ASSIGNMENT RETAILING Starting and running an web-retailing company Write the Retail STRATEGY for a start‐up company that sells furniture on websites like Groupon. You have been hired as the e‐retail manager for www.big‐al.com, a startup furniture retailer. Your first job is to prepare the actual start‐up of an E‐Commerce Internet for this "dot.com" company. You lead a team of 3 other individuals. Each member must contribute to the satisfaction of the group to receive the group grade. This assignment seeks to provide a real life experience of starting up an e‐commerce dot.com based on the insight gathered in this process combined with course learning. When possible, students should conduct brief surveys of what others think of the dot.com for supporting research. One example might be a used text consortium, or reverse auction site. This strategy should include WEB, Merchandise, Promotion, Supply Chain (sourcing, warehousing and delivery) and ‐E‐tailing. Sub‐sections should include creative, media, integrated marketing, relationship, target segments, domain development, naming, research etc. for maximum productivity. Draw on what you have learned in the course. Specific information. You have a relationship with ACME Furniture Manufacturers. They are located in the town of Melaka in Malaysia and will ship through either Port Klang or Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia. A 40 foot container of furniture (contents fumigated to Australian specifications) will cost USD 2000 off‐peak (March – July) and US$3000 during peak periods: 1. Ottomans. 40 HQ container cost US$17,000. Sizes are in the pictures supplied. One container can fit 496 small and 377 large ottomans. Duty is 5% and GST is 10% that has to be pre‐paid. Landing and clearance costs for the container are estimated at AU$2500 per container. Unloading is AU$500 per container and warehousing is AU$500 per container. Costs are in USD: Small storage 34 Big Storage 39 What our competitors are selling: Seating and Storage Ottoman - Small ($89) or Large ($99) Over 830 bought 2. Beds. 40 HQ container cost US$22,000. Sizes are Australian Mattress sizes King, Full Double, Twin and Queen. Single beds are also available. This is what our bed looks like. Prices are in USD: bed queen 78 Bed king 86 Bed full Double 70 Bed Twin 63 There can be various colours and types of upholstery. These are what competitors are selling on groupon: $179 for a double bed frame $199 for a queen bed frame $229 for a king bed frame Measurements: Double: 200 x 145cm Queen: 215 x 161cm King: 215 x 191cm 380 sold To prepare this report you must read widely in the business, retail theory and trade literature to identify areas where retailers can compete successfully. For example you may look at critical success factors for retailers and evaluate competitive advantage. You need to critically analyse the competitive position of retailers. What are the strengths of the retailers? How well is their offer articulated and delivered to the consumer? Can they take sales from other retailers? Using the references you have read build a report that describes how the retailer can compete effectively and areas where the retailers will have difficulty. The maximum word limit is 4000 words (not including reference list and title pages). This research paper should be structured with an introduction, body of the report including findings and discussion plus a concluding paragraph. The format should double spaced, and 12 font with the pre-set (normal) margins. Please use sub-headings to make your paper flow well. A well-researched paper should refer to at least 15 different sources of information. Make sure that you access peer reviewed academic journals and retail text books to support your findings. Please do not summarize information without giving credit to the source from which it was drawn. Also include a reference list of the sources you used. The Faculty of Business and Law uses the Harvard (in text) referencing system. I will build the project in class each week. Submission Assignments are to be lodged on by 23:59 on.