Web Development Proposal
Prepared for
Ed Jones
Presented by
Dwayne Sherland
SureLAN Solutions
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Table of Contents
Designing and Building Web Site
Creating and Configuring the Database
Create and Implement Shopping Cart Functions
Executive Summary
This proposal is for the express purpose of offering web development services for a retail e-commerce site. The proposal includes a running narrative on possible pitfalls and recommendations for cost savings in the complete design, implementation and maintenance of the start-up business (New Co) web site detailed by Ed Jones. (see Appendix B and C)
The 6 components of this proposal are as follows:
1) Designing and Building Web Site
2) Creating and Configuring the Database
3) Create and Implement Shopping Cart Functions
4) Hosting the Site
5) Maintaining the Site
6) Archiving and Backup Data
Typically the web site project plan considers growth projections and technical requirements contingent upon business volume in a three to five year time span. The business case presented with New Co is unable to make long term volume assumptions and leaves a gap with regard to technology estimations. For that reason a sequential project plan is presented with regard to a phased growth ramp. For example the bare necessities for getting the site on line will be the first proposal phase. Then contingent upon business volume the 6 components will require upgrade at different staged times. Different growth triggers will identify strategic upgrade requirements. This will satisfy ongoing technology needs as business volume grows as well as help govern capital investment.
Three different approaches to remuneration for all six site requirements are included in the Appendix G.
Designing and Building Web Site
The New Co E-Commerce site will be presented best as a relatively static front end that markets a narrow spectrum of products. The interactive components (order information and customer transaction data tracking) will be discussed later. The look and feel from www.overstock.com was suggested and a fairly comprehensive outline of page content was discussed (see Appendix B, C)
A generic front page layout was provided. Any changes, colors, patterns, graphics can be made available in line with branding issues (as soon as logo and branding materials are required or provided). Though not provided in this proposal SureLAN Solutions can provide this service.
Figure 1 Generic Layout
Creating and Configuring the Database
The database requirement for new Co is one of the concerns discussed earlier with regard to growth. The need is for the database to track order information and customer transaction data. The size and number of fields can fluctuate dramatically primarily due to the business volume.
Basically the major time and cost issues with this requirement evolve around the software costs and the time to design and configure a dbase specific to the company’s requirements.
There are a 3 ways to accomplish the database requirement for New Co:
· Bundled with hosting Services
· Bundled with E-Commerce Services
· Developing and maintaining a separate database structure
Utilizing the services from the hosting company or an E-commerce service is obviously the most flexible. The type of database access is dependent from which particular company it is provided. However a good general understanding of this type of service is the field configurations and query strings are open to manipulation by the web site html and java script code. This offers complete flexibility from within your website environment. Any reporting and data tracking information can be accessed or emailed 24x7.
The third option of developing your own database has two draw backs. First, it is the portability issue. Whichever language you put the database in has certain requirements, many times different than the web page itself. For example; MySQL and PHP are the 2 languages needed for the New CO database application. Apache web server is the best choice for web operating system. The regular web pages will have JavaScript, CGI and Perl (version 5) requirements. When the site is first installed this environment will obviously be available. However as business volume increases and a need in the future to migrate to a different host (if that happens) the flexibility of that decision is somewhat compromised.
Also there is the reliability issue. If the html code (web pages) are based in one server. The data base application and data are in another server. Possibly the E-Commerce transaction data in a third server it creates a triple point of failure. While a single point of failure would bring all three components down at once – the usefulness or reliability of the system would be just as damaged if either three parts were to fail.
A reasonable recommendation for the database would be to include the service with the hosting or E-commerce provider company at no cost. This leaves the security and reliability onus on a company that can be held to account in the unlikely event of lost business.
Create and Implement Shopping Cart Functions
As already discussed in part above the essential components of a functioning shopping cart include the following:
· Merchant Account Provider (MAP /IMA)
· Online Payment Service
· Secure Server
· Web Host
· Shopping Cart Application
· Product Catalog
· Inventory Database Strategies
· Customer Database Strategies
· Order-Fulfillment Procedure
The Merchant Account or Internet Merchant Account is a special account with an Acquiring Bank that allows the merchant to accept credit cards over the Internet. This account is not in the scope of the proposal.
A reputable online payment service is at the core of any E-Commerce equation. The basic online payment process is detailed in Appendix D. A list of prevailing high end online payment system providers is available in Appendix E. With the prevalence of fraud and internet spyware it would be wise to utilize the service of a robust and secure name in online payment systems. To give an example of the costs associated with this out sourced payment service there is an example called:
Verisign©
has been the industry leader in this service for a number of years. While they
provide a range of services the basic “PayFlow Link” service provides for
online credit card payments for 179 setup and 19.95 per month with a 500.00 per
month transaction minimum. With on- line check payment a higher level service
from Verisign© and an account with Telecheck must also be maintained. Ray Byrd
from Verisign© (telephone 1-888-847-2747 x 3601) has offered New Co a deal for
the “PayFlow Link” for $499.00 (normally $743.00) for the first 2 years. As a
promotion to new start up companies who call them. Unfortunately the offer is
only valid until Wednesday June 9th.
