Information Technology EC Vish

1. INTRODUCTION

Gaining market share is the main objective for Indiamart involved in sales marketing of specific products. However, deciding on the right marketing strategies is challenging due to numerous factors influencing customer purchasing decisions. It is therefore important to under-stand the customer values and the major preferences, for instance the quality versus price, levels of services, brand loyalty, distribution channels. This study researches customer behavior in a specific market and product area.

2. Purpose of the Study

This is a project with the objective to develop a basic website where a consumer is provided with a shopping cart application and also to know about the technologies used to develop such an application.

3. Research Challenges

The research challenges included the selection of the correct target group as well as the composition of the questionnaire to be compact enough to get the required response rate. In addition, the questions needed to be simple enough and self explanatory to be able to get a clear analysis of the results.

INDIAMART SUMMARY

IndiaMART.com is India's largest online B2B marketplace for Small & Medium Size Businesses, connecting global buyers with suppliers. The company offers a platform & tools to over 1 million suppliers to generate business leads from over 5 million buyers, who use the platform to find reliable & competitive suppliers. The company has over 4000 employees located across 75 offices in the country. Its existing investors include Intel Capital and Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.

IndiaMART.com offers products that enable small & medium size businesses generate business leads (online catalogs/store-fronts), establish their credibility (third party verified trust profile) and use business information (finance, news, trade shows, tenders) for their business promotion.

IndiaMART.com has won numerous awards over the years, which include coveted Red Herring Award, Emerging India Award, among others. The company has also been widely covered by media for its pioneering role in promoting SME business in the country.

Its existing investors include Intel Capital and Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd (Times Group), India's largest print media group.

IndiaMART Knowledge Services: An in-house unit involved in SME research, forecasting, analysis and education. It conducts independent surveys, etc. & holds workshops for SMEs to educate them on specific areas such as Marketing, IT, etc.

The Board of Directors

Mr. DINESH AGARWALFOUNDER & CEO, IndiaMART.com

Dinesh Agarwal is the founder and CEO of IndiaMART.com, India's largest online B2B marketplace connecting Indian suppliers with domestic and international buyers. Founded in 1996, Dinesh is credited with leading IndiaMART.com through a decade and a half with an unblemished record of being profitable from d ay one - a feat no other online company in India has been able to emulate.

Mr. BRIJESH AGRAWALCOO, IndiaMART.com

Brijesh Agrawal is the Chief Operating Officer, IndiaMART.com. Being a part of the core management team, Brijesh has been the brainchild behind the creation of a plethora of innovative products of IndiaMART.

Mr. DEEP KALRAFOUNDER & CEO, MakeMyTrip.com

Deep Kalra holds rich past experience at GE Capital, AMF Bowling Inc. and ABN AMRO Bank. He is a member of the Executive Council of NASSCOM and chairs the NASSCOM Internet Working Group.

Mr. M. K. ChouhanMANAGING DIRECTOR, Mahendra&Ardneham Consulting (P) Ltd.

Mr. RAJESH SAWHNEY PRESIDENT, Reliance Entertainment Private Ltd.

Core values

For us they are simple and straight; take responsibility, work with passion and commitment, move ahead as a team and conserve the integrity.

We firmly believe that core values keep organizations stable and focused to the common goal. Our core values have helped us achieve our mission to bring measurable benefits to our customers.

ResponsibilityResponsibility, not just of quality work but of continuous self-development, of our decisions and of our actions. This helps us think rationally and provides a sense of accountability to ourselves, our commitment to customers and to our colleagues.

Passion

Work at IndiaMART.com involves constant innovation and creativity. It involves a continuous thought process to get tangible benefits to our customers, taking into account the uniqueness of their purpose. Passionate people with a determination to make the difference are the ones who make this possible.

Team Work

Together we can achieve the impossible" is our belief. Our success is a result of our team work. Experts from the field of management, marketing, IT, arts, content & various other disciplines work as a team on every project, every endeavour. Dedication, passion and teamwork are the true means to our mission fulfillment.

Integrity

We realize the importance of the job & information we handle. We understand the responsibility that each member of our team has to shoulder and we do that with highest levels of trust, honesty and integrity - of purpose and action.

Awards & Achievements

Success of our customers is our greatest achievement. Their confidence in us and our innovation, to give them the best, has got us applauds from various sources.IndiaMART.com wins the Red Herring 100 Asia Awards 2008

IndiaMART.com nominated among the top three at Emerging India Awards 2008

IndiaMART.com's successful business model featured on CNBC India as analyzed by McKinseyBestowed with "Amity Corporate Excellence Award" on the occasion of the Tenth Business International Horizon INBUSH 2008

Recognized by Business Money (UK's leading financial magazine) for IndiaMART's ten years of successful contribution to Indian businesses

Declared as India's only profit-making dotcom company by Business World (Cover story)

