I think web personalisation is a good thing from both the consumer and business aspects.

For the business this is another powerful marketing tool which can be used to improve sales and the experience the consumer receives while viewing and using the website in question.

From the customers view it is good as they can be recommended products that relate to their tastes and needs based on what they have previously bought. Example: When on Amazon, after purchasing an item (for example a book) the next time you gain access to Amazon there might be recommendations of other books related to the previous one you bought.

Personalization is a process of gathering and storing information about site visitors, analyzing the information, and, based on the analysis, delivering the right information to each visitor at the right time. It is a key technology needed in various e-business applications, such as:

• Managing customer relationships
• Targeting advertisements and promoting products
• Managing marketing campaigns
• Managing Web site content
• Managing knowledge
• Managing personalized portals and channels

One of the most common types of personalization is name personalization:

This refers to such features as labeling emails to customers using their full name. This is designed to give the customer a more personal view of the company as it may feel like the company is interacting with that certain customer directly.

Other two common forms of personalization are:

• Check-Box Personalization –This may include questionnaires and registration forms
• Segmentation and Rules – The section will put a large population into small sub groups

Overall I feel that personalization is a great idea and has many benefits to both consumers and from the business aspect. There are a few disadvantages to personalization such as lack of privacy, lack of relevance and lack of security although I feel that making use of personalization causes no real harm.

For this weeks  task we were to get alternitive keywords from google to search for my E-commerce site.  I used the link provided http://www.google.co.uk/sktool/google to help me to find these key words. I typed in my e-commerce address www.kendijewlz.com in order to get the recommended ey words . Once I had my keywords I typed them into the search bar in google.

Below is a screen print of the keywords the website provided.

I then decided to type in the keywords into google to see if my chosen website came up in the results.

The first keyword that the website suggested was “Sterling silver”. I typed this into google search engine and searched through the first 100 results and my websie didnt appear.

The next keyword was “plastic name necklace” once i typed this into the google search engine it appeared as the first result in the sponsored links.

Next keyword was “carrie style name necklace”. Again once I typed this into google it appeared as second in the list as shown below.

4. Sterling silver name necklace. This appeared first in the sponsored links.

5. White gold name necklace- This appeared second in the sponsored links.

6. 14k gold name necklace- This appeared second in the sponsored links.

7. personalized name necklace- This appeared second in the sponsored links.

8. personalised name necklace- This appeared second in the sponsored links.

9. carrie bradshaw name necklace- This appeared first in the sponsored links.

10. Gold personalized name necklace- After typing this into google i searched the first seven pages and my chosen website didn’t appear.

11. Silver name necklace- This appeared second in the sponsored links.

12. Name necklace- This appeared second in the sponsored links.

All these 12 keywords are very relevant to my e-commerce site. There were a few keywords that weren’t appropriate for my website and didn’t show up in the google results.

This week I had to access the ease of finding Kendi Jewlz through a search engine. I decided that in order to access the ease efficiently I would try out more than one search engine. The first search engine that I used was bing. I typed in the name of the company into the search engine and the first result wasn’t the actual website it was infact the 5^th result down as shown below.

Kendi jewlz makes personalised jewellery so I thought id typed into the search engine “personalised jewellery”. There were 656,000 results and I had got up to the 100^th result and still hadn’t come across Kendi Jewlz.  I did however come across the site that I had looked at in previous week’s www.unusual design.com on page 7 of the bing results.

I then used the Google search engine. Again I started off with typing in Kendi jewlz and the actual website was the first result unlike the results with bing.

I then typed into the Google search engine “personalised jewellery”.  There were 234,000 results. Which is considerably less than the amount of results bing returned. Again I came across unusual design but after looking through 100 of the results but never came across Kendi jewlz. It is causing great difficulty to try and find Kendi jewlz in a search engine.  In order to get a website to appear in a search engine you add your URL to the search engine. I am going to use Google as my example. Google has its very own page were it is possible for e-commerce sites to add their URL so that they will appear in results when requested. However not all URLs submitted will appear within the search engine. There is however a better way to get your website to appear in the search engine and this is through sponsoring.  This is a very effective way of making sure that when people use the search engine that your website will appear. There is no high costs you simply pay once someone clicks on the advert.

To advertise on Google would be a real cost effective way to ensure that the company was getting maximum exposure. There is no point in having an e-commerce site if no one knows about it.