Traditionally web developers turned to these high end online payment providers for servicing a huge marketplace and complex order and supply mechanism. More and more the competition in this service area has been increasingly secure and reliable. The hosting provider has been the place best suited to bring this value added online payment service into the small to mid sized merchant market place. There are a good number of these bundled service providers that provide excellent quality and superb customer service.
Consequently,
for the best standard of quality and reliability a start up company like New Co
would be well served by bundling their online needs from the same source. The
price would be difficult to beat and filled with useful features. Appendix F
details the features of a service provision from 
Netfirms. This would include all
setup and monthly fees for the following :
Online store
Online payment service (Authorize.Net)
(includes payment gateway)
Domain Name Registration
Web Hosting Service (Feature Rich see Appendix F)
100 Email Accounts
Secure Server (SSL sockets)
10 MySQL Databases
100 MB
This service provider charges 19.40 per year. The down side is the payment system does not accept checks. However, It would be an excellent way to start the store up and begin an income stream. The additional online charge features can be added.
The ongoing availability and operational integrity of the site will take minimal effort once it is set up properly. However the maintenance of the site does not end there. Regardless how well it is designed and how unbreakable the code and configuration settings web pages require changes. In the database business one term for it is called MACD’s. Moves, Additions, Changes, Deletes. There is also the need to have a consistent and available backup of the web site files (see next section).
A consideration for start up cash flow issues has been made in determining the remuneration for services rendered with this site. A detail of three different approaches is listed in Appendix G.
As mentioned in the earlier section this is a usually over looked requirement of any data related endeavor. However it is imperative that a rudimentary data archive be included with any web development project. Portability, Intellectual Property, Security, Quality Assurance, peace of mind are all drivers for data back up and archive. When there is a certainty of the ability to build the site in it’s current form from scratch it removes a great deal of apprehension about it’s reliability for tomorrow.
As a way of providing a portfolio demonstrating the SureLAN Solutions web sites here is a short list of projects. More complex sites are not available without the corporate passwords. This should give a vague idea towards the flexibility of what SureLAN Solutions can do.
http://www.surelan.com/Family/calendar/crappsindex.htm
http://www.surelan.com/bbq/index.htm
http://www.surelan.com/Prayer/index.htm
http://www.surelan.com/Family/index.htm
http://www.canalis-secan.com/index1.htm
http://www.surelan.com/CPC/index.htm
.Plan for Retail Supplies Website
Contents:
1. Splash page
2. Company Information / About Us Page
3. Contact Us Page
4. Product Index page
5. Product Catalog
6. Online Order Page w credit card function
1. Splash Page
1.1. Banner with company name, logo & tag line/slogan
1.2. Side Bar with Navigation tools / Site menu (see Overstock.com)
1.3. Body - Photos of products in use in different environments ( eg Grocery, canned items, store package items, cold items, dry cleaning, Haberdashery, Toys, Pharmacy, Clothing, Cosmetics, Jewelry, Flea Market etc.)
1.4. Body - Value Statements / Captions reflecting ease of use, accuracy, promote sales, ease of check-out etc.)
1.5. Footer – company name, address, contact phone #, fax #, e-mail, date site last updates, copyright notice etc.
2. Company Information Page
2.1. Banner - same as 1.1
2.2. Sidebar - same as 1.2
2.3. Body Heading - “ About xyz Inc”
2.4. Body - mission statement, business philosophy, commitment / guarantee statement, history, principals, state and date of registry etc.
2.5. Footer – same as 1.5
3. Contact Us Page
3.1. Banner – same as 1.1
3.2. Sidebar – same as 1.2
3.3. Body Heading – “ Contacting xyz “
3.4. Body – Business Address ; telephone number (s); Fax Number; e-mail addresses
3.5. Footer – Same as 1.5
4. Product Index Page
4.1. Banner – same as 1.1
4.2. Sidebar – Same as 1.2
4.3. Body Heading – “ Product Index”
4.4. Body – Product group names with photo of labelers & rolls : “ Grocery & Retail Products, Laundry/DryCleaning products”
4.4.1. Note: Include hypertext “ Product Information and Application” under each group which opens a new window with text describing product terminology and listing different types of applications and which products are suitable.
4.5 Footer – same as 1.5
5. Product Catalog
5.1. The accompanying page from Overstock.com is the type of layout and functionality we want.
5.2. Each product and description is in a designated box.
5.3. Below each product shot is a brief description as well as the price.
5.4. The description and the picture are both active links which take you to a detailed product description and pricing page.
