Online Application Business Plan Example: Customers Directory App

Introduction

The Customers directory App (CDA) project aims to meet the daily needs of the potential customers who are always available for purchase. Therefore, the App will deal with all products since its primary work is to direct the potential customers to get the products. There is a tendency for the current youths to love the digital platforms for their purchases. It, therefore, makes the youth from the age of eighteen years to around thirty-five years. It forms part of the primary target audience for the produced products. The Directory Company App will, therefore, direct all the customers and sellers of the products. However, the Application will also indicate the name of the goods required with their respective prices.

Objectives

The Customer directory App project’s main objective is to meet the audience’s daily needs by making their shopping more comfortable and faster by revealing unique and cost-effective products through the online platform. The company will, therefore, deal with commodities such as fashioned clothes, which are daily necessities. The online food products and household commodities are the main products of the company. These are commodities that are fast-moving and have high demand because they are used daily by potential customers. They are essential commodities targeting the majorly the youths as the target potential customers. The other objective is to assist customers in identifying where the quality commodities are supplied. The most quality and the common goods to the consumers and to meet their needs. Finally is to achieve a better relationship with the legal authorities and the societies at large. It is achievable through the administration of everyday goods and services that meet the community’s current needs. By so doing, the Customer directory App will thrive tremendously to compete in the market.

Marketing Strategies

The Customer directory App will employ and introduce standard and unique products by registering only those that would sell affordable products at affordable prices by applying penetration pricing and thorough advertising of the business and its consequences. It is in a bid to receive revenues through the intermediary function. However, the only means to achieve it is through intensive advertising through the online platform, and affordable goods are available. The increased revenue collection will achieve the Customer directory application’s expansion through the massive sales volume. The current online platforms have some gaps that the Customer directory App plans to bridge (Ananda et al.,2016). The holes will make the company thrive since it will bridge the gaps in the market. The openings include untimely internet access. Another one is the indication of the high priced goods in diverse companies that may not be affordable by ordinary customers.

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The Plan of Action

Customer directory App will deal with the standard and daily consumed products needed by the majority of the customers. It begins with the clothes wear and house items such as standard knives: the spoons and even the already prepared food which saves the customers time to prepare. The targeted consumers are aged between eighteen to thirty-five years of age. At the age bracket above, they tend to consume many goods and services at the age bracket. It is also made up of digital-oriented youth and have much interest in digital platforms. Therefore, the customer directory App is one of the most affordable and easily accessible; it will attract the customers’ attention to the view. The App will also employ the voice search to enhance the personalization of the customers to the Application. Therefore, it would increase the number of customers, hence increasing intermediary sales and the volume of the products to the linked products. Consequently, the Application will prosper and thrive in the market since it will apply competitive measures, which is fair to all the competitors. 

Pricing of the Products

The Customer directory application will charge affordable prices depending on the amount of time taken while browsing. The App will charge $ 0.5 per minute. Therefore it is cheap since the App will direct the customers to the company where the products are sold at affordable prices. (Armstrong et al.,2016). The App can be used by most customers at the same time hence increasing the number of revenues collected. The higher the number of customers on the platform, the higher the payment received due to the services offered. The prices will be maintained since the App will only permit registering those companies that offer their products at affordable prices to the customers. Through the App, the measurements put in place that the companies reported using the App must deal will quality and standard products. This is to keep the customers motivated to continue using the App in their search for goods.

Distribution of the Commodities

The Customer directory app shows the potential customers the companies and their locations where they will get their products at affordable prices. However, the App is available for use in all countries, meaning that it will have a large market to deal with. All the companies that have qualified to use the App to enhance its sales are allowed to pay a lower registration fee depending on the company type. Therefore the distribution of the products is dependent on the specific companies. For the first two years of operation, the company will have registered a third of the countries that would employ the App to enhance sales through specific companies. 

Promotion of the Application and its Products

For the first three years of the start, the Customer application will use $500000 for promotional purposes yearly. It will be used for an advertisement and to promote the products through online platforms. Therefore, the salaries of the advertising organizations will come from the amount. The level of advertising for the best four leading Apps is high because of their voice share rates. Consequently, the Application desires that it maximizes its customers’ market share to ensure the fair fame and popularity of the App. The following table illustrates the effect of advertising levels and the present advertising.

The application does not expect a change in the pricing due to the entry of other new businesses (McCabe et al.,2017). Therefore the competition will remain to be fair and accommodative for the Customer directory App. The increased advertising may lead to a rise in advertising for the Customer directory App to ensure compliance with the competition within the market segment. The advertising will also involve the packaging and branding of the products, promoting the app’s registered companies’ effects.

