Aaram shop India Planning for Media Direct & Online Marketing Group 2018 report full with citations and good referencings /

1. 1.0 Introduction
This assignment involves a case study analysis about a company known as
Aaramshop.com. There are a number of tasks which will be completed in this analytical paper.
Firstly, there will be a discussion of the expectations of customers from Aaramshop.com and it
will be determined as to how well the company has performed according to these dimensions.
Secondly, there will be a discussion of the factors that have added to the achievement of
Aaramshop.com. There will also be a discussion of the barriers to further success and the way
that these success factors can help address these barriers. The third matter that will be discussed
here is whether Aaramshop.com should be worried about it's delivery model and if it is the case,
it will be determined as to what steps which Aaramshop.com should take in order to address this.

2. 2.0 Expectation of Customers from Aaramshop.com and their Performance
2.1 Product Expectations
With regards to product expectations, customers of Aaramshop.com would typically
expect the products/services of Aaramshop.com to be of acceptable quality (Keller, 2003).These
products/services must satisfy the very basic expectations of Indian consumers.
2.2 Added Services
Besides that, customers would expect product/service discounts, individualized
promotions as well as coupon redemptions. In relation to this, Aaramshop.com has performed
quite well as they have managed to satisfy the expectations of their customers. Aaramshop.com
provides the ability to customers to access offers, deals, discounts and coupons from it's brands
via it's mobile app or it's online website (Rishi, Kapoor, & Bhatia, 2016)
2.3 Price Expectations
About the price, the customers of Aaramshop.com are the kind of expect the prices of the
products being sold to be of acceptable pricing. These customers typically expect value for
money and when they are able to get it, they feel satisfied and become loyal customers of
Aaramshop.com (Bennet & Rundle-Thiele, 2004). The company has satisfied the price
expectations of their customers by ensuring that their services are provided totally free with no
delivery costs at all (Rishi, et al., 2016).
2.4 Ordering Process Expectations
A typical e-commerce customer would want the ordering process to be easy to use and
convenient (Kotler & Keller, 2012). This means that a customer would like ease of use in terms
of payment terms, being able to receive cash on delivery (COD), being able to access the
frequent asked questions (FAQ), and being able to navigate the website easily by virtue of a user
friendly interface.
2.5 Website Expectation
Aaramshop.com provides a website that is very modern, easy to use and integrated. The
transactions on the website can be carried out securely and there is ample information on the
website that can serve as a guide to the users to get the most from the website(Rishi, et al., 2016).

3. 3.0 Success Factors and Challenges of Aaramshop.com
3.1 Success Factors
3.1.1 Introduction Factor
The introduction factor has also added to the achievement of Aaramshop.com. Generally
speaking , it is much easier to make a prediction of introduction of consumer activations when it
comes to current retail outlets, as compared to conventional outlets. Even though the
conventional exchange platform has great chances, it is very complicated, widespread, scattered,
diverse, as well as difficult to roll-out in a uniform way. Aaramshops.com’s business model was
first used for facilitating business with it's retailers. It then started to scale it's operations further
in order to satisfy changing preferences and demands of it's consumers, hence extending it's
reach to it's various consumer segments(Rishi, et al., 2016).
3.1.2 Price Discounts and Promotion Coupons
The next factor that plays a role in generating success of Aaramshop.com is the presence
of high value price discounts which it provides to it's customers. It also provides coupons which
customers find to be quite satisfying and which makes them continue to use the services of
Aaramshop.com. Via it's versatile coupons-based focused on advertising, Aaramshop.com has
been able to contact it's customers by making very energizing and customized offers which can
be redeemed by them. The mobile coupons by Aaramshop.com allow brands to send targeted
promotions directly to a customer’s mobile phone(Rishi, et al., 2016).
3.1.3 Reliability Factor
One of the main factors which have added to the achievement of Aaramshop.com is the
high level of trust and reliability which the company has developed among the retailers when
using their platform to do business. Aaramshop.com ensures that it’s website is safe and secure .
It also makes sure that the brands which are present on it's platform are trusted (Rishi, et al.,
2016).
3.1.4 Ease of Use of the Platform
The next factor that has contributed to Aaramshop.com’s success is the overall level of
ease of use and simplicity of it's platform. it's e-commerce platform is very easy to use and is

4. uncomplicated , hence bringing about better convenience to the customers(Rishi, et al., 2016). A
customer is able to use all the facilities on the website effectively and this helps with transaction
related process (Kotler & Caslione, 2009).
3.1.5 Variety Factor
The next success factor of Aaramshop.com is the variety factor . Aaramshop.com offers a
wide range of brands to it’s urban consumer to select from via it's site, is phone applications and
also it's online media applications. When it comes to fast-moving consumer goods, the company
ensures that it provides it's customers with a wide range of retailers of decision who are able to
ensure quality and amount. It is not mandatory for retailers and consumers to purchase from it's
online platform. They can also make purchases from the physical premises as well (Rishi et al,
2016).
3.2 Challenges to Further Success
From analysing the case study, there appears to be a number of barriers to further success
of Aaramshop.com. These are discussed below.
3.2.1 MiddlemanStigma
The fear of having the stigma of a middleman is also a factor that functions as a barrier
which prevents Aaramshop.com from achieving it's fullest potential. Many consumers believe
that Aaramshop.com acts as a middleman, and that their presence results in the price of the
product being much higher than it usually is (Zinnbauer & Eberl, 2005). This is a difficult
assumption to dispel among many consumers . Aaramshop.com can dispel this perception by
ensuring customers that they do not charge fees for transactions on their website, and they also
provide high value discounts and coupons (Rishi, et al., 2016).
3.2.2 Lack of Knowledge
There continue to be many consumers who do not have proper knowledge and
understanding of the way that e-commerce works. This lack of understanding is enough of a
deterrent for them to use platforms like Aaramshop.com and hence, they are unable to enjoy the
benefit's that Aaramshop.com can offer (Payne & Holt, 2001). Aaramshop.com can use the roll-