Special footage for IndiaMART.com's contribution in enabling e-business for exporters from Moradabad; Mr Dinesh Agarwal interviewed (India Tomorrow - BBC News) www.indiantravelportal.com bags eighth "BIG" Award from Britannicaindia.com

IndiaMART.com nominated for Britannica Internet Guide (BIG) Awards for excellence on Internet

IndiaMART.com listed among Top Indian Websites under Business-to-Business category by Ecomready Top Indian Site by www.indiatimes.com

Termed as 'Online Gateway to Indian marketplace'- The Economic 7Times

Best Travel Site- www.indiantravelportal.com by India Online: DD News

Site of the day - Handicraft.IndiaMART.com by Zee News

Listed in the Top Indian IT organisations survey by Dataquest

Nominated amongst the Top 5 Indian Sites by Microsoft.

Fact Sheet

We endeavor to maximize value for our customers by offering them efficient and cost-effective solutions for business promotion, process support and transaction accomplishment.

1996-97 IndiaMART.com, India's first online B2B directory, launched Successfully introduces free listing & free-query forwarding concept to familiarize Indian SMEs with benefits of Internet for business promotion Accomplishes India's first e-commerce project for Nirula's (http://nirulas.com) Achieves break-even within 6 months of the launch

1997-98 Successfully crosses 100 clients mark Initiates franchisee network program

1998-99 Launches Handicraft, Apparel & Finance channels Increases workforce to 40 B2B marketplace network surges to 1 million page views/month mark

1999-2000 Accomplishes 'Bharat On Line' - MTNL's online portal project Launches auto industry channel Opens branch office in financial hub of India - Mumbai Crosses Rs 1 crore revenue mark

2000-01 Touches 5 million page views/month Crosses 1000 clients mark Registers 100,000 business queries/month Accomplishes prestigious online projects for HHEC, Jindal Organization, ModiCorp Wins Britannica (BIG) Award for Travel.IndiaMART.com Profits increased by 128% over last year Company becoming limited, from InterMESH Systems, to IndiaMARTInterMESH Limited

2001-02 Business World magazine declares IndiaMART.com as "the only profitable Indian Dotcom, with positive cash flows" [Cover Story: 14 May 2001 issue] Adds exclusive services to its portfolio - Electronic Trade Offers & Request for Quotation / Request for Proposal CNBC India recognizes IndiaMART.com as one of the only profitable dotcoms in India based on report by McKinsey

2002-03 Moves operations to state-of-the-art NOIDA development center Launches Exim.IndiaMART.com Crosses 200,000 business queries mark with 12 million page views

2003-04 Launches TrustSEAL to bridge the trust gap in B2B trade Crosses 3000 clients mark Touches 26 million page views per month, generating more than 300,000 business queries

2004-05 Becomes first ISO 9001:2000 company in its domain Surpasses 8000 clients mark

2005-06 IndiaMART.com completed ten successful years (1996-2006) Crossed 10,000 clients mark Launches MDC, a four-page online catalog for clients Implements corporate-wide WEBERP Acquires new office at B-6, Sec 8, NOIDA

2006-07 BCCL (Times of India Group) makes strategic investment in IndiaMART.com Launches new Templated Product Catalogs

2007-08 Launches IndiaMART Sourcing Guide Commences International Trade Fair Participation initiative Wins 'Amity Corporate Excellence Award 2008' Wins 'ShiromaniYojanaPuraskar' award 5,00,000 members registered on IndiaMART.com

2008-09 Intel Capital makes strategic investment in IndiaMART.com Wins 'Emerging India Award 2008' as a second runner-up Wins 'Red Herring 100 Asia 2008' award Launches Video Profiles for "Leading Suppliers" IndiaMART.com footprints cover over 100 towns in India Participates in more than 100 international & 200 domestic trade shows

2009-10 IAMAI declares IndiaMART.com as India's largest online B2B marketplace Mr. Deep Kalra (Founder & CEO of Makemytrip.com) & Dr. NachiketMor (President, ICICI Foundation) join IndiaMART.com Board of Directors More than 300,000 products listed on IndiaMART.com

2010-11 Takes a giant leap in SME space & launches 'IndiaMART Leaders of Tomorrow Awards' IndiaMART.com member base surges to 1 million suppliers Celebrates 14 years of grand success Launches FREE tenders service - a first in India Being a socially responsible corporate, associates with "MeriDilliMeri Yamuna" campaign The SmartTechie ranks IndiaMART.com among India's '25 Most Promising Internet Cos.'

Dynamic Catalog

A comprehensive online marketing program that provides enhanced enquiry generation.

Trust Seal

Trust Seal is a business verification service that checks supplier's records of existence, credibility and trustworthiness for the benefit of buyers.

Star Supplier

With Star Supplier to your support, you can get premium positioning among suppliers in all the relevant categories.

Leading Supplier

Leading Supplier is the right choice for companies who have a right mix of infrastructure, management capabilities and experience in servicing global buyers.