Structure of the Organization

Organizational structure is a hierarchical tool that describes the internal classification of labour within an enterprise. An enterprise plan aims to structure a business according to its objectives, such as increasing production by clarifying them. A suitable organizational structure should show which jobs and departments exist in the enterprise, the authority, and responsibilities to issue and show how commands look and the vertical flow of information (Modenov & Vlasov, 2018). A well-defined organizational structure with transparent command chains, communication channels, and control spans aids in straightening all energies with the corporate objectives. A good organization structure also helps new workers orient themselves within the enterprise, recognize superiors and subordinates, and comprehend the bigger picture and career chances. In general, a defined organizational model leads to employees’ sense of security and job satisfaction.

Like any other application, Customer directory App requires a well-defined structure; and it has the most transparent organizational structure which embraces digital platforms for its performance. Customer application structure allows substantial dominance on online sales operations and has an established design and interconnection system among the enterprise companies. For Customer directory, the application structure determines how the application influences and directs operational activities in various registered companies within the app. The app will direct the customers to be respective and near companies that offer the products they want. Therefore, the application is designed to require the customers to indicate his location for the app to direct to the most immediate company for assistance—the Customer directory App capability to combat their online competitors’ impact.

Applying competitors’ aggressiveness, structural features must strengthen the enterprise to secure continuous online sales success through digital customers. Strategic management inventiveness is thoroughly executed through customer directory managerial control. The structure features also offer the support required for customer directory new company launches in the digital market platforms (Bossert, 2016). The organization structure’s future elements capture the firm’s prerequisites founded on the recent organizational factors representing a diversified organization. The app has a functional corporate model that focuses on business purposes as foundations for controlling its elements’ interactions.

The following features are most relevant in application’s organization structure: 

global hierarchy, global function-based groups, and topographical divisions. The organizational model also comprises of topographical divisions. In this structural feature, categories are built on geographic areas and related business objectives. For instance, the app uses topographic division to control the e-commerce business based on specific economic circumstances. The strategic aim of securing this feature of the organization model is to enable the company to address concerns applicable to each geographic area, considering the differences among geographical markets.

Function-based teams are the powerful features of the application’s organization model, with each main business task, has a devoted couple, together with managers. The strategic goal of embracing this structural feature is to help the business successfully facilitate online performance management throughout the whole organization. Since the company is considering global expansion, this feature helps ease starting operations in foreign markets. The following are the major function-based teams in the Blueberry organization model: The Chief Executive Officer, Business Development, Web Service, International Consumer Business, Accounting, Legal and Secretarial, Finance, and Consumer Business.

Global hierarchy is a long-established organizational model feature expressed by customer directory App enterprise as a worldwide system of vertical lines of authority that affects the online retail services. For instance, senior management directives are put in all over the organization, impacting all appropriate offices worldwide. This characteristic of the organizational structure’s strategic goal is to ease app’ ‘s entire e organization’s managerial command. 

Organization Risks and their Management

In the current digital economy, risk management plays a crucial role in safeguarding the organization and its capability to execute their business mission, not just its information system assets. Risk management is the procedure of recognizing dangers, analyzing risks, and taking steps to mitigate hazards to a tolerable level. Information and Communications Technology management is responsible for guaranteeing that technology risks are controlled appropriately. Most threats originate from the implementation and use of Information Technology assets in several manners, such as access to prohibited software or incorrectly configuring systems. No matter the company’s brand, if it conducts its business on digital platforms, there is always a probability that its application will be at risk. In this case, the company is positively affected by data breaches, account ransoms, and times getting hacked by online vigilante teams (Wong et al., 2019).

It is impressive that the firm’s management work alongside the Information and Technology department to secure their online operations. Any system breakdown is damaging to e-commerce enterprise since it leads to revenue losses, while hacking is a potential disaster to the firm’s resources and information. Leaked information damages the firm’s brand reputation and can also lead to hefty fines following the current General Data Protection Regulation directives. Blueberry enterprise manages the digital platform risks by applying four risk management strategies; mitigation, avoidance, acceptance, and transfer.

The mitigation process objects to lessen the effect that risks will generate in case one happens. It is usually implemented in circumstances when the risk is unavoidable. For instance, when there is an excessiveness of goods orders in a seasonal period, the firm enables a quick drop shipping procedure through the third party. Avoidance is a strategy for reducing the potential for risk (Sreedevi & Saranga, 2017). For example, if executing a new server will keep back the launch phase of a rebranded website, the firm should keep back the installation until the rebranded website is launched. Risk acceptance is the procedure that readily accepts the outcomes of the risks that might occur. This technique is executed because of how expensive other disaster management options like mitigation and avoidance are. Businesses that are hesitant to pay out much money on mitigating risks are likely to utilize this strategy. For instance, if a project is not completed on time, the solution is to increase its deadline. A transfer strategy aims to move the consequences of risks to the external party. For example, the employee’s chances will intentionally issue consumer data. The application has to install encryptions on the firm’s electronic devices and cut all sensitive customer data such as passwords.

