Website Launch Checklist 25+ Things to Check Before Launching Your Site

Are you preparing to launch your WordPress website? To help make it a success, we created this handy website launch checklist to ensure a smooth launch when you make your site public.Well cover everything from proofreading to testing performance. And while some of these tips might seem a little basic, thats kind of the point! We want to help you make sure that you didnt accidentally overlook some small, but important, aspect of your website.To do that, take a few minutes and run your website through this list Content should be easy to read font size, short sentences, bullet points, lots of white spaceImages must be optimized, properly labeled and have alt textAudio and video files need to work properly2. Make sure you have a contact pageNot only does a contact page allow visitors to get in touch with you, it adds credibility and improves the trust quotient of your website. Find out how to add one to your website in this post.3. Test your sites usabilityCheck that all functional aspe cts of the website work as intended. Usability is important for conversions as well as for overall SEO. Most importantly, you need to look at each element on your website just as a visitor would.Ensure that images are optimized for speedIn particular, test all call-to-action forms and contact formsOn a multi-user site, check the login procedure, roles, and credentialsCheck out overall experience through the eyes of a user consuming content on the websiteIn case youve put autoresponders in place, make sure they respond as you intendedIf your website is going to accept payments, do a test run of each step in the purchase/payment process, including the success page redirect. This includes downloads, sign-ups, shopping cart functions, payment processing, email notifications, buttons, and links4. Make sure your navigation worksAt no point should visitors be unsure of which button to click next on your website. Besides, your on-site search should work smoothly and accurately. Try moving t hrough the different locations on your website as a casual visitor would.Read this post for more tips on how to create a great navigation structure.5. Check for mobile-friendlinessTesting for compatibility with mobile devices is now an essential part of any website launch checklist, given Google’s focus on mobile-first indexing. Consequently, your website must be mobile-friendly, and just as functional and pleasing on mobiles as it is on desktops.In other words, text should be easy to read on mobile devices, content should be the same on both versions of your website, navigation is easy, buttons have proper spacing, etc.Fortunately, you can use Googles own tool, Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test  to test these aspects.6. Review browser compatibilityIts not enough to view the website from your browser alone. Additionally, you need to see how it appears in different versions of major browsers. At the bare minimum, youll need to test it on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.Again, youll find free tools like  Browsershots  for this purpose. It uses a number of computers at different locations to open your website in various browsers. It then captures screenshots of your web pages in different browsers and uploads them to a central dedicated server for your review.7. Run compatibility testingSometimes, it can happen that plugins dont play nice with each other. Therefore, its advisable to run a compatibility test using plugins like PHP Compatibility Checker. This avoids glitches on account of plugin, theme, or WordPress update conflicts. PHP Compatibility Checker Author(s): WP EngineCurrent Version: 1.5.0Last Updated: July 30, 2019php-compatibility-checker.1.5.0.zip 66%Ratings 904,470Downloads WP 3.5+Requires 8. Get ready for 404sSure, 404 errors are not likely on a new website. Nevertheless, a visitor may mistype or somehow land on a â€Å"Page Not Found† error message. Just so you dont lose this visitor, and to improve user experience, crea te a custom 404 page. 404page your smart custom 404 error page Author(s): Peter RaschendorferCurrent Version: 11.0.4Last Updated: October 6, 2019404page.11.0.4.zip 98%Ratings 875,900Downloads WP 4.0+Requires Not only that, you can set up email alerts to track 404 errors from the moment your site goes live, and fix them early.9. Make sure URLs are correctOften, when a site is moved from the staging area to production, its necessary to change all the URLs. Make sure to double-check that all the URLs are correct on the live version of your site before you move any further through the website launch checklist.10. Make sure you have clear calls-to-actionThis is one check you cannot afford to ignore ensuring the site has clearly defined call to action elements. Call to actions help funnel your visitors to the most important locations. Or, they can help you build an email list, if thats your goal.11. Install and configure an SEO pluginInstall the  Yoast SEO plugin  or any oth er SEO plugin to optimize for SEO. Make sure every page has a unique title, a meta description, and is optimized for keyword usage. Learn more about basic WordPress SEO here.12. Configure your permalinksUsing permalinks that describe the content of each page makes them easy to remember, more usable, and more SEO-friendly. Find out more about how to configure permalinks in this post.13. Check your XML sitemaps/HTML sitemapMost SEO plugins usually build a sitemap for you automatically, but you should double check that it:Really does exist.Is working properly and includes all the content it should.14. Check your robots.txt FileA robots.txt file also helps search engines to crawl your website more efficiently. You can learn more about this in Googles guide on the subject, and we have an article on how to optimize your WordPress sites robots.txt file.15. Test for AMP compatibilityIn case you’re using