Banner Advertising

Build your brand & drive traffic to your website with Banner Advertising

Application Of E-Commerce

E-commerce is fast gaining ground as an accepted and used business paradigm. More and more business houses are implementing web sites providing functionality for performing commercial transactions over the web. It is reasonable to say that the process of shopping on the web is becoming commonplace.

The objective of this project is to develop a general purpose e-commerce store where any product (such as Commoditys, CDs, computers, mobile phones, electronic items, and home appliances) can be bought from the comfort of home through the Internet. However, for implementation purposes, this paper will deal with an online Commodity store.

An online store is a virtual store on the Internet where customers can browse the catalog and select products of interest. The selected items may be collected in a shopping cart. At checkout time, the items in the shopping cart will be presented as an order. At that time, more information will be needed to complete the transaction. Usually, the customer will be asked to fill or select a billing address, a shipping address, a shipping option, and payment information such as credit card number. An e- mail notification is sent to the customer as soon as the order is placed.

Literature Review

Electronic Commerce (e-commerce) applications support the interaction between different parties participating in a commerce transaction via the network, as well as the management of the data involved in the process [2].

The increasing importance of e-commerce is apparent in the study conducted by researches at the GVU (Graphics, Visualization, and Usability) Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In their summary of the findings from the eighth survey, the researchers report that e-commerce is taking off both in terms of the number of users shopping as well as the total amount people are spending via Internet based transactions.

Over three quarters of the 10,000 respondents report having purchased items online. The most cited reason for using the web for personal shopping was convenience (65%), followed by availability of vendor information (60%), no pressure form sales person (55%) and saving time (53%).

Although the issue of security remains the primary reason why more people do not purchase items online, the GVA survey also indicates that faith in the security of e-commerce is increasing. As more people gain confidence in current encryption technologies, more and more users can be expected to frequently purchase items online .A good e-commerce site should present the following factors to the customers for better usability : Knowing when an item was saved or not saved in the shopping cart.

Returning to different parts of the site after adding an item to the shopping cart.

Easy scanning and selecting items in a list.

Effective categorical organization of products.

Simple navigation from home page to information and order links for specific products. Obvious shopping links or buttons.

Minimal and effective security notifications or messages.

Consistent layout of product information.

Another important factor in the design of an e-commerce site is feedback [4]. The interactive cycle between a user and a web site is not complete until the web site responds to a command entered by the user. According to Norman [5], "feedback--sending back to the user information about what action has actually been done, what result has been accomplished--is a well known concept in the science of control and information theory. Imagine trying to talk to someone when you cannot even hear your own voice, or trying to draw a picture with a pencil that leaves no mark: there would be no feedback".

Web site feedback often consists of a change in the visual or verbal information presented to the user. Simple examples include highlighting a selection made by the user or filling a field on a form based on a user's selection from a pull down list. Another example is using the sound of a cash register to confirm that a product has been added to an electronic shopping cart.

Completed orders should be acknowledged quickly. This may be done with an acknowledgment or fulfillment page. The amount of time it takes to generate and download this page, however, is a source of irritation for many e-commerce users. Users are quick to attribute meaning to events. A blank page, or what a user perceives to be "a long time" to receive an acknowledgment, may be interpreted as "there must be something wrong with the order." If generating an acknowledgment may take longer than what may be reasonably expected by the user, then the design should include intermediate feedback to the user indicating the progress being made toward acknowledgment or fulfillment.

Finally, feedback should not distract the user. Actions and reactions made by the web site should be meaningful. Feedback should not draw the user's attention away from the important tasks of gathering information, selecting products, and placing orders.

Project Design

In order to design a web site, the relational database must be designed first. Conceptual design can be divided into two parts: The data model and the process model. The data model focuses on what data should be stored in the database while the process model deals with how the data is processed. To put this in the context of the relational database, the data model is used to design the relational tables. The process model is used to design the queries that will access and perform operations on those tables.

Data Model

A data model is a conceptual representation of the data structures that are required by a database. The first step in designing a database is to develop an Entity-Relation Diagram (ERD). The ERD serves as a blue print from which a relational database maybe deduced. Figure 1 shows the ERD for the project and later we will show the transformation from ERD to the Re lational model.

entity A matches exactly one record in entity B and every record in B matches exactly one record in A. One to many means that every record in A matches zero or more records in B and every record in B matches exactly one record in A. If there is a one to many relationship between two entities, then these entities are represented as Associative Entities. In the Relational Database model, each of the entities will be transformed into a table. The tables are shown below along with the attributes.

Database Design

In this section, the basic structure of the tables composing the database for the

project are shown along with information about primary and foreign keys.