Overall I felt that there was great difficulty in trying to access the Kendi jewlz website via a search engine. I felt the best search engine to use was Google.

Cloud computing is basically a new computer technology that uses remote servers and the internet and to maintain data and applications. Users pay a subscription fee which usually consists of a monthly payment; this payment must be paid in order for users to access the software which has been created by someone else.  The main advantage of this, from a user’s point of view is: users do not have to maintain or keep the software up-to-date; this is all done by the creators. The term cloud computing partly comes from the use of a cloud image to represent the Internet or some large networked environment. Cloud computing is now associated with a higher level abstraction of the cloud. Instead of there being data pipes, routers and servers, there are now services. The underlying hardware and software of networking is of course still there but there is now higher level service capabilities available used to build applications. Behind the services are data and compute resources. A user of the service doesn’t necessarily care about how it is implemented, what technologies are used or how it’s managed. Only that there is access to it and has a level of reliability necessary to meet the application requirements.

The most obvious benefit to cloud computing is that the costs of running this type of system are very minimal. No physical server is required therefore no running costs or initial purchasing cost is needed by the business so in return using this type of system saves the company money.

The most obvious disadvantage to cloud computing is that it totally relies on a network. This means that if a network fails or the internet connection is unavailable the cloud cannot be accessed therefore no programs or features can be accessed leaving the people concerned with nothing to do but wait until the service is back up and running again.

Within supply chain management there are two main headings:

1.      Downstream supply chain  2.      Upstream supply chain

In the case of my chosen company downstream supply chain is the transaction between Kendi jewlz and their customers and intermediaries.  This is known as sell-side e-commerce.

Upstream supply chain is the transaction between Kendi jewlz and their suppliers and intermediaries. This is known as but-side e-commerce.

Push Model:  The push model is when the company makes their promotion by television or radio and therefore it is impossible for the potential buyer to interact with. On the other hand the communication can be made by phone or internet in that instance the buyer has possibilities to interact with the seller. The term pushed is derived from the information being “pushed” towards the buyer, while in the second case it is possible for the buyer to demand the needed information according to his requirements. In the case of Kendi jewlz they aptly apply the push model as they make their promotion through magazines and the internet.

Pull Model: In a pull system the consumer requests the product and “pulls” it through the delivery channel. An example of this is within Kendi jewlz is when a customer wants product. They have to order the product as everything within this website is custom made and therefore individually ordered. Kendi jewlz only makes products on request.

Vertical Integration: Vertical Integration is the extent to which supply chain activities are undertaken and controlled within the organization. In relation to Kendi jewlz, they would have a close relationship with suppliers because they are an e-commerce site who regularly needs supplies.  Kendi jewlz would have to have constant contact with all their suppliers on a regular basis as all their products are made when ordered. 

Virtual Integration: Virtual integration is a new form of value chain management. Under such a system, the links of the value chain are brought together by informal arrangements among suppliers and customers. Shipments of the components that your firm needs can be easily arranged through the Internet or a networked computer system. Kendi jewlz rely on suppliers to supply their jewellery in order to be personalised.

Evidence of Value Networks: Kendi jewlz is a small company whose main value of their value chain network is their costs. The whole idea is for kendijewlz.com to try and keep their costs as low as possible, whilst maintaining good and reliable suppliers and maintaining a good service to new and existing customers.

2. The bargaining power of suppliers: Suppliers can become severe threats to a company when business depends on them for their products. However the supplier never depends on a company for business. Suppliers have the power to force up the price that a company must pay for its inputs therefore depressing the companies’ profitability and becoming a major threat to the company. It also works vice versa, if suppliers are weak this will give the company the opportunity to force down prices and demand higher input quality.

3. The bargaining power of customers: This is the ability of the customer to put the company under pressure, it also affects the customer’s sensitivity to price changes. The customer’s purchases represent a large part of the supplier’s revenue and also a large part of their own costs. Buyers in such position put a lot of pressure on the suppliers by demanding higher quality at lower prices. If a customer is putting a lot of pressure on a company there are many ways they could deal with this. Kendi jewlz have a lot of promotional offers. For example within many top magazines I have seen that Kendi jewlz offer readers a certain percentage off when they buy a product. This will encourage customers to buy from the website and to not pressure on the company.

