E-Business Applications The Australian market

Question: Discuss about the E-Business Applications for The Australian market. Answer: Introduction Catch of the Day is one a sub-brand of Catch Group, which happens to be one of the largest and the fastest growing e-commerce companies in the Australian market. The company started in 2006 with five employees and a small warehouse with an area of 200 square meters. The company has witnessed very rapid growth since its inception. The Catch Group is owned by Hezi and Gaby Leibovich, Consolidated Press Holdings and Tiger Global Investment and many various portfolio investors (Catchoftheday.com.au 2016). In 2014, the company introduced robotics to enable picking of the products in its 25,000 square meters warehouse, which happens to be the one of the first by any Australian company. Its consistent emphasis on using innovation and modern technologies has enabled them to work smartly and deliver orders before time especially during the festive seasons like Easter and Christmas (Catchgroup.com.au 2016). Catch of the Days Business Operations The company receives daily footfalls of more than 400,000 every day and it receives more than 8,000 orders every day. The company sells its product every 2.8 seconds, thus making the picking and distribution system quite complex. Therefore, they have deployed almost 70 robots are deployed for customers order picking in the warehouse as large as a football stadium (YouTube 2016). The companys adoption to the latest business technology and supply chain management system has led to its growth as one of the most favored retailers in the Australian e-commerce market. It has well established administrative team that leads the company of more than 400 people who specializes in information technology, design and logistics, marketing, customer service and procurement and sourcing. Its efficient and innovative infrastructure and its capability to deliver orders before the delivery time has given the company the benefit of generating a large set of loyal customers and helped in maintaining a long term relationship with them (Catchgroup.com.au 2016). Ease of Use of E-Commerce Site Benefits to the Company The establishment of the e-commerce site has enabled the company to create greater outreach to prospective customers due to the growing popularity of mobile phones and tablets in Australia. The e-commerce site has also enabled the company to create brand awareness and attract new customers as well as it helped in boosting its sales during the peak seasons such as Easter and Christmas (Catchgroup.com.au 2016). Benefits to Suppliers/Wholesalers The website of the company gives the various other suppliers and wholesalers to partner with the company by letting them send a business query with requisite details like name, email id, and phone number. If the company finds the suppliers or wholesalers to be favorable for doing business, the company responds to it accordingly (Catchgroup.com.au 2016). Benefits to Consumers The website enables the consumers to choose from a wide variety of its products across numerous categories as company understands that consumers these days hardly like to visit a supermarket or shopping mall; instead they prefer to order the products over the internet through official websites of the company (Catchgroup.com.au 2016). E-business Applications Currently Used Customer Relationship Management: Usage of digital communication technology has enabled the company to maximize its sales to its current set of customers as well as encourage them to continue using the online services. Enterprise Resource Planning: The website has enabled the company the plan its resources more efficiently and effectively thereby reducing its inventory cost (Andam 2014). Efficient Supply Chain Management: With all its functions and processes properly integrated with the website has enabled the company to make its supply chain management more effective. Communication and Collaboration: The usage of the e-commerce website has enabled the company in strengthening its relationship with customers as well as its employees through consistent communication through email, voice mail, and data management system (Combe 2012). E-Commerce Marketing Strategies Social Media Marketing: The company takes advantage of the fast growing trend of social media marketing on many micro-blogging website, chiefly Facebook where it has more than 900,000 followers. Membership: The company has launched Amazon Prime style membership titled Club Catch at $69 annually which will enable to consumers to exclusive discounts, free home delivery and priority treatment for their product delivery (Mata and Quesada 2014). Mobile Application: The company has also launched a mobile based application which enables the consumers to browse their website over the mobile and order their products in just a click. The mobile application has more than 2,000 downloads every day (com.au 2016). E-Commerce Supply Chain Strategies Business Process Integration: The company has put a great emphasis on integrating various processes of its business through application of in-stock approach. Robotics Process Automation: The company is one of the first company in Australia to implement robotics system in handling its product movement within the warehouse (com.au 2016). Single Fulfillment Center: The company runs a single fulfillment and distribution center that serves its purpose. It helps the company in controlling its economies of scale by maintaining a low inventory level (com.au 2016). E-Commerce Security Strategies Security Layering: The company evaluates and strengthens its