Google’s AMP project to speed up your site for mobile visitors, hop on a m obile device or an AMP tester tool and make sure that everything is working properly.16. Test social media integrationTry out your social icons to see if they are working as they should. Do they link to the right pages? Do you have the right buttons installed? Does the share functionality work right, if youre using it?17. Check your sites accessibilityAccessibility is all about making sure your site is usable for  everyone, even those with disabilities. Learn more about WordPress accessibility.18. Put a backup solution in placeRight before launching your website, take care to install a suitable backup solution and test it before you hit the launch button. It can save you a load of heartache and sleepless nights if something happens to your site after launch.19. Secure your websiteSimilarly, you really should take security seriously from the very beginning. In particular, the Admin area  should be made as secure as possible to prevent entry of malicious bots and hackers.20. Confi rm your SSLDo you know that your website runs the risk of being labeled as Not Secure if it does not have an SSL certificate? Our earlier post can help you with adding an SSL certificate to your site. Also, you can use free online checkers to find out if theres anything missing with your certificate.21. Keep out spamBecause of WordPress popularity, ensuring you have an  anti-spam solution  is a necessity when going through any website launch checklist. It makes comment management easier and your website safer.23. Update the timezoneAll scheduled activities and plugins rely on the time maintained by your WordPress. Therefore, its important to set up the timezone properly on your WordPress site. You can do this by going to  Settings General and looking for the  Timezone drop-down.24. Take care of the boring legal stuffTruly, this is the most boring part of our website launch checklist. However, its necessary if you dont want to get into legal issues later.Take care that requi red licenses are in place for images, fonts, plugins, etc.Consider including a Terms of Service to explain your services in detail.  Auto Terms of Service and Privacy Policy can help you get started with thisIn case your website is an ecommerce store or deals with money in any way, you should add a comprehensive Terms and Conditions sectionIf youre collecting data, its comforting to users if your Privacy Policy reassures them that their personal details are in good hands. Compliance with the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is necessary, too.A cookie warning is a legal requirement in many jurisdictions, so take care to include oneCheck out the legal requirements in different geographies for age verification, consent requirements, credit card processing and more.25. Delete any unwanted pluginsFinally, you should check your dashboard for plugins that are no longer needed and delete them to keep a lean and efficient WordPress site. While building your site, you mightve insta lled plugins that you ended up not using. Get rid of all those in preparation for launch day!Wrapping upThis website launch checklist is quite comprehensive, but by no means exhaustive. Whys that?Because once you finish out this website launch checklist and make your site live, there are also plenty of  things to do right after you launch your website!Have any other tips? Let us know about them in the comments section! 25+ things to check before you launch your #WordPress #website!

8 Ways to Avoid Barking Up the Wrong Family Tree

8 Ways to Avoid Barking Up the Wrong Family Tree There is nothing more frustrating than finding out the ancestors youve been so diligently researching, and have even come to love, arent really yours. Yet, it happens to most of us who research our family trees at some point. A lack of records, incorrect data, and embellished family stories can easily send us off in the wrong direction. How can we avoid this heartbreaking result in our own family research? It isnt always possible to avoid wrong turns, but these steps may help keep you from barking up the wrong family tree. 1. Dont Skip Generations Skipping generations in your research is the most common mistake made by beginners. Even if you think you know everything about yourself and your parents, you shouldnt skip directly to your grandparents. Or your immigrant ancestor. Or the famous person that youve been told youre descended from. Working your way back one generation at a time greatly lessens your chances at attaching the wrong ancestor to your family tree, because youll have the supporting documents- birth records, marriage certificates, census records, etc.- to support the link between each generation. 2. Dont Make Assumptions About Family Relationships Family terms such as Junior and Senior as well as aunt and cousin were often used very loosely in earlier times - and still are, even today. A designation of Jr., for example, may have been used in official records to identify between two men of the same name, even if they were unrelated (the younger of the two being called Jr.). You also shouldnt assume relationships between people living in a household unless it is specifically stated. The sole adult-aged female listed in your great-great grandfathers household, may indeed be his wife- or it could be a sister-in-law or family friend. 3. Document, Document, Document The most important habit to pick up when starting genealogical research is to diligently  write down how and where you find your information. If it was found on a website, for example, write down the title of the site, the URL and the date. If the data came from a book or microfilm, write down the title, author, publisher, publication date and the repository.  