Customer

SNONAMETYPEDESCRIPTION

1UserIDVarcharPrimary key for Customer identification

2PasswordVarcharSecurity for Customer

3First_NameVarchar

4Last_NameVarchar

5AddressVarchar

6CityVarchar

7ZipInteger

8StateVarchar

9Email AddressVarchar

10Phone_NumberVarchar

Commoditys


1InventoryIDIntegerPrimary key for Inventory Identification,

ISBN of a Commodity

2Commodity_NameVarchar

3AuthorVarchar

5Nr_CommoditysInteger

6PriceDouble

State_Tax


1State NameVarcharPrimary key for State Identification

2Sales Tax RateDoubleSales tax for each state

Shopping_Cart_Items


1ShoppingCartIDIntegerPrimary key for Shopping Cart

Identification

2InventoryIDVarcharForeign key to Inventory

3PriceDouble

4DateDate

5UserIDVarcharForeign key to Customer

6QuantityInteger

Order_Details


1OrderIDIntegerPrimary key for Order identification

1UserIDCharForeign key to Customer

2Receivers NameCharIf order is to be sent to other address rather

than to the customer, we need that address

3AddressChar

4CityChar

5ZipInteger

6StateCharForeign key to State Tax

7Type of ShippingCharForeign key to Shipping Type

8Date of PurchaseDate

Shipping_Type


1Type of ShippingVarcharPrimary key to define type of shipping

2PriceDouble

3Approximate daysInteger

for delivery

Credit_Card_Details


1Credit UsernameVarcharPrimary key for Customer Identification

2Credit CardVarchar

Number

3Card TypeVarcharMaster Card, Visa, Discover

4CVV NumberIntegerNumber present on the back of the card for

extra security

5Expiry DateDate

6UserIDVarcharForeign key to Customer

Commodity_Review


1InventoryIDVarcharISBN of the Commodity on which the review is

written

2ReviewsVarcharReview on the Commodity

3RatingVarcharRating given to the Commodity in a scale of 5

4Review DateDate

5User NameVarcharName of the user providing the review

Purchase_History


1UserIDVarcharPrimary key for Customer Identification

2InventoryIDVarcharCommodity purchased by the user

3Date of PurchaseDate

4OrderIDIntegerForeign key to Order_details

5QuantityInteger

6PriceDouble

Process Model

A Process Model tells us about how the data is processed and how the data flows from one table to another to gather the required information. This model consists of the Functional Decomposition Diagram and Data Flow Diagram.

Functional Decomposition Diagram

A decomposition diagram shows a top-down functional decomposition of a system and exposes the system's structure. The objective of the Functional Decomposition is to break down a system step by step, beginning with the main function of a system and continuing wit h the interim levels down to the level of elementary functions. The diagram is the starting point for more detailed process diagrams, such as data flow diagrams (DFD). Figure 2 shows the Functional Decomposition Diagram for this project.

Figure 2 Functional Decomposition Diagram

Data Flow Diagram (DFD)

Data Flow Diagrams show the flow of data from external entities into the system, and from one process to another within the system. There are four symbols for drawing a DFD:

1. Rectangles representing external entities, which are sources or destinations of data.

2. Ellipses representing processes, which take data as input, validate and process it and output it.

3. Arrows representing the data flows, which can either, be electronic data or physical items. 4. Open-ended rectangles or a Disk symbol representing data stores, including electronic stores such as databases or XML files and physical stores such as filing cabinets or stacks of paper.

Figures 3 - 14 are the Data Flow Diagrams for the current system. Each process within the system is first shown as a Context Level DFD and later as a Detailed DFD. The Context Level DFD provides a conceptual view of the process and its surrounding input, output and data stores. The Detailed DFD provides a more detailed and comprehensive view of the interaction among the sub-processes within the system.

Customer-Browse Context DFD

Figure 3 Customer - Browse Context DFD

Customer-Browse Detailed DFD

Figure 4 Customer - Browse Detailed DFD

Customer - ShoppingCart Context DFD

Figure 5 Customer Shopping Cart Context DFD

Customer - ShoppingCart Detailed DFD

Figure 6 Customer - Shopping Cart Detailed DFD

Customer-Authentication Context DFD


Customer-Authentication-PurchaseHistory DFD


Customer-Authentication-UserProfile DFD

Figure 9 Customer Authentication UserProfile DFD

Authenticated User-Purchase Context DFD

Figure 10 Authenticated User-Purchase Context DFD

Authenticated User-Purchase DFD

Figure 11 Customer - Authentication - Purchase DFD

Customer-NewUserRegistration DFD

DEFINING THE OBJECTIVE

Defining the Objectives

1. To understand the buying behavior activities of a product like Quantity or preference2. To know how buyers are able to access the largest database of Indian suppliers through INDIA MART.COM. 3. To gain knowledge about the various major components of online promotions like Online Directory/Indiamart Yellow Pages, Online Product Catalogs, Trade Leads , Product portals. 4. To understand how business promotions are done through online to attract customers through various portals. 5. To survey the market through questionnaire preparation and understand the customer's perception regarding the online purchasing activities of the Products

Planning the Research

Secondly, the researcher has to develop the research plan for collecting information and by doing this, determine what kind of data will be collected. Secondary data consists of material collected for another purpose that already exists and is defined as data that has already been collected by another researcher for another purpose . Information collected by or for an organization to address that organizations specific research question or needs is referred to as primary data. It can also be identified as the fresh data that the researcher collects for the specific research on hand. After the preliminaries have been determined, the methodologies of the research need to be chosen.