security system consistently by making several layers of security to prevent it from security threats from cyber criminals who try to gain access to critical information related to the customers as well as the company (Turban et al. 2015). Access Control: Authorization and authentication ensure that no invasion attempts are being made to get access to the secured network of the organization. Most organizations use two factor verification processes and though it can create inconvenience to the user, it ensures that even if the password is compromised the user information is not revealed. The most common way of two factor verification process is by generate OTP (one time password) and send it to this mobile number of the user (Zhang Jiang and Huang 2013). Encryption: It is the process of translating user information into coded language. The most conventional technique of encryption employed by e-commerce sites is Secured Socket Layer or SSL. SSL decrypts and encrypts information sent over the internet. There are numerous companies which offer digital certificates and SSL through which the e-commerce companies can safeguard sensitive data like customers credit card data (Luiijf Besseling and De Graaf 2013). Allotment of Product Identification Number: The company allots an unique product identification number or code that is different for each and every product which enables them to segregate the products on the basis of region to which it will be shipped and thereby reduces their delivery time. Information Technology Infrastructure Catch of the Day is a subsidiary of Catch Group, which happens to be one of the leading e-commerce companies in Australia. The company has become one of the first Australian companies to implement robotics in its material handling system in its warehouse of 25,000 square meters. It has almost 70 robots that control the product flow within the warehouse. This innovative has enabled them to deliver the orders before time, especially during the peak seasons like Easter and Christmas. The company has a strong and dedicated team of experts who specialize in technology and design engineering that helps develop their IT infrastructure internally. This has enabled the company to stay proactive to the fast developing e-commerce and IT infrastructure in Australia. Recommendations Catch Group has a single warehouse in Australia that meets the demands of the entire population spread across various location. The single warehouse is holds all the stocks and orders placed by various customers from various sites it owns - Catch of the Day, Mumgo.com, and Scoopon. In order to enhance their business operation and expansion, the company should make some investment in setting up a new warehouse and expand its delivery locations. To improve company-customer relationships, the company should allow the customers to feel free to contact relevant authority in case of any complaints or suggestions and advices (Forbes 2016). Conclusion Catch of the Day is one a sub-brand of Catch Group, which happens to be one of the largest and the fastest growing e-commerce companies in the Australian market. The company receives daily footfalls of more than 400,000 every day and it receives more than 8,000 orders every day. The company sells its product every 2.8 seconds, thus making the picking and distribution system quite complex. Therefore, they have deployed almost 70 robots are deployed for customers order picking in the warehouse as large as a football stadium. The establishment of the e-commerce site has enabled the company to create greater outreach to prospective customers due to the growing popularity of mobile phones and tablets in Australia. References Andam, Z.R., 2014. e-Commerce and e-Business. Catchgroup.com.au. (2016).Catch Group. [online] Available at: https://www.catchgroup.com.au/ [Accessed 5 Oct. 2016]. Catchoftheday.com.au. (2016).CatchOfTheDay.com.au | Amazing deals everyday!. [online] Available at: https://www.catchoftheday.com.au/ [Accessed 5 Oct. 2016]. Colla, E. and Lapoule, P., 2012. E-commerce: exploring the critical success factors.International Journal of Retail Distribution Management,40(11), pp.842-864. Combe, C., 2012.Introduction to e-business. Routledge. Forbes. (2016).FedExVoice: 5 Innovative Ways To Improve Your E-Commerce Business. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/fedex/2013/05/21/5-innovative-ways-to-improve-your-e-commerce-business/#2efc5d3260e3 [Accessed 5 Oct. 2016]. Luiijf, E., Besseling, K. and De Graaf, P., 2013. Nineteen national cyber security strategies.International Journal of Critical Infrastructures 6,9(1-2), pp.3-31. Mata, F.J. and Quesada, A., 2014. Web 2.0, social networks and e-commerce as marketing tools.Journal of theoretical and applied electronic commerce research,9(1), pp.56-69. smh.com.au. (2016)./it-pro/business-it/robots-are-processing-your-catch-of-the-day-orders-this-christmas-20141204-1200js.html. [online] Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/business-it/robots-are-processing-your-catch-of-the-day-orders-this-christmas-20141204-1200js.html [Accessed 4 Oct. 2016]. Turban, E., King, D., Lee, J.K., Liang, T.P. and Turban, D.C., 2015. E-Commerce Security and Fraud Issues and Protections. InElectronic Commerce(pp. 457-518). Springer International Publishing. YouTube. (2016).Robots are processing your Catch of the Day Orders. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nhYC2BSQYg [Accessed 5 Oct. 2016]. Zhang, C., Jiang, S.J. and Huang, B., 2013. Strategies for The Security of Online Payments in E-commerce. InAdvanced Materials Research(Vol. 756, pp. 3039-3042). Trans Tech Publications.