E-Business Application for Coles Supermarkets - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theE-Business Application for Coles Supermarkets. Answer: Introduction Many believe the future of retail is online and that retail in the form of brick and mortar shops is dead. Online shopping has boomed without limitations in the last few years and how. Nowadays more shoppers are taking to online shopping and refusing to go and buy stuff from retail stores. Perhaps the comfort of sitting at home and getting things delivered is a kind of luxury in itself. However, there are also experts who believe that retail will survive if they cater to the needs and demands of customer taste through innovations (Pantano and Pietro 2012). This essay deals with a few such innovations which can help a retail store survive this online shopping storm. Our research is based on Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd which is owned by the Wesfarmers. Frictionless Checkout One of the biggest problems in a retail store is that customers have to wait in long queues after purchases for bills especially in a supermarket like Coles where there are a lot of items to buy. However, this can be made easy with frictionless Checkout. Here the customer can actually pay for the things they have brought online through their phones (Pantano and Pietro 2012). Actually there needs to be an application which shows the products at the store online. This way there can be hassle free purchases (Miller 2013). Products Coming to Buyers Then the next idea can be of products that come to customers. This is an innovation which is sure to grow in days to come. Here the store has a website and customers book the product through it. Now, Coles have already got a website all they now need to do is get the bookings online so that customers can drive down to the store and grab hold of the products from there. In a way it is faster than an online buy as it takes lesser time (Luo, Ba and Zhang 2012). A Connected Store Another innovation can be a connected store. This type of a store combines a lot of technologies. The consumer is supposed to have an application which recognizes him or her as soon as they walk in through the door via means of a blue tooth. Once activated, the app recognizes past purchases made by the customer and the things they prefer. Once the customer starts moving around the store he is notified through messages like how he can buy a certain mayo sauce which tastes good with the sausages he has brought. Next there can be a smart mirror placed which shows items from the customers cart and whether they need anything more to go with those. Suppose a customer has brought a toothbrush and forgot to get a paste the mirror shows that it too needs to be on the cart. It is up to him or her to select or deselect the item. With all the right products in the cart the customer can now use her fingerprint for payment via the app of the store or an e-wallet and leaves the store (Vivek, Beatty and Morgan 2012). I want these section Next, the store can also have an I want these section where customers with the help of a digital pen can write down the name of the products he could not find but want them in his shopping bag. A service man can get them if they are available and help him fill the cart. Conclusion In this day and age of shopping where online portals have almost thrown retails shops out of business unless innovative plans like these are made survival for these outlets is difficult. As many experts are saying it is not about the shopping it is more about the experience of it. References Luo, J., Ba, S. and Zhang, H., 2012. The effectiveness of online shopping characteristics and well-designed websites on satisfaction. Miller, D., 2013. A theory of shopping. John Wiley Sons. Pantano, E. and Di Pietro, L., 2012. Understanding consumers acceptance of technology-based innovations in retailing. Journal of technology management innovation, 7(4), pp.1-19. Vivek, S.D., Beatty, S.E. and Morgan, R.M., 2012. Customer engagement: Exploring customer relationships beyond purchase. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 20(2), pp.122-146.