Data Collection Method

The main methodologies used in marketing research are qualitative and quantitative re-search. Qualitative data is defined as exploratory research that aims to understand consumers attitudes, values, behavior and beliefs. Qualitative re-search provides information about the motives behind the customer decisions, or their perceptions and expectations of products. The aim is to get responses about the respondents thoughts and feelings on the given topic and examples of qualitative research methods include depth interviews and focus groups . Qualitative data is referred to as data that reflects attitudes and opinions collected by unstructured or semi-structured methods to gain insight into buyer behavior. Qualitative research is also referred to as information that cannot be put into a numerical format.

The other research methodology is quantitative research which is defined as a method of analysis which provides data, normally numerical, for statistical analysis . Quantitative research produces numbers and figures and shows the quantities of respondents who for instance, recognize a specific product or brand. The target group is usually large so that the responses could be projected as the opinions of the whole population. Quantitative research are generally gathered with surveys and presented in a numerical format in statistics, tables, and graphs. Surveys are defined as interviews with a large number of respondents using a pre-designed questionnaire . Questionnaires consist of different types of research questions which are given to the respondent with the aim of acquiring specific information. Questionnaires are a form of survey using questions which can be either open-ended, or have a choice of pre-set answers . The correct target groups need to be determined in both methodologies to secure the desired responses and research results.

The empirical data for this project was collected with both quantitative and qualitative methods. The main research method was conducted with a questionnaire that was sent to a specific amount of people, with the hope of a minimum of respondent finishing the survey. The qualitative approach was through an in-depth interview with the sales manager for the company department in question.

The Market Research Process

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY


Research refers to a search for knowledge. It can be defined as a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic.Research comprises defining and redefining problems, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions; collecting, organizing and evaluating data; making deduction and reaching conclusions; and at last carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis Clifford Wood.


It is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be understood as science of studying how research is done scientifically. In it we study the various steps that are generally adopted by the researcher in studying his research problem along with the logic behind them. In general methodology is an optional framework within which the facts are placed so that the meaning may be seen more clearly. The sources of data shown that designing of a research plan calls for decision on the data sources are research approaches (primary and secondary data) research instruments (observation survey experiment) sampling plan and contact methods(personal interviews).

RESEARCH DESIGN

A research design is the determination and statement of the general research approach or strategy adopted for the particular project. It is the heart of the planning. If the design adheres to the research objectives, it will ensure that the client need will be served.Research design is a plan structured and strategies of investigation. It is the arrangement of condition and analysis of data in a manner to combine relevance to the research purpose with economy in procedure.In order to achieve the objective it was necessary to talk to the Customer and public to draws the conclusions regarding the objective.For visiting the Customer and publics to collect the relevant information; a questionnaire has to be designed. The questionnaire was designed in such a manner to achieve the objective of the research. The sample size taken is 10 respondents.

TYPE OF RESEARCH

In this project Descriptive Research has been used.

Descriptive Research

This is a kind of research structure which is concerned with describing the characteristics of the problem. In this way the main purpose of such a research design is to present a descriptive picture about the marketing problem on the basis of actual facts. For this it is important to obtain the complete and actual information about the subjects.

NATURE OF RESEARCHQuantitative type of research has been used. As all the data was based on numerical figures obtained in the survey.

TYPE OF QUESTIONSThe questions were self-administered, with a view to obtain maximum information from the respondent that is why the questions were straightforward.TYPE OF QUESTIONNAIREThe entire questionnaire was standardized and formalized.TYPE OF ANALYSISAs all the data found in the survey are totally numericals so the type of analysis was statistical.SOURCE OF DATAPRIMARY DATAThe data which is collected fresh and for the first time and thus happen to be the original one characteristic is called primary data.SECONDARY DATAThe data which is already collected by someone else and which have been passed through the statistical process is known as the secondary data.METHODS OF COLLECTING PRIMARY DATA

Interview MethodIn this Project I have taken the questionnaire method for collecting necessary information. In this method a questionnaire is given to the person concerned with question to answers the question and return the questionnaire. A questionnaire consists of number of questions printed in a definite order on a form or a set of forms.

SECONDARY DATA COLLECTIONThe report mainly consists of data from the primary source gathered through the schedule of questions and from other sources of websites, newspapers, etc.

