Thương mại điện tử - Building E-Commerce Web Sites Chapter 3 - Part 1

CSC 330 E-CommerceTeacher Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan GM-IT CIIT Islamabad Virtual Campus, CIIT COMSATS Institute of Information TechnologyT1-Lecture-6Building E-Commerce Web SitesChapter-3Part-IT1-Lecture-6For Lecture Material/Slides Thanks to: Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncObjectives Explain the process that should be followed in building an e-commerce Web site.Describe the major issues surrounding the decision to outsource site development and/or hosting.Identify and understand the major considerations involved in choosing Web server and e-commerce merchant server software.Understand the issues involved in choosing the most appropriate hardware for an e-commerce site.Identify additional tools that can improve Web site performance.T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc1-3T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncBuilding an E-commerce Site: A Systematic ApproachMost important management challenges:Developing a clear understanding of business objectives. The objectives are to be explained to the developers and programmers.Knowing how to choose the right technology to achieve those objectives1-4T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncPieces of the Site-Building PuzzleMain areas where you will need to make decisions:Human resources and organizational capabilitiesCreating team with skill set needed to build and manage a successful siteHardwareSoftwareTelecommunicationsSite design1-5T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncThe Systems Development Life CycleMethodology for understanding business objectives of a system and designing an appropriate solutionFive major steps:Systems analysis/planningSystems designBuilding the systemTestingImplementation1-6Web Site Systems Development Life Cycle T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc1-7T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc1. System Analysis/PlanningBusiness objectives: List of capabilities you want your site to haveSystem functionalities: List of information system capabilities needed to achieve business objectivesInformation requirements: Information elements that system must produce in order to achieve business objectives1-8T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc1-9T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc2. Systems Design: Hardware and Software PlatformsSystem design specification: Description of main components of a system and their relationship to one another Two components of system design:Logical designData flow diagrams, processing functions, databasesPhysical designSpecifies actual physical, Hardware and software components, models, etc. needed for the implementation of Logical design1-10T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncLogical Design for a Simple Web Site1-11T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncPhysical Design for a Simple Web Site1-12T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncBuild/Host Your Own versus OutsourcingOutsourcing: Hiring vendors to provide services involved in building site Build own vs. outsourcing:Build your own requires team with diverse skill set; choice of software tools; both risks and possible benefitsHost own vs. outsourcingHosting: hosting company responsible for ensuring site is accessible 24/7, for monthly feeCo-location: firm purchases or leases Web server (with control over its operation), but server is located at vendor’s facility1-13T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncChoices in Building and Hosting1-14T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncTesting, Implementation, and MaintenanceTestingUnit testingunit testing involves testing the site’s program modules one at a timeSystem testingsystem testing involves testing the site as a whole, in a way the typical user will use the site.Acceptance testingacceptance testing verifies that the business objectives of the system as originally conceived are in fact working1-15T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncTesting, Implementation, and MaintenanceImplementation and maintenance: Maintenance is ongoing processMaintenance costs: parallel to development costs Benchmarkingbenchmarking a process in which the site is compared with those of competitors in terms of response speed, quality of layout and design1-16T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncFactors in Web Site Optimization1-17T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncWeb Site BudgetsFrom $5,000 to millions of dollars/yearDepends on what you can afford Components of budget:System maintenanceSystem developmentContent design & developmentHardwareTelecommunicationsSoftware.1-18T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncSimple versus Multi-tiered Web Site ArchitectureSystem architecture Arrangement of software, machinery, and tasks in an information system needed to achieve a specific functionality.Single Tier Architectureit consisted of a server computer running basic Web server software.Two-tierWeb server and database serverMulti-tier Web application serversBackend, legacy databases1-19T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncTwo-Tier E-commerce Architecture1-20T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncMulti-tier E-commerce Architecture1-21T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc1-22T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncWeb Server SoftwareApacheLeading Web server software (47% of market) Works only with UNIX, Linux OSsMicrosoft’s Internet Information Server (IIS)Second major Web server software (25% of market)Windows-based1-23T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncFunctionalities of Webserver1-24T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncSite Management ToolsBasic toolsIncluded in all Web serversVerify that links on pages are still valid Identify orphan filesThird-party software and services for advanced site managementMonitor customer purchases, marketing campaign effectiveness, etc.Examples: WebTrends Analytics 9, Google Analytics Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncDynamic Page Generation ToolsDynamic page generation: Contents of Web page stored as objects in database and fetched when neededExamples: Common tools: CGI, ASP, JSPAdvantagesLowers menu costsPermits easy online market segmentationEnables cost-free price discriminationEnables Web content management system (WCMS)1-26T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncApplication ServersWeb application servers: Provide specific business functionality required for a Web siteType of middlewareIsolate business applications from Web servers and databasesSingle-function applications increasingly being replaced by integrated software tools that combine all functionality needed for e-commerce site1-27T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncFunctionalities of Application Servers1-28T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncE-commerce Merchant Server SoftwareProvides basic functionality for online salesOnline catalogList of products available on Web siteShopping cartAllows shoppers to set aside, review, edit selections, and then make purchaseCredit card processingTypically works in conjunction with shopping cartVerifies card and puts through credit to company’s account at checkout1-29T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncMerchant Server Software PackagesIntegrated environment with most or all of functionality needed. Key factors in selecting a package:FunctionalitySupport for different business modelsBusiness process modeling toolsVisual site management and reportingPerformance and scalabilityConnectivity to existing business systemsCompliance with standardsGlobal and multicultural capabilityLocal sales tax and shipping rules1-30T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncBuilding Your Own E-commerce SiteOptions for small firmsHosted e-commerce sites, e.g., Yahoo’s Merchant SolutionsSite building toolsE-commerce templatesOpen-source merchant server softwareEnables you to build truly custom siteRequires programmer with expertise, time1-31T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncChoosing the Hardware for an E-commerce SiteHardware platform: Underlying computing equipment that system uses to achieve e-commerce functionalityObjective:Enough platform capacity to meet peak demand without wasting moneyImportant to understand the different factors that affect speed, capacity, and scalability of a site1-32T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncRight-Sizing Your Hardware Platform: The Demand SideDemand is the most important factor affecting speed of siteFactors in overall demand:Number of simultaneous users in peak periodsNature of customer requests (user profile)Type of content (dynamic versus static Web pages)Required securityNumber of items in inventoryNumber of page requestsSpeed of legacy applications1-33T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncRightsizing E-Commerce Platforms1-34T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncDegradation in Performance as Number of Users Increases—Resource Utilization1-35T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncDegradation in Performance as Number of Users Increases—Number of Connections1-36The Relationship of Bandwidth to HitsT1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc1-37T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncRight-Sizing Your Hardware Platform: The Supply SideScalability: Ability of site to increase in size as demand warrantsWays to scale hardware:VerticallyIncrease processing power of individual componentsHorizontallyEmploy multiple computers to share workloadImprove processing architecture1-38T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc1-39T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncVertically Scaling a System1-40T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncHorizontally Scaling a System1-41T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc1-42T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncOther E-Commerce Site ToolsWeb site design: Basic business considerationsEnabling customers to find and buy what they needTools for Web site optimization:Search engine placementKeywords, page titlesIdentify market niches, localize siteExpertiseLinksSearch engine ads1-43T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncE-commerce Web Site Features that Annoy CustomersSOURCE: Based on data from Hostway Corporation’s survey, Consumers’ Pet Peeves about Commercial Web Sites, Hostway Corporation, 2007.1-44T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc1-45T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncTools for Interactivity and Active ContentWeb 2.0 design elements: Widgets, MashupsCGI (Common Gateway Interface)ASP (Active Server Pages)Java, JSP, and JavaScriptActiveX and VBScriptColdFusion1-46T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncPersonalization ToolsPersonalizationAbility to treat people based on personal qualities and prior history with siteCustomizationAbility to change the product to better fit the needs of the customerTools to achieve: Cookies1-47T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncThe Information Policy SetPrivacy policySet of public statements declaring how site will treat customers’ personal information that is gathered by siteAccessibility rulesSet of design objectives that ensure disabled users can affectively access site1-48T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncInsight on SocietyDesigning for Accessibility with Web 2.0Class DiscussionWhat is Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act?Why might some merchants be reluctant to make their Web sites accessible to disabled Americans?How can Web sites be made more accessible?Should all Web sites be required by law to provide “equivalent alternatives” for visual and sound content?1-49T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncRight-Sizing a Web Site Class DiscussionWhat are the factors you should take into account when sizing a Web site’s infrastructure?Why is peak usage an important factor to consider?What did eBay discover from its use of OPERA?How can operators of smaller sites deal with the right-sizing issue?1-50T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncInsight on BusinessCurly Hair and MotorMouths:Getting Started on the CheapClass Discussion How does a small, niche Web site become profitable? What is the primary source of income for these kinds of sites?What benefits are there to starting a business in a recession?1-51T1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, IncInsight on TechnologyPumping Up the Customer Experience Using AJAX and FlashClass DiscussionWhat is AJAX? How does it work?How does AJAX improve on client/server interactivity?How does Google Maps use AJAX?What are some alternative technologies to achieve the same results as AJAX?1-52Thank YouT1-Lecture-6 Ahmed Mumtaz Mustehsan Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc1-53