Supply Chain

With the high technological development rate and competition, businesses are executing strategies, tools, and transactions distinctive and medium of distributions that are not hectic. Hence, incorporating online sales with supply chain activities, a business can get raw inputs, then process and distribute its goods to customers or retailers on time. However, this is only possible with the direction of the app. Customer directory app enterprise embracing digital platforms for its sales has lower costs and increases the consumers’ satisfaction (Cahyadi et al., 2020). Furthermore, embracing e-commerce has made it easy for the enterprise to directly access a wide range of consumers by providing products and services over the internet provider. E-commerce in the supply chain leads to faster transactions by eliminating retailers in the medium of distribution, allowing the business to sell and deliver the goods to consumers directly.

Automation will be advanced over a few years. These variations will influence how the business associates and handles with their distributors or consumers, competition, the value and life-cycle of the commodity, and the consumer’s expectations. The execution of online sales has mitigated the impact of uncertainties among various businesses. E-commerce has made the supply chain in-app more elastic and practical because of supply chain cooperation enhancements, removing unwanted information. Hence, the company may find it more helpful to substitute the supply chain cooperation technique into an electronic strategy to gain their Supply Chain competitive advantage.

The supply chain links many diverse parties: social responsibility, product and safety quality, environmental preservation, supply chain security, and information security. Controlling all these parties and tasks needs an outlook that can efficiently link the diverse groups’ interconnection to provide high-quality goods and services. Possessing many groups contributing to and assisting in the production process leads to a longer supply chain. Therefore, digital platforms are playing a vital role in decreasing the cost of the supply chain. If the management structure is not sufficient, it leads to a rise in the failure possibilities. Embracing technology lowers the time between every node in the supply chain. It would also contribute to an improvement in the information distribution rate of the supply chain with other collaborations. Furthermore, there is a distribution cut, transaction costs, and time interval due to immediate product expansion. This adds worthiness to the supply chain, which fascinates more consumers and suppliers to the business entity and achieves a competitive advantage.

Online sales permit the business to ease any Inter-Corporations’ communications and decrease time intervals with further coordination. Hence, a company can easily communicate with various departments or other firms, which cannot hinder production. According to (Tirumala et al., 2020), there is a vast growing amount of literary works on Website channel control techniques in the current e-commerce era. Many dwell on the channel cooperation problem and competitive pricing decisions, in which producers provide goods through the internet and physical stores. Having a website store permits the business to sell its merchandise anytime, spend minimum capital on operational costs, and consumers can compare prices of various companies. With its use, enterprises reach and sell to an extensive range of consumers in different regions of the world by letting customers carry out transactions such as pay and receive receipts online.

The Customer directory implementing influence of customers has positively impacted in terms of profitability and success. The change will open doors for current technologies and payment procedures, which the business is taking advantage of. Customer directory App will double the profits to two billion US dollars. This will also make the credit card companies benefit more from the transactions. Besides, the consumers can quickly fill an application on the app and receive directions from where goods are available, accept them without face to face with the suppliers. Many customers opt for online purchases, whereas the business is gaining a competitive advantage.

The use of the app will enhance Customer directory performance, both internally and externally. Online sales have improved customer service and the accuracy of electronics through the internet. It has also enabled the exchange of information without losing time, money, and investment (Ives et al., 2016). Furthermore, the enterprise is more flexible in controlling the information circulating between the management, customers, and suppliers. With e-commerce, customers can buy goods, track the delivery orders, the shipment method, and make payment for the products. The application has helped the business know what is required to be ordered and packed before time.

In conclusion, Apps and supply chains have become a significant part of today’s world and a vital success component. Without a well-defined supply chain structure, businesses face many breakdowns, mistakes, or delivery delays. Hence, with the execution of online sales and purchasing, enterprises can easily access an extensive range of markets and collect trendy information. This has, therefore, created more opportunities for firms and generated new kinds of businesses. The Kuja Software group has also provided a cloud database software that helps companies control everything from raw inputs to the delivery of finished outputs.

Competitors

In every market segment, some competitors strive to outdo each other in the market. More so in the online platform, many established online platforms produce and sell their products. Therefore, the Customer directory App has stiff competition in the online market because of the numerous competitors. For instance, there is the Amazon Company with its app that also sells on the online platform. It sells fast-moving goods, including household property such as utensils and clothes, beddings, and electronics. Therefore the major challenge is that the registered companies produce similar goods with those of the competitors.