Data Analysis

After the collection, the next step for the researcher is to analyze the data and eventually present the findings to the company or client who requested the research. In case of a quantitative research, the researcher can tabulate data and develop frequency mathematical distribution whose objective is to obtain a count of the number of responses associated with different values of one variable and to express these counts in percentage terms is the definition of frequency distribution. Data analysis is de-fined as the coding, tabulation, and analysis of marketing research. Usually averages and measures are computed for major variables, although to be able to draw comprehensive conclusions from the research, the response rate has to be high enough. The response rate is the amount of respondents that agree to participate in the research, and the expected rate is usually determined in the beginning stages of the research process. The researcher can draw conclusions from the final findings and make recommendations on which the company can make future decisions.

The analysis of the data in this thesis was conducted with the help of a survey program the questionnaire was made with. The program calculated the averages and percentages of each respondent, and from there the answers were segmented by the executor of the study. The segmentation was made on the basis of which in-formation would interest and benefit the company the most. The respondents were divided into groups depending on their sales background and line of business, and the analysis results are presented in different smaller segments as well as the average responses of the whole target group. The frequency distributions per segments are presented.

Validity

A measure is valid to the extent that variability in scores among objects reflects the true differences of the characteristics being measured . The validity represents the valid level of the responses in terms of how the responses matched the aim of the research question. Basically if a research is valid, the research has met the purpose of what was supposed to be measured. the extent to which differences in observed scale scores reflect true differences among objects on the characteristics being measures, rather than systematic or random errors. A research is not measured as valid if the respondent have not understood the question asked correctly but the research executor still analyzes the results in question.

The research conducted for this thesis is valid because the analysis was based only on the questions that were correctly comprehended by the respondents.50

Reliability

Reliability is defined as being the similarity of results provided by independent but complex measures of the same object or construct. In other words, reliability assures that there is similarity in the results between similar researches.

The research in this project is reliable due to the fact that the responses were clear and some-what general. An identical research has not been conducted in the specific product market in question, but a marketing company researched consumer preferences in another market of the Services department. The results were similar although the questions were different and the survey was conducted by telephone which enabled freer answers from the respondents.

Methodological Implications

There are different methods of conducting market research although the major guidelines are generally followed. The research process presents the different steps that need to be considered before starting the research. When the process is completed and the results are analyzed, the validity and reliability of the results need to be examined. The validity and reliability of the research conducted in this Project are solid although the questions in the survey could be extended and specified to gain more specific answers.

Question

Basic concept

The structure of the interview concept is based on the following pattern:

Identifying the target person for the interview; Preference of brand or quality while buying the Product

For the purposes of the , the participant was, on the one hand, to be made aware of the general subject. On the other hand, the question is to ascertain whether the brand or type of services played a determining role in the purchasing process.

Questionnaire

1.How frequently do you visit indiamart website?[ ] once in a week [ ] once in 15 days[ ] once in a month [ ] once in 2-3 months

2. Which products do you purchase more often in indiamart online store ?[ ] groceries [ ] electronic goods [ ] apparels[ ] others (specify)____________________

3. Through which source you came to know about indiamart online store?

[ ] news paper [ ] f.m radio [ ] news paper [ ] friends/others

4. What Interest you to purchase products from indiamart online store ?

[ ] low price [ ] better quality [ ] variety of products [ ] various brands

5. Is Indiamart website is willing to provide you with a larger variety of product?[ ] yes [ ] no [ ] not many [ ] none6. How is the website space for moving around for products?

[ ] its free space [ ] not free space [ ] small space [ ] congested

7. How well the customer representatives at Indiamart online store interact with you?

[ ] effective [ ] not effective [ ] good [ ] no interaction

8. How is the customer service in online store, is it effective in providing service?[ ] fast service [ ] slow service [ ] not sufficient service [ ] not good service

9. Would you be waiting for a long time at the delivery from indiamart online store?

[ ] yes [ ] no

10. Have any other preferences Apart from indiaMart online store?

[ ] yes [ ] no

11. Have you purchased any product at indiamart online store just by visiting first time?[ ] yes [ ] no [ ] not first time [ ] more than two times (visiting)

12. Which interest you to re-enter our indiamart website?

[ ] low prices [ ] product quality & availability [ ] Suppliers service[ ] seasonal offers & discounts

13. How is indiamart online store maintaining product quality, quantity compare to other retail stores?

[ ] good [ ] normal [ ] not good [ ] poor

14..How is you feeling after shoping at Indiamart online store ?