5. out factor to help Indian consumers understand how e-commerce works and the way that
Aaramshop.com simplifies the process (Rishi, et al., 2016).
3.2.3 Lack of Computer Literacy
The next barrier which can prevent Aaramshop.com from becoming even more
successful is the presence of a lack of computer literacy among a number of consumers
(Schiffman & Kanuk, 2007). This illiteracy comes in the form of the inability to effectively use
the internet, computers, smart phones, tablets and other related digital devices for their shopping
activities (Kotler & Keller, 2012). This prevents Aaramshop.com from successfully attracting
these consumers to use their services (Reichheld & Markey Jr, 2000). Once again, the
Aaramshop.com can use the simplicity of the platform factor to address this problem by showing
how easy it is for an ordinary consumer to use the platform (Zinnbauer & Eberl, 2005).
3.2.4 Digital Technological Barriers
The next barrier to success of a company like Aaramshop.com is the presence of risks
relating to digital technology. There are a number of risks associated with the use of technology
and these are capable of limiting the effectiveness at which Aaramshop.com can use technology
to achieve their business aims (Kotler & Caslione, 2009). These risks include security risks,
hacking risks, and also hardware/software malfunctions, hence resulting in downtime.
Aaramshop.com can address the technology risk by ensuring the security and simplicity of their
e-commerce platform (Rishi, et al., 2016).
3.2.5 Unwillingness to Change
Many consumers around the world continue to hold to their deep rooted practices of
buying products from traditional brick and mortar retailers (Reichheld & Markey Jr, 2000).
These consumers are unlikely to change preference by shopping on for e-commerce platforms
when it comes to purchasing of products (East, Gendall, .Hammond, & Wendy, 2005).
Aaramshop.com can use the trust factor to convey to the Indian consumers that their services are
trusted and that it is better to purchase from them than brick and mortar retailers (Kotler, 2001).

6. 4.0 Aaramshop.com Delivery Model
An analysis would be carried out using Porter’s Five Forces model. With regards to
bargaining power of suppliers and the threat of substitutes, these are said to be relatively low in
the industry. The suppliers in the industry are present in large numbers and this means that are
unable to command a high price for their suppliers(Keller, 2003). There are also very few similar
e-commerce platforms on the internet in India and this means that there are not many substitutes
for the services of Aaramshop.com. On the other hand, it is observed that the bargaining power
of buyers, the threat of rivalry and the threat of new entrants are all high(Pride & Ferrell, 2007).
With regards to buyer bargaining power , there are millions of consumers on the internet which
are potential customers of Aaramshop.com. Hence, they can command a high bargaining power.
The rivalry between the different e-commerce platforms is quite stiff and this makes the rivalry
high. The online shopping industry has low entry barriers and this makes the threat of entry
high(Kotler & Caslione, How Marketers Can Respond to Recession and Turbulence, 2009).
At present, Aaramshop.com implements the “store-to-home” model for delivery.
However, India is starting to follow the life-cycle of the concept of e-grocery , it has become
very important to make an analysis of the different options which are available for the
company’s plan of action throughout the years, various delivery models have risen and the firms
executing them have encountered their own share of disappointments and victories .
In the future, Aaramshop.com can implement a concept that consists of many different
models, in addition to the store-to-home model. Elements of the ‘click and collect’ model can be
used by Aaramshop.com whereby the company would give it's customers the option to make an
order via it's online portal and then collect the product from their store(Rishi, et al., 2016). This
helps to save the customer time of having to scan it's online stores to locate products and make a
choice(Kotler & Armstrong, 2007). The reduction of order picking and packaging time saves
costs and has a positive effect on the financial performance of Aaramshop.com (Lin & Su, 2003).
Besides that, Aaramshop.com can conduct the ‘Drive Thru’ in addition to the ‘Click and
Collect’ model. According to this model, Aaramshop.com and the customers would agree on a
3rd party pickup location and the customer would then pick up the order from the agreed
location(Rishi, et al., 2016). This kind of model would also help save costs and increase the

7. profit margins of Aaramshop.com (Pride & Ferrell, 2007). Therefore , the future business model
of Aaramshop.com should include elements of the ‘store-to-home’, ‘Drive Thru’ and ‘Click and
Collect’ models.

8. 5.0 Conclusion
In this paper, a case study about Aaramshop.com was discussed and analysed. In the first
part, the was a discussion of the expectations of customers from Aaramshop.com. It was show
that their customers had product quality expectations, price affordability expectations and
ordering process efficiency expectations. From the case study, Aaramshop.com has performed
very well in accordance with these dimensions. Secondly, there was a discussion of the factors
that have added to the achievement of Aaramshop.com and these were the trust factor, choice
factor, roll-out factor, platform simplicity factor and the high value discounts/coupons factor.
There was then a discussion of the barriers to further success of Aaramshop.com and these
included the presence of deep rooted practices in India, the lack of understanding of e-commerce,
technology risks, computer and digital illiteracy and the fear of being labelled as the middleman.
The success factors of Aaramshop.com are helpful in addressing these barriers. The third matter
discussed here was about Aaramshop.com’s delivery model and it was proposed for company to
use a modified business model that include the elements of the ‘store-to-home’, ‘Drive Thru’ and
‘Click and Collect’ models.