Nevertheless, the production of similar goods has its solution in terms of companies’ pricing techniques. The application charges the lowest prices possible for browsing and searching for the customers’ appropriate commodities. For example, the Amazon Company also has an app that sells at average prices that tend to be a bit expensive because it includes transportation costs. However, the makes the app ideal because, so far, there no such app that does the same job. However, it only gets competition from online platforms. Therefore, the Blueberry App will be directing at relatively lower prices because of the production method. However, to compete fairly in the market with Amazon, the app has to fill all the gaps that are left by the amazon company. The openings include untimely delivery, which has been a complaint by some of the customers. Therefore it is the accepted time to bridge the gap.

The app will have the potentiality to bridge the gap left by the competitors through the efficient transport facilities laid by The Company. It will also be of great significance to the company since it produces its commodities using the locally available raw materials to create affordable products. For Amazon Company as a competitor to Blueberry, the strategies above will help sort the problem out. Therefore, it is vital to differentiate the Blueberry app has its products in the respective companies. 

Another stiff competitor in the online market is the Walmart Company that has grown very big in its market share. Walmart is a giant online company that has survived for more than fifty-five years in the market. That shows how strong it is in the market. Walmart is, therefore, a significant challenge to the new companies coming into the market. The company also deals with the same products that most online companies sell with. Thus, the same problem of the similarity of the goods and services is still another problem in the market. The goods that it deals with include shoes, clothes, and foodstuffs as well. Therefore it calls for proper strategies that will maintain the Blueberry within the competitive market.

 However, before having any plan to enter the market, the market analysis should be done to identify the gap that needs bridging. Therefore, the Blueberry App did the market analysis and realized the weaknesses of the already existing companies. However, the results were revealed that some of the gaps remained unfilled. Therefore it calls the Customer directory App to bridge up the holes by providing the required products at the necessary time and with the right quality and not forgetting the affordability of the prices of the commodities sold by the company. Proper completion in this sector means bridging the gaps that were left unfilled with the other competitors. It will, therefore, indicate the competitiveness of the application in the online company.

Another weakness that was key was the ease of accessibility of the online site. With the search result technique, which will be enhanced by the blueberry company, the success will be sure. When one searches for any online business, the Blueberry will appear at the front with its lucrative and attractive nature. It is eye-catching, therefore, will catch the attention of online viewers. Hence they will get the urge to look into their products. 

Consequently, many will buy some of the commodities through that strategy. Therefore, the sector’s approach is the incoming company’s strategy to match with the competing firms. The factor is not the number of competitors in the market; instead, it is a matter of the company’s strategy to realize its success within the competitive market. Finally, it is clear beyond any reasonable doubt that the customer directory app is sure and ready to compete fairly in the market and thrive due to the strategies and the competitive tools laid down.

References;

• Ananda, A. S., Hernández-García, Á., & Lamberti, L. (2016). N-REL: A comprehensive framework of social media marketing strategic actions for marketing organizations. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 1(3), 170-180.
• Armstrong, C. G., Delia, E. B., & Giardina, M. D. (2016). Embracing the social in social media: An analysis of the social media marketing strategies of the Los Angeles Kings. Communication & Sport, 4(2), 145-165.
• Bossert, O. (2016). A two-speed architecture for the digital enterprise. In Emerging trends in the evolution of service-oriented and enterprise architectures (pp. 139-150). Springer, Cham.
• Cahyadi, I. (2020, July). Developing Digital Application to Improve Business Process Sustainability in An Indonesian Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Company. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1569, No. 3, p. 032023). IOP Publishing.
• Ives, B., Palese, B., & Rodriguez, J. A. (2016). Enhancing Customer Service through the Internet of Things and Digital Data Streams. MIS Quarterly Executive, 15(4).
• McCabe, M. B. (2017). Social media marketing strategies for career advancement: An analysis of LinkedIn. Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences, 29(1), 85.
• Modenov, A. K., & Vlasov, M. P. (2018). Organizational structure and economic security of an enterprise. Revista Espacios, 39(39).
• Sreedevi, R., & Saranga, H. (2017). Uncertainty and supply chain risk: The moderating role of supply chain flexibility in risk mitigation. International Journal of Production Economics, 193, 332-342.
• Tirumala, S., Gumma, Y. L. K., Phaneendra, S., & Fiaidhi, J. (2020). E-Commerce applications using Web-Services.
• Wong, W. P., Tan, H. C., Tan, K. H., & Tseng, M. L. (2019). Human factors in information leakage: mitigation strategies for information sharing integrity. Industrial Management & Data Systems.

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