[ ] feel very satisfied [ ] satisfied [ ] not satisfied

ANALYSIS THROUGH STATISTICAL TOOLSOFPECENTAGE SCALE AND PIE CHART

Types Of optionOnce in a weekOnce in 15 daysOnce in a monthOnce in 2 to 3 month

No. of participants1015520

Percentage20%30%10%40%

Types Of optionNews paperF.m radioInternetFriends/others

No. of participants30nil155

Percentage60%nil30%10%

Types Of optiongrocerieselectronic goodsOffice utilitiesOthers



Types Of optionlow pricebetter qualityvariety of productsvarious brands



Types Of optionyesnonot manyNone

No. of participants40-10-

Percentage80%nil20%Nil

Types Of optionits free spacenot free spacesmall spacecongested

No. of participants405nil5

Percentage80%10%nil10%

Types Of optioneffectivenot effectivegoodno interaction

No. of participants30Nil20Nil

Percentage60%Nil40%Nil

Types Of optionfast serviceslow servicenot sufficient servicenot good service



Types Of optionYesNo


Percentage90%10%

Types Of optionYesNo


Percentage10%90%

Types Of optionyesNoNot first timemore than two times (visiting)

No. of participantsnil151520

Percentagenil30%30%30%

Types Of optionGoodnormalnot goodPoor

No. of participants4010nilNil

Percentage80%20%NilNil

Types Of optionlow pricesproduct quality & availabilitySuppliers Servicesseasonal offers & discounts



Types Of optionfeel very satisfiedsatisfiedNot goodnot satisfied

No. of participants3020nilNil

Percentage60%40%nilNil

FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

Findings

After I completed my training in indiaMART, I had a very mixed experience regarding the online promotions . My analysis showed the customr were very happy in interacting with Indiamart .Indiamart is having a very good standing in the market at the present market outset. Being an online promotional company , they have taken subtle online promotional strategies which is fruitful for the company. During this session ,I had managed to interact to many buyers ,prepared the questionnaire for their buyers perception towards the activities of Indiamart.com and I come up with the companys positive and the negative aspects along with some limitations.1. Some of the important findings in Indiamart was that most of the Buyers were very reluctant to spend money on the online Purchasing of products. 2. They have a very good knowledge of the online retail websites which are prevalent in the market and they are interested also. 3. They are also aware of the other competitors in the market like alibaba.com, tradeindia.com, etc 4. Most importantly they have enough faith on indiamart.com and they are very much interested in buying the product through the indiamart as they know the number of Suppliers in Indiamart are very high. 5. They are also in the belief that if they want to Buy product globally globally, online purchasing are necessary. 6. During the interaction with the buyers ,it was very much clear of the fact that the service rendered by indiamart is of supreme quality and they want to be the client of the company.

ANALYSIS

Most of the businessman is aware of the Internet or online business. But they are not aware of the exact process neither they are in a mood to know until nor unless they are being told of the benefits they can have by entering into this business promotion. It was also concluded that Indiamart is the most known company in this kind of industry. The major hand to achieve this goal is because of the strategy followed by Indiamart that is their mode of calling the potential clients and generating awareness about them. The follow up process made by the company also has a good hand in the awareness about the Indiamart. The good percentage of satisfied clients is also an additional factor for its publicity. Most of its clients are satisfied and they place Indiamart as the best company in this industry. The appraisal made by them proves an addition to its image in the market. The wide range of products offered by the company helps the customer to have the product of his choice and the very tool of the customized solution in an additional factor, which attracts towards Indiamart. Thus it could be said the company is in a good position in the market and is expected to have a bright future ahead.

LIMITATIONS OBSERVED

Following are some limitations which affect our performance in the organization. Indiamart.com is providing eminent facilities so as to increase and maintain the performance of each and every employee in the organization.

1. Some of the suppliers are satisfied with the present status of their Purchases. They dont want to buy further due to limited money or lack of vision and like to avoid risk.

2. The price factor also plays key role in generating leads because aware customers are likely to respond to that services which offer maximum advantages at minimum cost. For e.g. tradeindia.com provides almost same services but at considerably low amount as compared to indiamart.com.

3. Some of the clients are not able to afford the cost or price that indiamart.com offers. It necessitates keeping record of their status at regular interval. For e.g. with the help of appointment at regular intervals, the probability of converting the prospect into regular client can be found out.

4 .Many of the clients had bad experiences as a result they have withdrawn from it. The most likely reasons are late service or late delivery.. 5. Most of the organizations are controlled from their respective headquarters as a result the decision remains pending for a long period of time. Regular follow up is required to maintain their proper status.

6. The absence of respective departmental head because of meetings or on leave requires follow up on continuous basis.

7. Some of the clients are very satisfied with market locally and so they do not go for online marketing.

8.Few clients are satisfied with their present service provider in all respect so they dont want to change it.

9. Some of the organizations are positive about online promotional services but they cant afford it at present .

RECOMMENDATION

Recommendations

For an effective online promotional marketing strategy for a manufacturer, there are some recommendations which need to be followed so as to increase the revenue of the company.

REGISTRATIONS AT B2B MARKETPLACES Leveraging services of an online B2B marketplace opens up numerous doors of opportunities. It offers both options for registrations free and paid. The latter offers additional features to enhance business prospects. To gain maximum exposure manufacturing companies should register at many online B2B marketplaces as possible and be visible to buyers visiting from across the globe.