If your family information came from a relative, document who the information came from and when the interview took place. There will be many times when youll run across conflicting data, and youll need to know where your information came from. Often, its convenient to use a spreadsheet for this purpose, but it can also be helpful to keep physical records. Printing out hard copies for reference is a great way to back up information in case the data is taken offline or changes. 4. Does it Make Sense? Constantly review all new information that you add to your family tree to make sure that it is at least plausible. If the date of your ancestors marriage is only seven years after they were born, for example, you have a problem. The same goes for two children born less than nine months apart, or children born before their parents. Does the birthplace listed in the census correlate with what youve learned about your ancestor? Have you possibly skipped a generation? Look at the information youve gathered and ask yourself, Does this make sense? 5. Get Organized The more organized your genealogy research, the less likely that youll mix up information or make other simple, but costly, mistakes. Choose a filing system that works with the way you do research, making sure that it includes a way to organize both your papers and certificates ​and your digital documents and other computer files. 6. Verify Research Done By Others Its hard enough avoiding your own mistakes, without having to worry about the mistakes of others as well. Publication- whether in print or online- doesnt make anything fact, so you should always take steps to verify previous research  using primary sources and other tools before incorporating it into your own.   7. Rule Out the Other Possibilities You know that your great-great-grandfather lived in Virginia around the turn-of-the-century, so you look him up in the 1900 U.S. census and there he is! In truth, however, this isnt him; its someone else with the same name living in the same area during the same time period. It is a scenario that actually isnt all that uncommon, even with names you might think are unique. When researching your family, it is always a good idea to check the surrounding area to see if there is someone else who could fit the bill.   8. Turn to DNA Blood doesnt lie, so if you really want to be sure a DNA test may be the way to go. DNA tests cant currently tell you who your specific ancestors are, but they can help narrow things down quite a bit.

Book review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Book review - Essay Example It is noteworthy that advancement in computers has also transformed the communication landscape. Computers are presently being used in information exchange in any form. This has created advancement in information technology globally. This paper appreciates that people comprehend the history of computing differently because some opinions are informed by traces of information available today of what happened in the past while others viewpoints are informed by issues about computers that are of interest today. Therefore, it presents a timeline on the history of computing according to my own understanding. History of Computing: The Timelines The 14th BC – 1800’s – Abacus and the Slide Rule Abacus remains one of the most primitive machines purposefully developed to aid people in computations. The machine has been on use several centuries even after better-designed devices started coming into the market. Around 17th BC a device that worked even in a more interesting wa y to assist in calculations was generated. The Slide Rule worked manually in doing calculations. Its components included a simple ruler and an impermanent piece that had graduations of parallel logarithmic ranges (Turner, 2006). The greater need to make computations even more easy generated more interest among scholars leading to additional innovations. Blaise Pascal another mathematician designed Pascaline. The mechanical calculator, which acted as an adding machine was developed in 1642, further facilitated the creation of Pascal programming language. 1800’s - Difference Engine and Analytical Engine Charles Babbage also developed what was famously called a â€Å"Difference Engine† in 1830’s. However, later it designed another device â€Å"Analytical Engine.† Both of these designs had five important components that have remained key features of modern computers. The Engines had an input device, component that stored numbers to be calculated, a processor that computed numbers, a component that controlled all machines’ tasks, and finally a component to generate processed numbers. Herman Hollerith also developed the first ever device using electricity to compute numbers in 1890’s. 1900 – 1950 – Computing Machines The period between 1900 and 1950 also saw major computing advancements taking place. Howard Aiken in 1932 started working for IBM and developed the Harvard Mark 1 an electromechanical engine that borrowed massively from Babbage’s Analytical Engine. The period around 1939 saw Atanasoff Berry and Clifford Berry of Iowa State University expanded the computing world by creating the first device that worked electronically. The machine used a binary system in calculations and used different components for processing numbers and storage. Further, in 1943, in order to emerge superior during the British war, many vacuum tube computers emerged and were used to disable the German codes; thus, led to en d of the war faster (Black, 2001).   The machines were named Colossus Mark 2. In 1946, John Mauchly and Presper Eckert both expanded the ideas behind Colossus in order to come up with Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, ENIAC that emerged as the world’s all-purpose computer (Black, 2001). John Von Neumann further developed ENIAC to create an Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer, EDVAC that generated computers that are more superior. 1950 – 1970 – Punch Card Technology The computing world welcomed the first computers to be commercially supplied to the markets.

