E-Business Models & Website Design Essentials

Posted on May 21, 2025 in Business Administration and Management (BAM)

E-Business Models: Foundations & Strategy

Understanding the structure of business models involves examining the relationships among their elements and how they interact to define how a business operates and generates value.

Content of an E-Business Model

  • Information exchanged.
  • Resources and capabilities required to enable the exchange.

Structure of an E-Business Model

  • The parts that participate in the exchange.
  • The ways that parts are linked.
  • Order process and adopted exchange mechanism.

Characteristics of Viable E-Business

  1. Design programs that take advantage of the internet.
  2. Leverage digital assets to reach different markets.
  3. Build confident relationships.
  4. Add value.
  5. Generate synergistic effects.

Types of E-Business Models

E-business models can be broadly categorized:

  • Category I: Focused Distributors, Portal Models, and Producers.
  • Category II: Brokerages, E-Shops, E-Malls, E-Auctions, Trading Communities, Virtual Communities, Buyer Aggregator Models, Classifieds, Infomediaries, etc.

Key Ingredients of a Business Model

These are the key questions a business model must address:

  1. Value Proposition
  2. Revenue Model
  3. Market Opportunity
  4. Competitive Environment
  5. Competitive Advantage
  6. Market Strategy
  7. Organizational Development
  8. Management Team

E-commerce I vs. E-commerce II

  • E-commerce I: Technology-driven, focused on revenue growth.
  • E-commerce II: Business-driven, focused on earnings and profits.

Major Business-to-Consumer (B2C) Models

  • Portal (Horizontal/Vertical)
  • Community Power
  • E-Tailor
  • Content Providers
  • Service Providers
  • Market Creator

Major Business-to-Business (B2B) Models

  • Marketplace (Horizontal/Vertical)
  • E-Distributor
  • Service Provider
  • Matchmaker
  • Infomediary

The Importance of E-Business Strategy

Without a clear e-business strategy, businesses risk missing opportunities for additional sales and falling behind competitors in delivering online services.

Dynamic E-Business Strategy Model

The strategic process typically follows these stages:

Knowledge Building and Capability Evaluation → E-Business Design → E-Business Blueprint → Applications Development and Deployment

Steps to E-Business Success

  1. Start high (aim for ambitious goals).
  2. Think fresh (innovate constantly).
  3. Know your market.
  4. Set a clear vision.
  5. Define your strategy.
  6. Create (implement your plans).
  7. Refresh regularly (adapt and update).

Website Fundamentals & Design Principles

Understanding Websites: Pages, Sites, and URLs

  • Pages (HTM/HTML): Individual documents, often focused on a single theme, requiring careful layout planning.
  • Sites: Collections of multiple pages covering various themes, requiring comprehensive planning for layout and navigation.
  • URL (Uniform Resource Locator): Comprises three main parts: protocol, server name, and file name.

Key Elements of a Website Layout

A website is a location on the World Wide Web (WWW) that contains web pages. A compelling web layout should be visually appealing, contain relevant content, and aim to attract user attention. It must also be regularly refreshed to stay current.

Website Templates and Webpage Elements

  • Templates: Common formats include basic grid, hierarchical, web layout, and sequential.
  • Elements of a Webpage:
    • Title of the web page
    • URL
    • Information, graphics, text, and other media
    • Visual elements
    • Website layout
    • Links
  • Common Webpage Layout Areas: A typical webpage often follows a square-like structure:
    • Top-left: Logo
    • Top-right: Header
    • Bottom-left: Menu
    • Bottom-right: Content

Website Evolution and Design Approaches

  • Typical Website Evolution:
    1. Generation 1: Replaces paper information.
    2. Generation 2: Incorporates flashy elements.
    3. Generation 3: “Bleeding edge” technology, sometimes at the expense of content.
    4. Generation 4: Content and technology are fully integrated.
  • Methods of Design:
    1. “Ad hoc”: Quick, immediate need for a website.
    2. “Methodical”: Well-planned and structured approach.

Principles of Good Website Design

A well-designed website is understandable, interesting, easy to use, and adheres to the “What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) principle.

Website Design Process & Launch Steps

The design process typically involves:

Discovery (assess needs) → Design Exploration (generate multiple designs) → Design Refinement (develop the chosen design) → Production (prepare design for handoff)

Followed by these essential launch steps:

  1. Get a domain name.
  2. Find a web hosting service.
  3. Design, build, and upload your website.

Key Website Design Elements

  • Overall Look: Defines the page’s goal, clarity, and appropriate, organized content.
  • Content: Must be organized, relevant, unique, and easy to read.
  • Navigation Tools: Crucial for creating your website’s identity and ensuring user-friendliness.
  • Graphics: Add value and enhance the visual appeal of the page.
  • Page Layout Structure: Ensures a logical and intuitive flow for information.
  • Descriptive File Names: Important for organization and SEO.
  • Complete Contact Information: Builds trust and accessibility for users.

Website Usability & Readability

Key aspects of usability include user satisfaction, learnability, memorability, and minimizing errors. Users typically scan rather than read web pages. To make pages more readable:

  • Use scannable text (e.g., headings, bullet points).
  • Present one main idea per paragraph.
  • Enhance credibility through clear and concise writing.
  • Employ the inverted pyramid style (most important information first).
  • Adopt a consistent and appropriate writing style.