A01 chaf6542 06 se fm indd

Initiation

The start-up phase of the 

project.

Systems 

development life 

cycle

The sequence in which 

a system is created from 

initiation, analysis, design, 

implementation, build and 

maintenance.

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Part 3  Implementation

The design phase will require much less input than for a bespoke system. It will focus 

on issues of how to tailor the user interface, database structures and security of the  off‑  the‑ 

 shelf package to the needs of the digital business solution. The build and implementation 

phases will still be involved and, as for any implementation, the project manager will have to 

schedule software and database configuration, data migration, testing and training.

An illustration of a typical project schedule for a  sell‑  side e‑commerce system is illustrated 

in Box 10.2.

Mini Case Study 10.2

 Def-  Shop.com provides Europe’s largest selection of hip hop clothing. Most of its sales are to the German 

market.

In April 2009,  Def-  Shop began working with Conversion Rate Experts to help increase its profits. Early 

tests on key pages have resulted in increases in conversion rate of 20%, 63% and 115%.

Here are some of the activities that  Def-  Shop and Conversion Rate Experts have collaborated on:

● 

E-commerce sites have several core functions, one of which is ‘matchmaking’ – the site needs to show 

products that the visitor is most likely to be interested in. There are several ways of doing this, such as 

product recommendation engines, search boxes, information architecture and navigation. An analysis of 

 Def-  Shop’s site revealed great opportunities for improving the information architecture and navigation.

● 

It’s important to give visitors reasons to buy from your site rather than from your competitors. Conversations 

with  Def-  Shop’s staff revealed ten compelling advantages to ordering from  Def-  Shop; for example,  Def-  Shop 

has the largest selection, it has a great returns policy, and it has great credibility, in the form of associations 

with MTV and hip hop celebrities. This information was made prominent at key points in the conversion funnel.

Many successful businesses are based around a community of customers that share the same passions, 

values and interests.  Def-  Shop’s CEO, Alexander Buchler, is passionate about hip hop culture, and feels 

that hip hop lacks a cultural focus in Europe. Conversion Rate Experts have encouraged Alex to invest in 

creating a whole community around  Def-  Shop, so the company becomes a focus for hip hop culture, rather 

than being just a web store.

Conversion optimisation leads to increased sales for one of 

Europe’s leading hip hop stores

Box 10.2

Example task breakdown and schedule

This case illustrates the different tasks that need to be performed as part of a  sell-  side e-commerce imple-

mentation for a company that does not have a website presence.

The schedule can be structured as followed: