Takealot is an online shopping platform, or online marketplace designed to provide a wide range of consumer products. The company’s business model is built on an online marketplace that offers a variety of products such as games, music, accessories books and items in lifestyle categories to name a few. Founded in 2010, with about 2000 employees Takealot is South Africa’s largest online retailer.

As a service marketing expert, you are engaged to provide expert advice on potential growth opportunities.

Answer ALL the questions in this section.

Question 1

1.1 Supported with a well calibrated online platform Take-a-lot rose to prominence delighting its multitude of customers. Additionally Take-a-lot designed a robust forward and reverse logistics capability. Provide a detailed discussion on how the order fulfillment process is part of Take-a-lot’s success journey.

1.2 Take-a-lot utilises a complex pricing strategy. However, Lovelock and Wirtz (2011: 160) inform of three foundations that underlie service pricing strategy – the costs to the provider, competition, and value to the customer. Providing realistic examples informed by research, analyse how these pricing strategies would apply to Take-a-lot.

1.3 Take-a-lot utilises various channels to communicate and process sales to their diverse market segments. In this respect different promotions are run per channels e.g. App only deals. Assess the wisdom of Take-a-lot allowing multichannel engagements with customers and contest why an omni channel approach would bring more sales compared to multichannel approach currently in use.

1.4 To ensure success of the business model, the Take-a-lot website needs to provide customers a high-quality service to create excellent experience and win the customers’ heart and establish mutually beneficial and long-term relationship. With the assistance of research develop a credible e-service quality model to assess dimensions of service quality on Take-a-lot website.

Answers to Above Questions

Answer 1.1: Order fulfillment process is defined as a process that involves receiving, packing and shipping orders. The process starts when a purchase is made by a customer and ends when they receive the product. In the given case scenario of Takealot online shopping platform, it is evaluated that the company has achieved significant effectiveness with respect to forward and reverse logistics capability. The order fulfillment process of the company therefore includes……….