4. The intensity of competitive rivalry: Porter said how “The Internet facilitates the move to the global market, increasing the number of competitors”. This statement is quite true as the Internet allows almost anyone to set up a company therefore creating more business and competitive rivalry within companies. This competitive rivalry could also mean a decrease in profits for kendi jewlz, as consumers may be able to find a better price else where on the Internet. In order to precipitate to this rivalry Kendi jewlz could compete aggressively and try and beat the competition or simply just stick to higher prices and rely on customer loyalty.

5.The threat of the entry of new competitors: These factors are those that make it harder or easier for another personalised jewellery company to enter into the industry. High barriers to entry will keep potential competitors for Kendi jewlz out of the industry and low barriers to entry will give an opening for competitors to enter into the industry if the industry returns are high enough. The fewer competitors in an industry, the more existing companies can take advantage of higher prices and better returns. This would work in favour for Kendi jewlz as they could charge a reasonably high amount for their products and not worry about competition

None of the jewellery on the Kendi Jewlz website is returnable or exchangeable as every item is customised to suit the customer’s needs. The earrings aren’t returnable either due to hygiene reasons. If the item is faulty within 28 days Kendi Jewlz will refund or exchange any faulty item within 28 days of delivery, including postage costs. After 28 days, if an item is faulty and you return it to us within 6 months, we will offer you a repair or, if we can’t repair it, a replacement. If the item is not in stock we will offer you an exchange, credit note. These terms and conditions seem reasonable enough.

For unusual design they don’t have terms and conditions either but they do have a link for their guarantee. This section is quite vague but it does state that all items of jewellery come with a 60 day money-back guarantee. If the customer is not happy with their goods they can get a full refund, minus the shipping charges. I feel that unusual designs terms and conditions are better that Kendi Jewlz because Kendi Jewlz doesn’t offer refunds unless the item is faulty were as unusual design offer refunds if you don’t like the item.

Kendi Jewlz seems rather good with security. They have a privacy policy that states they will not sell, share or rent your personal details and information without your express permission. Financial and transaction information is solely held by Kendi Jewlz and is not shared with any third parties. As for security it clearly states in the help section that at the checkout it securely encrypts all payment information. Encryption is a form of security. The fact that this website is encrypted makes the process of transforming information unreadable to anyone except those possessing special knowledge.

Cookies are small files which are stored on a user’s computer. They are designed to hold a certain amount of data specific to a particular client and website, and can be accessed either by the web server or the client computer. This allows the server to deliver a page tailored to a particular user, or the page itself can contain some script which is aware of the data in the cookie and so is able to carry information from one visit to the website to the next. Most websites contain cookies. From doing a bit of research I found out that Kendi Jewlz operates a 30 day cookie window. Although on the actual website there is no mention of cookies. The reason for the 30 day cookie window is because the highest percentage of sales occurs within this period.

Also I found that from the website http://www.websiteoutlook.com/www.kendijewlz.com that Kendi Jewlz is currently not in the top 100,000 of global internet users. Other information I got from this site is what countries Kendi Jewlz customers come from.  The majority of the customers come from the United Kingdom with 78% and the remaining percent are from other countries. Showing that this web site is mainly UK based but broadening into other countries. The net worth of Kendi Jewlz is $3014.9 USD.

The website www.unusualdesign.com is very similar to Kendi Jewlz in the sense that it sells personalized jewellery. It also used celebrities on their homepage to try and attract custom. I researched www.unusualdesign.com to compare it against Kendi Kendi “>Jewlz. The net worth of unusual design is $3423.7 which is just slightly higher than Kendi Kendi “>Jewlz. The daily page view is 1230 with Kendi Jewlz being 904. Just like Kendi Jewlz, Unusual design isn’t in the top 100,000 of global internet users.

Purchasing on Kendi Jewlz is pretty simple. I have previously bought of this website and would do it again. I will now illustrate the process in different steps.

STEP ONE: Type the address into the browser or into a search engine. The processes being used here are simple and will just be the search engine searching for the correct website.

STEP TWO: Once on the website search through for your desired product(s).

STEP THREE: Once you have come across your desired product simply click buy. You have to go through a selection of preferences for your item.  E.g. colours, jewels, what the necklace will say and chain type. Once you have made your selection click on “Add to bag”. This will then process your order and automatically place the order in your shopping bag.

kendi

STEP FOUR: Go to “Checkout” at the top of the page.  Here you have to register. Or if you have registered before simply type in my e-mail address and the details will come up. But for a first time shopper they will have fill out their credit card details and shipping address etc.

process

 STEP FIVE: Click on Place order now and that is your order placed.

