Factors Impacting Choice of: 20% Product Supplier Platform E-Commerce Business Model Revenue Model Critically evaluate the factors you’ve considered and justify your choice of product, supplier, platform and business model

Summary The aim of the project is to investigate the feasibility of an E-Commerce venture. As part of this you will need to develop a concept for your own theoretical E-Commerce business, investigate it from several angles and then come to a firm conclusion about its viability. Deliverables • report (max 5,500 words). Additional research and any other relevant items can be included as appendices. Your report must include academic and reputable industry references to support your claims and decisions. Assignment Structure and Marks Allocation Descriptive answers will not achieve high marks. All sections must include evaluation, comparison and clear justification of decisions. Factors Impacting Choice of: 20% Product Supplier Platform E-Commerce Business Model Revenue Model Critically evaluate the factors you’ve considered and justify your choice of product, supplier, platform and business model (including, but not limited to benefits/drawbacks, sustainability factors, market size, scalability & costs). Show how you’ve researched and compared each element and what you’ve based it on. You are expected to compare at least two alternatives for each key decision before justifying your final choice. Financial Analysis: 25% Provide a financial analysis of your theoretical e-commerce business and use this to find the most profitable route for your business. This should include profit and loss forecast and customer acquisition costs over a minimum six-month period. Financial analysis must be based on realistic assumptions and clearly show: • Revenue calculated ex VAT • Cost per order (including product, shipping, packaging, fees and returns where relevant) • Customer acquisition cost (CAC) with justification • A clear link between your customer acquisition strategy and your financial projections Positioning In Relation to Competitors: 20% Conduct research into your e-commerce business idea. Consider major players, typical price points and USPs of competitors. Show how you intend to position your business, taking competitors into account. Your positioning must clearly influence your pricing, customer acquisition strategy and overall value proposition. High Level Customer Acquisition Plan: 25% Design a high level customer acquisition plan with a 6-month horizon, illustrating how you intend to bring traffic to your site and, if relevant, increase conversion rates and average spend and increase repeat purchases. Like all marketing plans (even simple ones) this should include objectives, resources required, timelines and expected ROI. Costs for this should be integrated into Financial Analysis. This must not be a list of tactics. You are expected to estimate: • Expected traffic from each channel • Cost per channel • Expected conversion rates • Contribution of each channel to overall customer acquisition Conclusions on Viability: 10% Using all of the above, come to a firm conclusion about the viability of your theoretical e commerce business. Your conclusion must be directly supported by your financial analysis and customer acquisition assumptions. Note: Whilst doing this project, you as academics must remain neutral and unbiased. When marking it won’t matter whether your conclusion is that the business is viable or unviable. You will be marked on the depth of research and thought processes that led you to your conclusion. Requirements: You are expected to support your work using academic sources and reputable industry evidence. This report is to demonstrate academic research and writing skills, creativity and critical thinking as well as learnings from the module. Any outside material you have used in your research must be referenced in a separate page in the References section at the back of the report. Harvard Referencing Style must be used for any external sources. The submissions will be subject to a plagiarism check through the Turnitin. If plagiarism is detected, it will result in a mark of 0. The front page should have the title, your student name and number as well as a declaration that it is your own work. Marking Rubric Category Exemplary Business Model, Product, Platform & Revenue Model (20%) Clear, well-researched and critically evaluated choices. Strong comparison of alternatives. Demonstrates deep understanding of commercial implications, scalability, costs and risks. Financial Analysis (25%) Financials are realistic, clearly structured and internally consistent. Revenue correctly calculated (ex VAT). Costs, CAC and assumptions are clearly justified. Strong link between acquisition and financial outcomes. Positioning in Relation to Competitors (20%) Strong competitor analysis with clear strategic positioning. Demonstrates clear differentiation and links positioning to pricing, value proposition and acquisition strategy. Customer Acquisition Plan (25%) Clear, structured and realistic plan. Channels are justified with estimated traffic, cost and contribution. Strong alignment with financials and objectives. Demonstrates clear commercial thinking. Conclusion on Viability (10%) Clear, well-justified conclusion directly supported by financials and strategy. Demonstrates critical evaluation and awareness of risks and limitations. The idea is: The product is a flameless ambient candle that combines LED lighting with essential oil diffusion. It is designed to replicate the look and atmosphere of a traditional candle using a realistic flickering LED lighting while also providing fragrance through essential oils rather than burning wax. The product includes a refillable scent system allowing customers to change or replace fragrances over time. The key advantage is that it removes the need for an open flame making it safer reusable and lower maintenance while still delivering the same cozy aesthetic experience. It’s like a hybrid between a candle and a diffuser combining ambiance and scent. I found one company that sold this the website is called Lifelines but it is based in America. I’m from Ireland so the competitors would be Yankee candle and La Bougie and any other you may think of. This needs to be realistic! Investigating the Viability Of An E-Commerce Business