Business-Level and Corporate-Level Strategies Essay - 8

Business-Level and Corporate-Level Strategies - Essay Example This paper will discuss the business level and corporate level strategies Eni SpA used to remain competitive in the ever-changing petroleum industry. Business level strategy is a set of commitments and actions a company takes to provide good value to customers thereby gaining a good reputation (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011). This may include establishing niches and product improvement to add value to already existing products and services. A successful business level strategy has to consider the five Ws; where, who, when, what and how v. At first, the organization has to determine its clients, the goods and services the client needs, how to deliver the best products and services and the competitors’ price for the same products and services (Ireland, Hoskisson and Hitt, 2011). Eni SpA’s business level strategy is fair pricing and consistency of products. In that regard, Eni had to invest in exploration of oil resources across the world (Maloney, 2012). This would allow Eni to provide petroleum products to its customers throughout. The company was successful in getting some oil reserves in Kazakhstan, Libya and Congo. The oil field Eni SpA struck in Kazakhstan is probably the largest old field the company has ever struck (Maloney, 2012). However, the numbers of oil fields are dwindling by the day. As such, the success rate of getting a good and productive oil field is challenging. With that knowledge, Eni had to acquire oil companies in other countries. This would guarantee Eni’s ability to meet the customers’ demands and expectations (Maloney, 2012). Eni SpA has also focused on the changes in the market dynamics as a business level strategy. In this case, Eni SpA determines whether there are any risks to the business environment in the future (Maloney, 2012). Currently, Eni SpA noted the shift from fossil fuels is gaining momentum. This is likely

Video games Essay Example for Free

Video games Essay Video games have gone a long way since PONG – one of the first arcade games (released in 1972) – or Pac-man. Nowadays gamers enjoy a variety of games and high-definition graphics, making it hard for anyone not to let himself drawn by their magic, even if it is just for a few minutes. But are they helpful or are they just a waste of time? Mainly they help you forget about your problems by offering you the possibility of living in a magical – though not real – world. However, there are also many disadvantages about video games that turn them into a dangerous activity. Firstly, some may consider the fake world more interesting and video games might make them forget that they are real people who need to live in the real world. People can become addicted to games and spend too much time playing. Video games are a waste of time. Teenagers should be doing more important things like spending time with their family. They could also be doing their homework or reading books for self-improvement. Another active is going to museums or doing physical activities. There is also no opportunity for physical exercise, something teenagers are sadly lacking. When they play video games, they stand or lay down and do nothing. Second, video games are a waste of money. A lot of money is spent by teenagers on these games. They could be saving their money to buy things that they need for school or for things that they may need in the future. Teenagers would be much better off without the temptation of having to spend money on video games. Third, video games will damage teenagers social skills. Many teenagers that play video games play for long periods of time. This means that they do not interact with people but with machines. What is important, is that teenagers should learn people skills. Interacting and sitting along with people is a learned skill and it must be practiced by use. Teenagers must learn to use social skill to be successful in life. Therefore, video games should banned. They waste time and money, and they damage teenagers social skills.

My Philosophy of Education Essay -- Educational Philosophy

As an educator we all struggle with philosophy and where to go from there once we decide what our set of beliefs are. Once we put our philosophy in place, we then struggle with changing our philosophy. I believe that philosophies can be always changing any given situation and in order for growth as an educator we have to be aware of the situations that can change our philosophy, as well as being true to our core beliefs. However, in order for this to happen we must understand what philosophy is, and what it is not and how it fall in line with ideology and theories. For this assignment, I will compare and contrast philosophy, ideology, and theory. Philosophy is the most beliefs about what is true or real according to individual values (Gutek, 2009). Philosophy is our beliefs that will determine what we do professionally and personally. Not having a philosophy set in place, it will be difficult to make decisions within the classroom, creating curriculums and evaluate progress. Although a person can set goals without having a philosophy implemented, not having the foundation of a set philosophy (core set of beliefs) achieving the goals can be a very difficult challenge. Educators need a starting point to understand why we think and act the way we do in our classrooms. Having a philosophy allows an educator to reflect on how to make classroom actions consistent with our beliefs related to learning. However, before we list our â€Å"beliefs† we need to delve deeper into what makes up our philosophy. There are four major components to philosophy – Metaphysics, Epistemology, Axiology, and Logic (Gutek, 2009). In order to be able to understand philosophy we need to be able to understand its components. Metaphysics is the branch of philosop... ...ke in formulating a philosophy is self-reflective and formative. As educators generate ideas about what their teaching philosophy may be, all of the above are taken into consideration in determining attitudes, values, and beliefs about learning and teaching. A set of guidelines need to be implemented, and these guidelines will be worked and reworked as time and experiences happen. Educational philosophies are foundations of everything that we do as teachers. They are based upon our assumptions, definitions of learning, purpose of education and the nature of instructional process. It is an ever-changing process throughout our teaching career. What may be our philosophy today may not be our philosophy tomorrow. Works Cited Gutek, Gerald Lee. (2009). New perspectives on philosophy and education. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.