5.5. Below each product shot and description as well as on the detailed product page are:
5.5.1. Use same order processing steps as Overstock , however, include payment options for check, Credit card, debit card, charge account. When order is finalized it is transmitted via e-mail to a designated company order processing e-mail address.
5.5.2. On line order processing and electronic funds transfer will be set up in second phase
Notes:
Use soft colors and fonts and thin lines in designing the page. White background is fine.
I am working on the content for the different pages .
Damian, I need to know the products we are looking at offering so I can start writing the descriptions and the application notes.
E-mail me any questions you have on what is not clear.
SPLASH PAGE CONTACTS PAGE ABOUT US PAGE PRODUCT INDEX
PAGE GROCERY & RETAIL LAUNDRY &
DRYCLEANING PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 1 PRICING GUN #1 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 2 PRICING GUN #2 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 3 PRICING GUN #3 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 4 PRICING GUN #4 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 5 LAUNDRY GUN #1 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 6 LAUNDRY GUN #2 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 7 LAUNDRY GUN #3 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 8 LAUNDRY GUN #4 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 9 LABEL #1 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 10 LABEL #2 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 11 LABEL #3 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 12 LABEL #4 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 9 LABEL #1 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 10 LABEL #2 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 11 LABEL #3 PRODUCT DETAIL
PAGE 12 LABEL #4
PRODUCT APP.
& INFO. PAGE PRODUCT ORDER DETAILS PAGE CUSTOMER INFO.
PAGE PAYMENT INFORMATION PAGE SHIPPING INFO.
PAGE
Payment Processing — Authorization
- Customer decides to make a purchase on Merchant's Web site, proceeds to check-out and inputs credit card information.
- The Merchant's Web site receives customer information and sends transaction information to Payment Processing Service.
- Payment Processing Service routes information to the Processor.
- Processor sends information to the Issuing Bank of the Customer's credit card.
- Issuing Bank sends transaction result (authorization or decline) to the Processor.
- Processor routes transaction result to the Payment Processing Service.
- Payment Processing Service passes result information to Merchant.
- Merchant accepts or rejects transaction and ships goods if necessary. Because this is a "Card Not Present" transaction, the Merchant should take additional precautions to ensure that the card has not been stolen and that the customer is the actual owner of the card. See the "What You Should Know About Fraud" section for more information on preventing fraudulent transactions.
Payment Processing — Settlement
The settlement process transfers authorized funds for a transaction from the
customer's bank account to the merchant's bank account. The process is
basically the same whether the transaction is conducted online or offline.
https://www.verisign.com/cgi-bin/clearsales_cgi/leadgen.htm?form_id=0637&toc=b46600164980637000&ra=68.215.178.104&email=
http://www.cybersource.com/home.html
http://www.bea.com/framework.jsp?CNT=homepage_main.jsp&FP=/content
http://www.buyerzone.com/finance/credit_merchants/qz_questions_45.jhtml?_requestid=12025
http://www.worldpay.com/usa_en/index.php
http://www.netfirms.com/index
Advantage Web Hosting
$9.95 /Month Paid Annually
Free Domain Name For Life ($25 / Year Value)
Free NetObjects 7 Starter CD ($149 Value)
Free Commerce Pro Shopping Cart
Free Transfer to Netfirms Hosting
1000 MB (1 GB) of
Disk Space
50 GB
Monthly Data Transfer
100 E-mail
Accounts
10 MySQL
Databases
24/7 Technical
Support
Technical Specifications
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Overview |
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Customer Support: GeoTrust
SSL Certificate (Shared)
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Easy:
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The following services have been discussed within this proposal:
- Designing and Building Web Site
- Creating and Configuring the Database
- Create and Implement Shopping Cart Functions
- Hosting the Site
- Maintaining the Site
- Archiving and Backup Data
Here are three separate remuneration strategies for your consideration.
With sensitivity to the cash flow issues of most start up companies it is important to be as flexible as possible. While these three strategies are written here it can not be overstated that they are just creative suggestions. If there is another approach that seems more appropriate then that would also be taken under consideration.
Strategy 1
Backload hourly wage accruement
The average hourly wage for each of the 6 components is 22.50 /hour. If a running wage earned could be tracked and placed in a virtual account. A weekly salary starting at $25.00 (for example) could be paid until the revenue stream would support an increase to that sum. The sum would continue to increase until it catches the flat hourly rate. The work load is much heavier at the startup and would taper off (depending on volume and changes) to meet the actual wage paid somewhere in the 18 month to 2 year range. (wild guess of course)
Strategy 2
Percentage of revenue forward
Flat rate agreed upon $X.00 for every unit sold. Renegotiate at risk mitigation point.
Strategy 3
Equity position
Company ownership, profit sharing.