Management has determined that they would like to launch a website within three months, and put 100 different products onto the site as a test to gauge consumer sales and acceptance of the medium. Items offered on the site will be limited to shelf-stable goods, meaning that no immediately perishable items like fresh fruits or vegetables will be available.

It has been decided that Worldwide Foods would like to include the following features (at minimum) on their site:

• A basic home page, perhaps with photo of a selection of ethnic foods
• A store locator page with addresses and maps to the four locations (addresses to be supplied later)
• A page with recipes of selected ethnic dishes
• A page with ordering capabilities for the 100 +/- items, including some photos of selected items
• A page with some featured products and related information (e.g., "Products of the Week")
• A "Contact Us" page

Your role is that of an internal marketing department that will develop the various elements of the multichannel strategy needed for Worldwide Foods. Your audience is top-level management. You may also wish to visit some retailers of ethnic foods to find out a little more about this line of business.

In the mean time, you should start looking at commercial e-commerce sites to learn how they are organized and structured. One of the key aspects of yor project will be the navigation of the site, which is a function of how it is structured.

You must also develop a prototype of a catalog that will be sent to Worldwide Foods' mailing list, as well as a written strategy document that demonstrates your strategy reecommendations for their stores, catalog, and website.

The catalog should feature selected items, have photographs, product descriptions, etc., and some mechanism for ordering. Ideally it should tie all aspects of the business together. In other words, it will list the physical stores and website, but also provide a phone-in ordering option.

The written paper should address all issues of retail management and operations, including (but not limited to):

1. each of the 4Ps
2. hiring and compensation
3. store atmosphere and decor
4. merchandising decisions
5. a merchandise budget
6. customer relation management

Outline Of Your Paper

Below is a possible outline you could use when writing your paper. Please do not feel limited by this outline, and please do not merely copy it and use it verbatim. This is only a recommended starting point.

1. Cover (Worldwide Foods, by...your names...)
2. Summary: A 1-page intro recapping the main content areas, as well as your primary recommendations
3. Target Market(s)
4. Product Assortment recommendations and related product issues
5. Pricing strategy
6. Promotion recommendations
7. Placement issues, like store design, atmospherics, etc.
8. Positioning strategy
9. The Catalog and its role in the business
10. The website and its role in the business
11. Customer Relationship Management
12. Exhibits, Tables, etc., including Merchandise Budget
13. Sources Used