Zara Case Study

Despite the current centralized distribution model working well and at below capacity, continuous rapid expansion outside of Spain for Inedited brands (exhibit 8) would bring problems of; larger amalgamation of dispersed network pictures, rater demand and customization for Ezra offerings from consumers. This would further bring the effects of discomposes of scale; increased transportation costs, top heavy Organization, potentially exceeding working capacity, increased risk if central distribution centre fails.No standardized market position – Sara's expansion approach have led them to be positioned differently in each geographical market despite targeting the same consumer segment, Ezra currently use company-centered knowledge to determine price and positioning strategies for different geographical segments. This has caused inconsistent consumer perception of their brand e. . Americas and Spain. Being in a globalizes marketplace, this poses a problem to the global perception a nd position of the Ezra brand.Competitive Environment -? Ezra is competing in a competitive market where the competition are seeing similar growth in stock prices and revenue (Exhibit 3, Exhibit 5). Competitors such as have already achieved similar competencies to Ezra in terms of variety and stock refresh, and have obtained more advanced competencies such as localization of distribution centers, reducing the competitive advantage that Ezra has in terms of flexibility in their products array and enabling the threat f substitution.Other competitors such as Unique have further gained competitive advantage by differentiating themselves in the saturated market of fast retailing by using an undifferentiated marketing approach targeting a larger customer base, leading to a revenue growth rate greater than Ezra from 2009-2010 (Exhibit 5). Potential Solutions A potential solution for Ezra is the possibility of forming a joint-venture distribution centre in China as a precursor for localizat ion of design and production in Asia.This joint-venture promotes multilateral exchanges with other economic actors within the network. Helping Ezra maintain a competitive advantage over competition by allowing for Ezra to assess their ‘STEP based on network insight to better standardize their market positioning. However, internal clashes can arise from a shift from a centralized to decentralized distribution business model. Also both organization can clash due to the rejection Of the partner-organization's underlying logic, objectives and business culture.Another potential solution is for Ezra to expand their e- commerce presence in Asia and America to gain competitive advantage, such as the growing market of e-commerce in America. This allows for Ezra to extend their reach to customers, and further gives them a competitive advantage over competitors such as who have yet to setup an e- commerce presence in Asia. This would also compliment the rapid expansion into the Asia regi on specifically targeted at India and China.However, this method would entail higher outbound shipment costs as individual items will have to be shipped from the central distribution center in Spain to the consumer in Asia or America. This leads to another potential solution on focusing on their existing supply chain competency in Europe to further expand e-commerce presence beyond the 8 countries that use a Ezra online store. This would utilize Sara's existing centralized supply chain in Europe to expand reach to the existing customer base.However, this would give Ezra little long term competitive advantages over competition as competitor brands can easily implement the same marketing approach. Ezra may also want to consider adopting an undifferentiated approach by expanding their basic line to further compete with a larger customer base as Unique have done with a large amount of success (exhibit 5). This solution however would to be a viable long term solution and has the possibil ity of affecting their overall brand perception if less fashionable items of clothing were being pushed to the consumer.Best Solution The best solution for Ezra would be to open a joint-venture distribution centre in China as a precursor to opening localized design and production facilities in Asia, this fits into Sara's objective to expand rapidly in a very competitive landscape (Exhibit 5). This is also consistent with their joint- venture with Data group in opening up Ezra stores in India with the potential for Network Insight. The overall issue to this solution is that Ezra will need to find a partner to form a joint venture with, this may also require exchanges with local economic actors in China to gain insight.China is a rapid growing market for Ezra with 71 stores opening in 4 years and on target to becoming Sara's 2nd largest market. Opening a distribution center in China entails the following; 1 . Network Insight for ‘STEP' Competitive advantage – Whilst openi ng a distribution centre in China itself is not a major competitive competency in comparison to R&M's localized distribution centers, by operating a joint- entire in China and through the recursive exchange in the joint-venture structure along with exchanges with other economic actors, this promotes multilateral exchanges which will lead to a realistic and better understanding of the market.This can be used by Ezra to help better periodically evaluate their ‘STEP' due to changes in consumer needs, this ensures maximized long term success and competitiveness by assessing actions against modern network insights 2. Reduced re-stock time – Currently the existing distribution model for Ezra means that they can only ship to 1 geographical region per ay. By including a distribution center in Asia, it means that stores within the growing market can be restocked much more effectively to better satisfy consumer needs 3.Allows the introduction of e-commerce in Asia -? with a distr ibution center in Asia, this allows for the possibility of establishing e- commerce in China ahead of Sara's competition. This can also be