Trusted Plugin like WooCommerce!

5. What model of Ecommerce do I fit into?

• Know Your Audience!

6. How do I market my product?

• Use Social Media!!
  1. Using Content
  2. Using Paid Advertising Space

7. How do I get my product to the buyer?

• Use digital Delivery for an electronic product
• Use Standard shipping for a physical product

8. How much will it cost to run my Ecommerce website?

• Cost can be LOW.
  • Cost of your Web Hosting Services
  • There are a lot of FREE plugins for WordPress.

9. What platform will I use to sell my product?

• THE INTERNET!! It’s E-Commerce.
• Your site May Be Either A PLATFORM or MARKETPLACE.
  • Most Likely a B2C, Business to Consumer
    • Research with one works best for you.

10. Would a subscription service work for me?

• It is good for annual or monthly income.
• Your product would need to be reoccurring.
  • Such as Entertainment or Diet

Part C – Plugins