Digitizing Saudi Flower Shop Operations

Introduction

The research will develop a website for a flower shop known as Pance. Notably, most businesses are now online and this has enabled them to have a bigger market share and lesser administration costs. By developing a website and a software to manage the shop remotely, it will be possible to expand the business beyond its physical reach. The project will benefit my father who lives in Saudi Arabia. He owns the flower shop and even though it is doing well right now, I believe that there is a big chance for improvement and this will increase his satisfaction and that of his customers. In Saudi Arabia there are no online flower shops and introducing it using my father's shop will create a huge advantage for him. His customers will benefit as they can order flowers online and have them delivered in their local places. The customers will also be able to give their orders and if the flowers are not available at that time, my father can avail them in some hours.

I will be doing this project because I believe that the business has not been growing over the years. Although my father is a hardworking man and is very innovative with the requirement of his clients, he is still traditional and this has affected his profits. Many customers would like to get the flowers but after asking for a delivery, my father insists that they must visit the shop. This usually leads to the loss of customers and the lack of new customers in the shop.

I will commence the project by analysing the existing market and the potential market that can be created from the business. Currently, the shop focuses on weddings and anniversaries and this somehow limits the number of clients. I will expand the focus by highlighting the importance of flowers as gifts, surprises, decoration and as a way of sending a special message to people who influence the clients' lives. Those will be achieved by researching on how to create an attractive website for the business, a mobile app and a software to digitalize the operations in the shop. The research will show me the most cost-effective way of developing a website that will be appealing to the clients and easy to manage. Moreover, I will collect data on the requirements of the clients. Our main clients are aged between 22-55 and they usually purchase flowers for weddings or anniversaries. By reaching out to them to ask for the adjustments they would want to see in the shop, it will be possible to ensure that the project developed plays a role in their lives. Additionally, I will focus on creating new products such as vases and also creating new uses for the flowers. For instance, I will encourage the visitors to have flowers for something like a birthday, visiting a sick person or to have them as a surprise for a loved one. This will not only increase the customers for the shop but will also result in increased customers' satisfaction.

The project will be beneficial for the shop owner and his clients. The clients will access the shop more easily by using online means such as the website or mobile app. Moreover, they will have their orders prepared beforehand in a way that will ensure there is no delay in delivering them. Additionally, the project will enable them to forward their request before and if it is not available in the shop, the owner will have enough time to look for the orders. For the shop owner, the project will ensure that all the processes earnings and clients in the shop are closely monitored. This will increase accountability by the employees and will also increase the level of customers' satisfaction. The project will also be beneficial to me because the shop is my father's and at one time, it will be mine. I intend to enlarge it to become a full gift shop where we will be offering many gift ideas for couples and for general customers. Through the project, it will be possible for the shop to tap into other markets even outside the country and this will increase the amount of income.

Objectives

1. The research aims to develop a digitalized environment for Pance Flower Shop which is located in Saudi Arabia.

2. It also aims to create a website and a mobile app that will be used by clients to access the shop and all its products

3. To ensure that the running of the shop is made easier

4. To improve customer's satisfaction by providing quality products in a timely manner

5 To reduce the pressure experienced when preparing for urgent orders, by ensuring that clients can order online and collect them later.

6. To create a variety of products by allowing clients to bring their own designs and then the shop owner can create them.

7.To make the business sustainable by making flowers available only when they are needed. This will greatly reduce wastage that occurs from unpurchased flowers.

8. To increase the market coverage of the company.

9. To increase the profits earned by the shop.

10. To increase the products provided by creating more use for flowers apart from the traditional uses which include weddings and anniversaries.

11. To make sure that the shop moves with time, and this will prevent it from becoming obsolete in the future.

Methodology

In the project, I will incorporate agile methodology to collect and analyse the data. Through this method, it will be possible to focus on the interaction between the clients and the shop owner and developing strategies that will be beneficial to that. The agile methodology also provides a working software that is none complicated and with less documentation. Additionally, it ensures that there is more collaboration between the participants and creates the analysis that aims to respond to changes that will be experienced during the research. The agile methodology also ensures customer's satisfaction as it delivers software perpetually hence ensuring that the software can be updated periodically.

The agile approach will ensure that the people participating in the project will have an environment that is built on trust and appreciation. Additionally, the agile methodology is important as it focuses on the objectives of the project and hence making it easier to stick by it in the long run. This methodology has been known to develop many opportunities through which the stakeholders can get involved in by ensuring that they are active from the commencement of the project to the end. Moreover, it ensures that the client's vision is clearly understood and this ensures the delivery of high quality software. Additionally, the methodology will be transparent to the client, and this will ensure that every information used to develop the software is obtained legally and it will be beneficial for the project. The project requires predictability to ensure that everything is done within the allocated time. This will make sure that the software adds sufficient value to the business a short while after installation. Predicting the costs and the schedule used to create the project is important as it will ensure that everything done in the project is affordable and that the project will proceed up to completion.

Agile methodology ensures that the project is flexible and if that something was missed in the objectives, it will be addressed as it creates a flexible implementation process. It will give the researcher more control of the work and given that it can be completed partly, it will be possible to introduce the project to the business even if it is not completed fully. As a result, changes in the business will be experienced sooner, something that will increase the profitability of the business. Additionally, the researcher will be able to have a more clear understanding of the important aspects of the business, hence making it possible to create only features that create an advantage for the company. The research aims to improve the users' experience when shopping in the flower shop. Notably, agile methodology ensures that it provides attention to the consumers' needs and this way it will be possible to address the users' concerns after the project is ready. The flexibility of the project will ensure that all needs raised are addressed as expected. As a result, the end product will be of high quality and this will make it possible to achieve all the planned objectives.

List of Software to Be Used

Angular: This is a software that is maintained but google and it uses JavaScript. It will be necessary as it will simplify the development of the applications that will be developed.

Node 8: It will be used as it performs well in the development of projects using JavaScript. Through its compatibility, it will be possible to address all the issues experienced in the project.