used to further gather consumer insight into preferences. By operating as a joint- venture, risks will be shared with the partner organization, not only this, but resources can be shared to achieve maximum efficiency. However, by opening a distribution center in China, it will start to dissolve the existing centralized structure that Ezra has created.But to expand overseas, Ezra cannot rely on company-centered extant knowledge for expansion and understanding of new customers, as seen through their existing differentiated positioning in Americas and Spain. Ezra must start to take a more decentralized approach in terms of global expansion. The notion of decentralization may come with hesitance from Ezra stakeholders due to Bonnet's failure with a decentralized business model, however as Ezra loud maintain and own a large stake in the joint venture, they would still maintain a large control.With greater network insight, this provides a pathway for Ezra to Open design and production facilities in Asia to improve operational efficiency in the long-term; 1 . Economies of Scale – despite the current centralized distribution model not effecting gross profit growth (exhibit 4), the rapid expansion into Asia can cause discomposes of scale through higher transportation costs. By having design and production local, this will reduce transportation costs to ship to Asian regions, this can Hereford be beneficial in further reducing Sara's carbon footprint and improving CARS 2.Efficient Amalgamation of Consumer Feedback – With rapid expansion, there will be greater consumer feedback. By opening up design and production in China, it allows for efficient and focused amalgamation of Asian consumer perceptions through having an established network insight. This will allow both faster response time to customer feedback and potenti al for exchange of designs between Asian and European markets to expand Sara's product portfolio. 3.Closer to Fabric Suppliers – Currently, Ezra arches fabric from their Hong Kong office, this office could be used to further utilize Asian suppliers to supply fabric for Asian production facilities, therefore reducing costs in importing fabric from overseas suppliers. Overall this solution aims to provide sustainability to Ezra for future growth in Asia. Application of Concepts From the available case study, we can see the 3 components of a Market; the suppliers, product and customer come into play.For suppliers, we can see that suppliers such as H and Inedited offer a large variety of product entries, whilst Fast Retailing offer product specialization and have a small reduce portfolio. However the most important component within this case is the customer aspect, due to the large influence that customers have on product portfolios of Inedited and H. Fast retailing unique has ad opted an undifferentiated approach by treating consumers as a homogeneous segment.Therefore they attempt to reach a large customer base through a single marketing strategy of offering a large variety of basics in a large array of colors. This is different to the approach made by and Inedited, who utilize a differentiated marketing approach. Inedited has multiple brands such s Ezra and Berserk utilizing different Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. This similar concept is used by in which sub-brands are marketed to different segment groups.This therefore means that Inedited and H aim to have a full-market coverage by offering a wide variety of offerings to different segments. However, as Unique is the largest retailer to use a undifferentiated marketing approach, it has successfully differentiated itself from Inedited and Ezra by implementing product specialization, therefore Fast Retailing have benefited from rising revenue growth comparable to H and Inedited (Exhibit 5). Zara Case Study Despite the current centralized distribution model working well and at below capacity, continuous rapid expansion outside of Spain for Inedited brands (exhibit 8) would bring problems of; larger amalgamation of dispersed network pictures, rater demand and customization for Ezra offerings from consumers. This would further bring the effects of discomposes of scale; increased transportation costs, top heavy Organization, potentially exceeding working capacity, increased risk if central distribution centre fails.No standardized market position – Sara's expansion approach have led them to be positioned differently in each geographical market despite targeting the same consumer segment, Ezra currently use company-centered knowledge to determine price and positioning strategies for different geographical segments. This has caused inconsistent consumer perception of their brand e. . Americas and Spain. Being in a globalizes marketplace, this poses a problem to the global perception a nd position of the Ezra brand.Competitive Environment -? Ezra is competing in a competitive market where the competition are seeing similar growth in stock prices and revenue (Exhibit 3, Exhibit 5). Competitors such as have already achieved similar competencies to Ezra in terms of variety and stock refresh, and have obtained more advanced competencies such as localization of distribution centers, reducing the competitive advantage that Ezra has in terms of flexibility in their products array and enabling the threat f substitution.Other competitors such as Unique have further gained competitive advantage by differentiating themselves in the saturated market of fast retailing by using an undifferentiated marketing approach targeting a larger customer base, leading to a revenue growth rate greater than Ezra from 2009-2010 (Exhibit 5). Potential Solutions A potential solution for Ezra is the possibility of forming a joint-venture distribution centre in China as a precursor for localizat ion of design and production in Asia.This joint-venture promotes multilateral exchanges with other economic actors within the network. Helping Ezra maintain a competitive advantage over competition by allowing for Ezra to assess their ‘STEP based on network insight