BUILD A WEBSITE

A website that covers complete product and company information along with client testimonials has become a prerequisite for manufacturers looking for web presence. Updating the product catalogue and other latest happenings such as trade fare participations at regular intervals is also essential to keep the customers and visitors interest. The company must be prompt in replying to business queries from buyers over email or phone.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION

Also the manufacturer firms should register themselves at Google Local , Google Maps, and similar services across all search engines, both major and minor.

EMAIL MARKETING

A concrete database of the target customers from a reliable source should be obtained and send mailers using a service that gives detailed statistics of its rate ,click through ,etc.

BUILD TRUST

Online marketing is mainly based on trust. You can capitalize on mechanism which bridge the trust gap associated with the online medium and enhance your credibility.Indiamart.com has a business verification service Trust Seal and that needs to be used in a very fair way to obtain the customers trust.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING:

It is a powerful tool to speed the word about your company and increase network possibilities , social media , holds immense potentials. Sending regular update messages in your LinkedIn network , updating companys products at various blogs,uploading product pictures on photo sharing sites like Flickr,putting product videos on all video sharing siteslike You Tube, placing company presentations and documents on document sharing sites, such as Slide shares, Scribd,etc can improve the suppliers perceptions over the online promotional products.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions

The main purpose of Dissertation is to gain practical knowledge and apply our skills in practical and real environment. It is the time when we have to sharpen our skills, abilities and knowledge which would help me in getting final placement. In Indiamart.com, I have got an opportunity to explore my potential. By preparing extensive research reports I have attained fundamental knowledge of online promotional services, its scope, the suppliers perceptions towards the different online promotional tools provided by the company and its importance in coming years. I have also come across various technicalities related to online promotional services. I am very confident that after completing my internship in Indiamart.com Company I would have mastered in various online promotional services.

The purpose of this study was to give an insight to customer preferences in the services market, and the objectives were achieved to some extent. The research results of this study provide new information as to which areas more effort should be put into. The research could have been more extensive to get a deeper view of the customers opinion on the product itself, even though the research provided a general picture of the market preferences.

REFERENCES

References:-1. Kotler, Philip Marketing Managementpublished byVikaspublishing house Pvt. ltd.New Delhi. 1. Kothari, C. R. .Research Methodology. (third. edition 2007) published by. new age international (P) ltd. 1. CMA Magazine (Cement Manufacturers Association)1. Aaker, D.A. and Shansby, J. (1982) Positioning your Product, Business Horizons, 25, (May/June), 56-62

1. Crawford, C. M. (1985) A New Positioning Typology, journal of Product InnovationManagement, 4 , 243-253

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Web Based References:-

1. http://www.IndiaMart.com1. http://www.amzon.com1. http://www.wikipedia.com1. http://www.answer.com1. http://www.cma.com

ANNEXURE

ANNEXURE

Questionnaire

Name: Date: Designation:

(Tick as Appropriate)Section-A: Personal Data

1. Your Age1) Bellow 25 yrs2)25-29 yrs 3) 30-34 yrs 4) 35 yrs & Above

1. Gender1) Male 2) Female

1. What is Your Qualification?1) Undergraduate 2) Graduate 3) Post-Graduate

1. How long have you been working in this company? 1) Less than 3 yrs 2)3-5 yrs3) Above 5 yrs

Section-B: Survey Question

1.How frequently do you visit indiamart website?[ ] once in a week [ ] once in 15 days[ ] once in a month [ ] once in 2-3 months

2. Which products do you purchase more often in indiamart online store ?[ ] groceries [ ] electronic goods [ ] apparels[ ] others (specify)____________________

3. Through which source you came to know about indiamart online store?

[ ] news paper [ ] f.m radio [ ] news paper [ ] friends/others

4. What Interest you to purchase products from indiamart online store ?

[ ] low price [ ] better quality [ ] variety of products [ ] various brands

5. Is Indiamart website is willing to provide you with a larger variety of product?[ ] yes [ ] no [ ] not many [ ] none6. How is the website space for moving around for products?

[ ] its free space [ ] not free space [ ] small space [ ] congested

7. How well the customer representatives at Indiamart online store interact with you?

[ ] effective [ ] not effective [ ] good [ ] no interaction

8. How is the customer service in online store, is it effective in providing service?[ ] fast service [ ] slow service [ ] not sufficient service [ ] not good service

9. Would you be waiting for a long time at the delivery from indiamart online store?

[ ] yes [ ] no

10. Have any other preferences Apart from indiaMart online store?

[ ] yes [ ] no

11. Have you purchased any product at indiamart online store just by visiting first time?[ ] yes [ ] no [ ] not first time [ ] more than two times (visiting)

12. Which interest you to re-enter our indiamart website?

[ ] low prices [ ] product quality & availability [ ] Suppliers service[ ] seasonal offers & discounts

13. How is indiamart online store maintaining product quality, quantity compare to other retail stores?

[ ] good [ ] normal [ ] not good [ ] poor

14..How is you feeling after shoping at Indiamart online store ?

[ ] feel very satisfied [ ] satisfied [ ] not satisfied

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