eCommerce

• Why ecommerce? Overview of trends & industry benchmarks
• Understanding your market, your customers, opportunities and challenges
• Setting business objectives, financial plans, budgets

Session 2: Developing for ecommerce – systems and tools

• Building an ecommerce site – planning considerations
• Ecommerce platform ecosystem and other alternatives
• Project management, development and implementation

Session 3: Measurement & Optimization

• Key business metrics and ratios – strategic & operational level
• Testing and Optimization – principles and basic how to do it guidelines

Session 4: Finding customers 1

• Channel planning for acquisition – balancing budgets and outcomes
• Getting the best out of different channels – strengths and weaknesses
• Creativity – response driven styles and techniques

Session 5: Finding customers 2

• More depth on how to get the best out of different channels
• Testing and Optimization tactics for acquisition channels
• Gathering data, privacy regulations and consent

Session 6: Converting sales 1

• The website – user experience – tools and tactics to convert
• Guidelines for good website design and effectiveness

Session 7: Converting sales 2

• More guidelines on good website practice
• Retargeting
• Website testing and optimization tips

Session 8: Retaining and developing customers

• Right offer, right time, triggers, automation
• Data modeling and targeting
• Channels and tactics; testing and optimization

Session 9: Operational Management 1 – best practice process

• Review and best practice of key support functions in ecommerce – warehouse, supply chain, logistics, customer service
• Using support functions for competitive advantage or to enhance the value proposition
• Creating a feedback loop for site metrics – building your own program for continuous improvement

Session 10: Operational Management 2 – a closer look at HR

• Digital teams – key functions, structures, contexts
• Functional breakdown of ecommerce teams and alternative structures
• Developing talent and strategic models for growth

Assessment criteria

Your final grade on this e-commerce certificate course is made up of four elements:

• An individual assignment in which you will be required to review the use of data in your organization and critique a campaign of your choice
• A group assignment focusing on a case study (from a choice of five covering different market sectors)
• An exam – two hours, closed book
• Course participation, measured in three components: Class attendance; participation in class exercises and discussions; completion of pre-class preparation and post-class exercises.