to better standardize their market positioning. However, internal clashes can arise from a shift from a centralized to decentralized distribution business model. Also both organization can clash due to the rejection Of the partner-organization's underlying logic, objectives and business culture.Another potential solution is for Ezra to expand their e- commerce presence in Asia and America to gain competitive advantage, such as the growing market of e-commerce in America. This allows for Ezra to extend their reach to customers, and further gives them a competitive advantage over competitors such as who have yet to setup an e- commerce presence in Asia. This would also compliment the rapid expansion into the Asia regi on specifically targeted at India and China.However, this method would entail higher outbound shipment costs as individual items will have to be shipped from the central distribution center in Spain to the consumer in Asia or America. This leads to another potential solution on focusing on their existing supply chain competency in Europe to further expand e-commerce presence beyond the 8 countries that use a Ezra online store. This would utilize Sara's existing centralized supply chain in Europe to expand reach to the existing customer base.However, this would give Ezra little long term competitive advantages over competition as competitor brands can easily implement the same marketing approach. Ezra may also want to consider adopting an undifferentiated approach by expanding their basic line to further compete with a larger customer base as Unique have done with a large amount of success (exhibit 5). This solution however would to be a viable long term solution and has the possibil ity of affecting their overall brand perception if less fashionable items of clothing were being pushed to the consumer.Best Solution The best solution for Ezra would be to open a joint-venture distribution centre in China as a precursor to opening localized design and production facilities in Asia, this fits into Sara's objective to expand rapidly in a very competitive landscape (Exhibit 5). This is also consistent with their joint- venture with Data group in opening up Ezra stores in India with the potential for Network Insight. The overall issue to this solution is that Ezra will need to find a partner to form a joint venture with, this may also require exchanges with local economic actors in China to gain insight.China is a rapid growing market for Ezra with 71 stores opening in 4 years and on target to becoming Sara's 2nd largest market. Opening a distribution center in China entails the following; 1 . Network Insight for ‘STEP' Competitive advantage – Whilst openi ng a distribution centre in China itself is not a major competitive competency in comparison to R&M's localized distribution centers, by operating a joint- entire in China and through the recursive exchange in the joint-venture structure along with exchanges with other economic actors, this promotes multilateral exchanges which will lead to a realistic and better understanding of the market.This can be used by Ezra to help better periodically evaluate their ‘STEP' due to changes in consumer needs, this ensures maximized long term success and competitiveness by assessing actions against modern network insights 2. Reduced re-stock time – Currently the existing distribution model for Ezra means that they can only ship to 1 geographical region per ay. By including a distribution center in Asia, it means that stores within the growing market can be restocked much more effectively to better satisfy consumer needs 3.Allows the introduction of e-commerce in Asia -? with a distr ibution center in Asia, this allows for the possibility of establishing e- commerce in China ahead of Sara's competition. This can also be used to further gather consumer insight into preferences. By operating as a joint- venture, risks will be shared with the partner organization, not only this, but resources can be shared to achieve maximum efficiency. However, by opening a distribution center in China, it will start to dissolve the existing centralized structure that Ezra has created.But to expand overseas, Ezra cannot rely on company-centered extant knowledge for expansion and understanding of new customers, as seen through their existing differentiated positioning in Americas and Spain. Ezra must start to take a more decentralized approach in terms of global expansion. The notion of decentralization may come with hesitance from Ezra stakeholders due to Bonnet's failure with a decentralized business model, however as Ezra loud maintain and own a large stake in the joint venture, they would still maintain a large control.With greater network insight, this provides a pathway for Ezra to Open design and production facilities in Asia to improve operational efficiency in the long-term; 1 . Economies of Scale – despite the current centralized distribution model not effecting gross profit growth (exhibit 4), the rapid expansion into Asia can cause discomposes of scale through higher transportation costs. By having design and production local, this will reduce transportation costs to ship to Asian regions, this can Hereford be beneficial in further reducing Sara's carbon footprint and improving CARS 2.Efficient Amalgamation of Consumer Feedback – With rapid expansion, there will be greater consumer feedback. By opening up design and production in China, it allows for efficient and focused amalgamation of Asian consumer perceptions through having an established network insight. This will allow both faster response time to customer feedback and potenti al for exchange of designs between Asian and European markets to expand Sara's product portfolio. 