There are a lot of different channels in which a company can market for e-business such as mobile device access and digital television.

If Kendi Jewlz were to invest in a new channel for e-business it would have a positive impact on the company. Phones with internet access are becoming increasing popular with the likes of apple and blackberry among the first to use this mobile technology. With browsers and operating systems specifically being coded for mobile devices the future of Mobile-Phone-based Websites looks promising, which in turn might help Kendi Jewlz popularity. Mobile phone internet is so handy and easy access. If you see a website you want to look at you don’t have to wait to get to a computer.

Also this would enable Kendi Jewlz to give daily or weekly updates to their customers via mobile phone. This is a better market to channel through as Interactive TV isn’t as easily ready.

http://www.websiteoutlook.com/www.kendijewlz.com

http://www.websiteoutlook.com/www.unusualdesign.com

The website that I have chosen to examine is www.kendijewlz.com. This website is quite easy to use with lots of pictures and links to help the user access what they are looking for. On the left hand side of the website there is also links to all the categories the website has to offer. The website is quite “celeb” orientated with a lot of pictures of celebrities including Cheryl Cole, Sarah Jessica Parker and Sarah Harding. The website is quite simple and makes excellent use of colours. The main background is white but also has recurrent pink as another colour which helps make the website attractive to users. The website has a search engine at the top which is a helpful feature. Also at the top right hand corner of the page there is the Kendi Jewlz logo. Running along side the logo there is also links to the homepage etc.

Above is screen shot of what Kendi jewlz homepage looks like.

From doing research on Kendi jewlz about the size of the business and its figures I have established that Kendi jewlz is a small business ran by Tracey Weinrib. I don’t know the exact size of the business but I know the owner Tracey Wenrib has been able to secure a Malaysian supplier and launch the venture using her own savings. Tracey has not been held back by the banks’ reluctance to lend as the start-up costs associated with an internet-based business are small. Kendi jewlz was set up at the beginning of the recession. To set up an e-commerce shop it generally costs around £8,500.

The e-commerce site has proved a real hit which was only set up in 2008. This may be due to her business approach as she sent samples to select fashion trendsetters who she thought might endorse the jewellery by wearing it. Last year on The X Factor Girls Aloud performed and Cheryl Cole and Sarah Harding wore pieces of Kendi jewlz jewellery. This is a great way of free advertising and in return great for turnover figures. The e-commerce site has seen great turnover figures for the first six months of launching. There are reported sales of £123,000 after six months and a forecast of £235,000 for the first year. Leaving the e-commerce shop ahead of budget. There is also an estimated 5000 customers registered with the site already. “

The only channel of marketing for Kendi jewlz is the internet. The reason behind this business venture for Tracey Weinrib was because she wanted to create luxury personalized jewellery at affordable prices. Tracey has been quoted saying that “it’s not just selling jewellery but it’s selling an experience of creating your own piece and it’s affordable. It’s a fun thing to do during bad times.” This has proved a winning strategy. Her £42 silver name chains are her biggest seller and have attracted a celebrity following. Kendi jewlz is also members of very popular social networking sites such as Face book and Twitter which will increase their fan base.

Kendi jewlz is still a rising website and hasn’t been running for a long time compared to other e-commerce shops such asos, goddiva and lypsy. Because it is a fairly new business it has made it very difficult to establish important facts such as the size of the business and the number of employees.

 Nowadays Internet is a part of everyday life for most people growing up in the 21^st century. The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standardized Internet Protocol Suite to serve billions of users worldwide. There is so much information available on the net ranging from online shopping, job finders, social networking sites and many others. The internet has been around for many years but in the past couple of years has become alot more popular due to developments in technologies. Online life is thriving in the UK with most homes having access to a computer and internet. There has been an estimated 1.3 million UK residents online for the first in 2007, and a similar number will access the Web for the first time between 2008 and 2009 making the web even more popular ever year. Further estimates show that the number of Internet users in the UK reached 36.8 million in 2007, and will pass 38 million in 2008—equivalent to 62.6% of the entire population.

The latest internet technology to take off has been mobile internet access. This makes the internet even more convenient for this modern busy world. Below is a bar chart showing the rise in internet usage from 2007-2009 it also shows estimates for years 2010, 2011, 2012. As the statistics show internet usage is destined to get bigger every year.

Internet usage