3.Closer to Fabric Suppliers – Currently, Ezra arches fabric from their Hong Kong office, this office could be used to further utilize Asian suppliers to supply fabric for Asian production facilities, therefore reducing costs in importing fabric from overseas suppliers. Overall this solution aims to provide sustainability to Ezra for future growth in Asia. Application of Concepts From the available case study, we can see the 3 components of a Market; the suppliers, product and customer come into play.For suppliers, we can see that suppliers such as H and Inedited offer a large variety of product entries, whilst Fast Retailing offer product specialization and have a small reduce portfolio. However the most important component within this case is the customer aspect, due to the large influence that customers have on product portfolios of Inedited and H. Fast retailing unique has ad opted an undifferentiated approach by treating consumers as a homogeneous segment.Therefore they attempt to reach a large customer base through a single marketing strategy of offering a large variety of basics in a large array of colors. This is different to the approach made by and Inedited, who utilize a differentiated marketing approach. Inedited has multiple brands such s Ezra and Berserk utilizing different Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning. This similar concept is used by in which sub-brands are marketed to different segment groups.This therefore means that Inedited and H aim to have a full-market coverage by offering a wide variety of offerings to different segments. However, as Unique is the largest retailer to use a undifferentiated marketing approach, it has successfully differentiated itself from Inedited and Ezra by implementing product specialization, therefore Fast Retailing have benefited from rising revenue growth comparable to H and Inedited (Exhibit 5). Zara Case Study MGMT 6620: Operations & SCM HBS Case Study Zara: IT for Fast Fashion 4/9/2013 1. What is the Zara â€Å"business model†? What weaknesses, if any, do you seen in this business model? The value propositions offered by Zara to its main customers who are young, fashion conscious city-dwellers is offering new styles within the time-frame of several weeks as well as providing assortment of choices for customers and the uniqueness of clothing styles fitting individual customer needs. To achieve this Zara’s business model had the following: 1.Incorporating the horizontal structure for placing orders and deciding which items to push aggressively by delegating decision making responsibilities to store managers; 2. Low volume production of any item and high inventory turnover, which secured better tracking of â€Å"hot† items, which can be sold well; 3. Reduction of losses on items which are not selling well- Company was eliminating inventory build-up by managing low invent ories and by their frequent updates company achieved high foot traffic in its stores and used the stores as focal points of its marketing campaigns.Weakness in Zara’s business model is that each store is highly dependent on decision making capabilities of store managers, which might cause the problem if many of them decide to leave. Moreover, since company relying on small shops scattered throughout Spain and Portugal for its production any economic downturn in those countries can cause the increase the cost of manufacturing or COGS. 2. In your opinion, what are the most important aspects of Zara’s approach to IT? Are these approaches applicable and appropriate anywhere? If not, where would they not work well?The Most important aspect of Zara’s approach to Information technology is the use of DOS-POS in its current store to track customers demand quickly, decentralize the company and provide customer with trendy clothing options. Yes these approaches are essenti ally applicable starting from production till distribution, but Zara’s current IT is outdated and needs to be upgraded from future sustainability point of view to network with various retailors and distribution centers. Zara could face challenges in longer run from operation front with new technology.Zara must keep upgrading them with the latest technology to beat the competitors that might cost high. New technology demands training on usage to employee that again involve cost. 3. Should the company build in-store networks? In our group’s opinion, Zara should build in-store networks. First of all, the store manager has difficulties in ordering without in-store networks. Aim of Zara is to provide its clothes quickly while the system which Zara currently has cannot reach this requirement.The store personnel could not look up their inventory through in-store computer; they need to talk to salespeople to determine the quantities, which is time-consuming. Secondly, for the fulfillment process, the level of the SKU is hard to determine without in-store networks. More importantly, if in-store networks would not be built, the infrastructure that Zara stores currently have cannot provide information among stores about the SKU. Store personnel have to use obsolete methods such as having telephone call or carrying disks to report the inventory or calculate the total sales.Last but not the least, the low cost wireless networks help and favor the building up of in-store networks. Zara, as a company, which has a promising future, should also update its network infrastructure, as its business scope will grow bigger. 4. How would you advise Salgado to proceed on upgrading Zara’s POS system? The POS terminals using DOS has been unchanged for over a decade, which made Zara difficult to manage the daily operation effectively. Upgrading Zara’s POS system would utilize the large screen, keyboard and mouse to quickly provide service to customers.It is ve ry important because time is money. Customers are now very busy with their daily schedule; faster service will attract more customers. Furthermore, the modern POS terminals would be able to execute more sophisticated capabilities such as sharing with other stores the inventory. This is essential for the company to manage the inventory and promote the brand network. It shows to the customers that Zara store is a global network and has the same value of providing the best service to customer anywhere. It will reduce the cost of phone call by using the communication inside the company’s online network.